A graphical user interface displays a unique graphical indexing element such as a tab for each engaged and non-engaged messaging session. The user chooses which messaging session to make engaged by selecting its graphical indexing element. The graphical indexing elements have various distinctive characteristics to indicate the status of their respective messaging sessions, such as engaged, non-engaged with no unread messages, or non-engaged with at least one unread message. The messaging sessions may all be docked, in which event the engaged messaging session is displayed in a window pane set and the other messaging sessions are not displayed, or may be selectively undocked, in which event the engaged messaging session and the undocked messaging sessions are displayed in respective window pane sets. The engaged window pane set supports the communication of original or predefined messages between the user's digital device and the pal's messaging-enabled digital device, regardless of capability.