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How to Configure Activity-Based Channel Expiry

Updated

1. What This Feature Does

The Activity-Based Expiry setting allows administrators to define when channels expire and how they are handled after expiry. Channels will now expire based on the number of days since their last activity.

Example scenario: 

Channel expiry is switched to Activity-Based Expiry with a 10-day expiration from last activity. 

Channel A was created on July 1, 2026 and is set to automatically expire on July 11, 2026. 

On July 7, one of the contacts within the channel uploads a new file to Channel A. 

Based on this new activity, the expiration for the channel is automatically updated to July 17, 2026.

This helps organizations automatically manage channel lifecycle, reduce data retention risk, and enforce compliance policies. For the difference between Channel Expiry and Activity-Based Expiry, please refer to our Data Retention Overview article for details and definitions.

You can define:

  • Whether channel expiry is enabled by default
  • Whether expired channels are automatically deleted
  • The soft delete period before permanent deletion
  • Whether users can modify expiry settings at the channel level

For Subscription Administrators, TitanFile now offers a new option to globally control data retention for channels found within Settings -> Data Retention. 

Data Retention - Channel Expiry.jpg

2. Who Can Use It

  • Admin Users can configure Channel Expiry settings

Plan-Based Behaviour

For Business Starter and Business Pro Plans

  • Settings are applied globally across the subscription
  • When enabled, settings apply to all users and all channels
  • Users cannot override these settings

For Enterprise Plans

Channel Expiry includes a mix of role-based access controls and subscription-wide controls:

  • Some settings are available in Manage Roles
  • Others are enforced across the entire subscription

Important:

  • Channel Expiry must be enabled before it can be assigned through Manage Roles
  • Some settings cannot be controlled by roles and apply to all users

3. Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Navigate to Data Retention
  2. Locate the Channel Expiry section
  3. Configure the following options:

A. Switch to Activity-Based Expiry 

  • IMPORTANT: turning on Activity-Based Expiry is permanent and subscription admins will need to reach out to TitanFile Support (support@titanfile.com) to have the option turned off.
Channel Expiry - Enable Activity-Based expiry.jpg

B. Enable Channel Expiry on Newly Created Channels

  • Toggle ON to enable Channel Expiry by default for new channels
  • Toggle OFF to disable Channel expiry 
Channel Expiry - Enable Activity-Based expiry.jpg

Behavior Notes:

  • This setting can be applied retroactively to existing channels
  • For Enterprise plans:
    • This setting is available in Manage Roles

C. Edit Soft Delete Period on Deleted Channels

  • Configure the number of days a channel remains in a soft deleted state before permanent deletion

Behavior Notes:

  • This setting is enforced subscription-wide
  • This setting can be applied retroactively

D. Automatically Delete Channels Once Expired

  • Toggle ON to automatically delete channels after they expire
  • Toggle OFF to keep expired channels accessible until manually deleted

Behavior Notes:

  • This setting is enforced subscription-wide
  • There is no Manage Roles control

E. Allow Channel Owners and Managers to Edit Channel Expiry

  • Toggle ON to allow users to modify channel expiry settings at the channel level
  • Toggle OFF to restrict expiry configuration to admins only

Behavior Notes:

  • For Enterprise plans:
    • This setting is available in Manage Roles
  • When disabled:
    • Users cannot modify expiry settings

Changes are saved automatically when toggles are enabled or disabled. There is no Save button.

4. What Happens After

For Non-Enterprise Plans

  • Channel expiry settings are applied across the entire subscription
  • Changes (where applicable) can be applied to existing channels
  • Users cannot override these settings

For Enterprise Plans

  • Toggle 2 and Toggle 5:
    • Can be assigned and controlled through Manage Roles
  • Toggle 3 and Toggle 4:
    • Apply globally across the entire subscription
    • Cannot be controlled through roles

Important Behavior

  • If Switch to Activity-Based Expiry is enabled::
    • Channels will expire based on last activity rather than creation date
  • If Channel Expiry is enabled:
    • Channels will expire based on configured rules
  • If Automatic Deletion is enabled:
    • Channels are permanently deleted after expiry and soft delete period
  • If Soft Delete Period is configured:
    • Channels remain recoverable for the defined number of days
  • If User control is disabled:
    • Channel Owners and Managers cannot modify expiry settings
  • If retroactive application is selected (where applicable):
    • Existing channels are updated to reflect the new settings

5. Best Practice for Enterprise

For greater flexibility and control:

  • Enable Channel Expiry in Data Retention
  • Use retroactive application carefully when enforcing changes across existing channels
  • Control user access using custom roles in Manage Roles
  • Keep deletion settings (Toggle 3 & 4) centrally managed for consistency

This ensures:

  • Consistent lifecycle management across channels
  • Controlled flexibility for users
  • Alignment with compliance and retention policies

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