Updates, decisions & photos scattered everywhere. Channels creates one source of truth for every conversation.
Get your whole supply chain onboard
Overcome the usual adoption challenges. Get field crews, office teams, contractors, and suppliers all communicating in one place.
WHY IT WORKS
Feels like popular messaging apps people already use
No company email required to join
Keeps work separate from personal chats

Automatically capture site-level data from chats
Turn conversations in the field into actionable records for the office. Gets records, photos, and files ready to use without manual transfers.
WHY IT WORKS
Shared media auto-sync to a centralized gallery
Raise issues directly from chats
Gain complete context with direct input from site

Get a complete record of what happened
Build accountability with timestamped records showing exactly what was communicated, decided, and agreed across all teams.
WHY IT WORKS
Easily find what was said, decided, and shared
See the full context of every update, photo, and file
Look back weeks or years later and still see the full picture

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Frequently Asked Questions
Shape Channels is a secure construction communication app that replaces WhatsApp, SMS, and personal messaging for project work. It feels like the messaging apps everyone already uses, but every message, photo, and decision is captured in a company-owned, timestamped record. Available on iOS and Android, it keeps field-to-office communication auditable without slowing teams down.
Channels gives field crews, office staff, subcontractors, and suppliers a familiar messaging experience. Conversations stay separate from personal chats, and the company retains a permanent, auditable record trail. Unlike WhatsApp, message history cannot be deleted when someone leaves the project, which is critical for defending claims years later.
Yes. The Channels app is included in Shape's free plan, alongside daily reporting, issue tracking, weekly planning, and file management. There is no per-message cost, and subcontractors join at no charge.
Yes. Channels is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and is accessible on the Shape web app.
Teams and Slack are designed for office workers and require a company email to join. Channels is designed for construction supply chains, where field crews, subcontractors, and suppliers often do not share an email domain. It also automatically synchronizes media and updates into Shape's Project Gallery and Issue Tracker, turning chats into structured records instead of leaving them stranded in inboxes.
Yes. Every Channels message is timestamped, attributed to a named user, and stored in a company-owned environment under ISO 27001 and SOC 2 controls. This makes the record auditable for disputes and adjudications, unlike personal messaging or WhatsApp threads, which sit on individual devices and can be deleted, lost, or contested at the moment a claim is filed.
Yes. Subcontractors and suppliers can join project Channels without a company email and without consuming paid seats, which removes the usual adoption barrier on multi-trade jobsites. Many general contractors use this to onboard their entire supply chain in one platform, then split conversations by trade, area, or work package.
Photos and files shared in Channels chats sync into Shape's Project Gallery, while messages flagged as blockers can be raised as issues in Issue Tracker with one tap. The result is a structured project record built passively from everyday conversations, instead of requiring field teams to fill out separate forms or upload photos manually.
Yes. Channels content flows into Shape's record layer, which can be imported into Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, SharePoint, Aconex, ProjectWise, Viewpoint, Power BI, and Power Automate. This means messages, photos, and decisions captured in Channels can be exported or referenced in whichever document management or analytics platform a contractor already uses.
Yes. Channels retains the full message history of every project on paid plans, with search across conversations, attachments, and linked records. Even years after a project closes, commercial and legal teams can retrieve specific decisions, instructions, and photos, which is essential when defending late-stage claims and adjudications.



