Channels are the beating heart of bananatribe: they allow you to customize local conversations, follow only the topics you care about (from sports and music to nature and work), and filter out background noise.
Step 1: How to access channel management
You can customize channels at two different points:
1. During initial registration (Onboarding): upon first access, you are presented with an initial list to start discovering the tribe immediately. 2. At any time from your Profile: - Tap your avatar photo in the top right of the header. - Select Profile (👤). - In the vertical tab bar on the left, tap the icon with the # (Hashtag) symbol.
Step 2: Quick selection by entire category
Categories are arranged alphabetically and labeled with helpful emojis (e.g. 🏆 Sports, 🏛️ Culture, 🌲 Nature, 🎭 Entertainment, 🎮 Gaming).
- Tap the category name or checkbox to activate it: a checkmark will select all channels under that topic with a single tap. - To the right of each row, you will find a counter (e.g. 0/4, 3/7, 18/18): it shows you at a glance how many channels are currently active in that topic. - If you select only some channels in a category, the box will display a - symbol (partial selection).
Step 3: Precise selection of individual channels
Want to follow specific topics without activating the whole category?
1. Tap the downward arrow (∨) to the right of the category to expand it. 2. You will see all individual topic channels (e.g. #Calisthenics, #Trekking, #Astronomy, #Padel, #Photography). 3. Tap each channel you want to activate or deactivate: - Colored checked box = Active channel (you receive messages). - Empty box = Deactivated channel (no messages on your feed). 4. The special entry with the suffix -Other is always positioned at the bottom of each category to gather general discussions for that area.
⚡ Instant saving: no need to press any "Save" button! Every tap syncs immediately with your account.
Step 4: The special ☠️ #Unfiltered channel
At the bottom of the screen, separated by a divider line, you will find the ☠️ #Unfiltered channel:
- A dedicated space for casual, free-flowing conversations. - Special rules: messages are ephemeral (no longer visible after midnight) and do not award Triber points to level up. - How to activate it: on first tap, a screen displaying community guidelines will appear; confirming your acceptance adds the channel to your list.
Step 5: Where to find your chosen channels
Once you have selected your channels, you will find them in two key areas of the app:
1. On the Home screen (Main feed): in the "Messages from the tribe" section, the latest updates from the channels you follow stream in real time, geolocated to your postal code and selected radius. 2. On the Chat screen (speech bubble icon in the center of the bottom navigation bar): your personal inbox with all active channels where you can join in, reply, quote messages, or send emoji reactions.