There’s a feature that I want, and searching shows that it’s been requested three times before under different headings, with extensive pro and con discussion. I’m not going to add another duplicate, but those threads are closed so I can’t chime in with “I, too, really really want this.” Without a way to keep discussion going, I don’t see how it can be tracked whether there’s an ongoing mass of people in favor.
I don’t think this matter has yet been consigned to “Not gonna happen, ever”, so what do we do? There’s such a mass of feature requests that I doubt anyone on the team is going to spontaneously notice that this one’s been requested three times and bring it back to consideration later. Do I just accept that new features rarely happen and let it go?
threads that are actual Feature Requests don’t usually close by themselves. if you want to open a thread, you can message (@)moderators to have someone open it.
I suppose that it depends on the manner in which the Feature Requests referred to were closed. Most Feature Requests do remain open, and they do not “time out” as other threads do. Feature Requests that are closed usually have some type of statement, often from staff, sometime from mods, at the end stating the reason for closure. If it’s something like “this won’t be considered”, then I wouldn’t make a new request.
If a new request is similar to an existing closed one, but has a twist on some existing request that makes it different, it could be worth submitting a new request, but the submitter would want to include links to the relevant closed requests and highlight how the new request is different, including any points that addressed staff comments on why other requests were not accepted/closed. Of course no guarantees the request would be accepted, but thoughtful requests are always considered!
Requests on some general topics are currently not accepted (referenced elsewhere on the forum) - these are often ones that staff have their eye on but don’t have resources to implement now or are under development. An example is adding missing features to the iOS app - a new app is under development that will unify app features across OSes, so requests here aren’t being accepted since resources are going to development.
You could also message moderators to ask if a feature request or thread could be reopened and explain your rationale. They could advise whether reopening the thread, making a new request, or just letting it go is the best course of action.
On a side note, I’m moving this thread to “Forum Feedback” since it specifically address how the forum works and may be easier for folks to find in the future there, since I think the content will be relevant to future forum users.
Presumably, the reason for the closure in this case was something other than “this won’t be considered.”
If you select text within a locked thread and choose “Copy,” the system will treat it as starting a new thread, “continuing the discussion from…”. Depending on the stated reason for closing the earlier threads, it may be worthwhile to do this, followed by your explaining how your thoughts build on or add to what was already said.