base

• what is Blink and what is it for?
  Blink is a map app with your friends on it! with Blink you can always stay updated on where your friends are, who they're with, and what they're doing. you can chat within the app, compete in steps count, exchange stickers, post check-ins, send each other whaddups and do many other things. we are growing every day, so new features are popping up regularly

• how to get my friends on the map?
  tap the “friends” icon on the map ⟶ press the "invite" button at the top left. there are various ways to look for a friend here. you can add them directly from your phone book, find them by their Blink nickname, or by their phone number. and if you’re standing next to each other and both have Blink downloaded, you can add each other using a bump: just both select this feature and shake your phones!

• my friend does not have an account in Blink yet. how do I invite them?
  if your friend isn't registered in Blink, you can invite them to the app and get stars for it! to do this, you need to invite your friend using your referral link. tap the “friends” icon on the map ⟶ press the "invite" button. now tap the big "invite friends to the map" button under the grey text "on other social networks". you can either choose "copy" and manually send the link to your friend, or forward it directly in the desired messenger by selecting it. you can also invite a friend from your phone book if they are in your contacts. to do this, in the friends section, tap the "from contacts" option at the very top of the page, find the friend you need in the window that opens, and tap "invite". once your friend registers in Blink, you’ll receive a notification.

• how to mark sleepovers on the map?
  sleepovers appear automatically after a night spent in a new location. it's important that your phone is on at night, with internet and geolocation enabled. typically, the marker is set about 24 hours after the overnight stay, but it may take a bit more time, up to a couple of days

• how to mark my home/work/school?
  all these markers appear automatically over time when the algorithm recognizes these places on your map. this may take up to a couple of weeks. to get the home marker, you need to stay there overnight for a while without turning off your phone, internet, and geolocation at night. for school and work, you just need to attend regularly and open Blink there more often. however, it's important to note that the work marker cannot appear if you spend less than 6 hours a day at that location.

• how to change Blink language?
  usually, Blink uses your phone's system language. if the system is set to english, then Blink will be in that language. however, you can change the language in the app on Android by going to settings ⟶ "language" and choosing the one you want.

account

• how to delete my Blink account?
  tap the “you” button on the map ⟶ tap the gear icon ⚙️ in the top left corner ⟶ scroll all the way to the bottom until you see the grey text "delete account". tap it if you want to delete your account. you will have 30 days to restore your account if you suddenly change your mind about deleting it. after this period, it will be deleted permanently.

• how to change or delete my avatar?
  to change your profile picture, tap the “you” button on the map ⟶ tap the pencil icon in the top left corner ⟶ press the "change" button under the profile picture. here you can choose a picture from your gallery (don't forget to grant Blink access to it) or take a photo directly with your camera. you can also change your profile picture from the profile section like this: tap the profile picture and press the "change photo" button at the bottom. you can't delete your profile picture for good so that nothing is there instead. you can only replace it with another one.

• I want to hide my profile from search. how to do it?
  tap the “you” button on the map ⟶ tap the gear icon ⚙️ in the top left corner ⟶ "privacy". here you can turn the necessary items on or off. for example, if you don't want to be shown to anyone in recommendations — toggle off this item.

• how to edit my profile information?
  tap the “you” button on the map ⟶ tap the pencil icon at the top left. here you can change your bio, nickname, and name. you can also change your profile picture or pin, and specify your gender and birthday ️

• how to change my profile color?
  tap the “you” button on the map ⟶ tap the palette icon in the top left corner. here you can set 3 colors that will be displayed on your profile. or press the button in the middle of the circle to have colors selected randomly.

• how can I see how many times my profile was viewed?
  tap the “you” button on the map ⟶ tap the square with eyes . here you can see your views for the week and for the entire month. you can't find out exactly who viewed it.

functions

• what is bump? how to do it?
  bump is a feature in Blink that you can use with a friend when you meet. as soon as you and your friend do a bump, all your friends will receive a notification that you are together! make sure to try it the next time you see each other to do a bump, you need to open the app on two phones nearby and shake them up and down. it's important that you and that user are friends with each other. otherwise, instead of bumping for the first time, you will send each other friend requests.

• we're shaking our phones but the bump doesn't work. what should we do?
  bump might not work if one of the phones (or both) lacks an accelerometer sensor with a gyroscope. this sensor helps Blink understand that the phone is being shaken. it cannot be installed or added to a phone — it's either in the phone from the start or it isn't. but even in such a case, you can do a bump; here are the instructions: — enter the friends section together with your friend; — tap on "invite"; — choose "using a bump" here and start shaking your phones! where can I find my footprints? what is my world? —> old name. new:

• why do steps count drop down in month and week rating?
  this is where simple arithmetic comes into play. let's explain in more detail. in the weekly top, steps made in the last 7 days are counted. that is, each day, steps made 7 days ago are subtracted, and new steps made today are added. so, if there aren't enough new steps, the number may decrease. the same goes for the monthly ranking — each day, steps made 30 days ago are subtracted, and fresh ones are added.

• what are check-ins? what can I share with them?
  check-ins are like "stories" in our app. in them, you can share a photo or video with friends, and also tag the location where you're checking in! if you frequently post check-ins in the same place, you can even become its mayor. only you and your friends can see your check-ins. the first 24 hours, the check-in is visible in the check-ins section, and after that, all check-ins move to your profile, where only you and your friends can see them. regular users not in your friends list cannot see your check-ins. finding check-ins in your profile is easy: open it and tap on the check-in photos. plus, your check-in locations are saved on your footprints map, you can check them out there too to delete a check-in, tap on it ⟶ click the three dots in the upper right corner ⟶ "delete". you can also save the photo to your gallery by selecting the appropriate option.

• how to become the mayor of a place?
  you have ambitious plans! we like it. to become the mayor of any place, you need to post check-ins there as often as possible. the more check-ins in that place in the last 30 days, the higher you will be in the top. so even after becoming a mayor, don't relax to avoid losing your position! only the last 30 days are counted.

• what are pops and what are they for? how to get them?
  pops are little stars that you receive for inviting friends. other users can see your pops in your profile, and you can view them in the section with a star there. currently, pops have no specific use besides looking nice and earning respect, but everyone can see them in your profile. and in the future, who knows how pops might come in handy...

• what is my world?
  my world is the button at the bottom center right on the map. your world is literally your world on the Blink map! when you go somewhere with a phone that has Blink, your track will remain on the map in this section. then, on this screen, you’ll be able to see which zones and places are already discovered. your check-in spots are also marked here. this way you can explore the whole world, visit countries, and simply find new places in your hometown.

• what is a whaddup? how to send/delete it?
  a whaddup is a special sticker. to put it simply, it's like a check-in that only you and your friend, with whom you exchanged whaddups, can see. now let's explain how it works. when your friend wants to see where you are and what you're doing right now, they can send you a whaddup. you will have 2 hours from the moment the whaddup is sent to respond — send a photo or video to your friend. as soon as you respond to the whaddup, your friend will have 24 hours to view your response. after 24 hours from its creation, the content of the whaddup will turn to dust and disappear from your chat. you cannot delete a sent whaddup. but it will evaporate itself after 24 hours from sending, and only you and your friend can see it in your chat. no one else will be able to see the whaddup, so don't worry. it also won't be saved in your profile. by the way, whaddups have a counter! it appears at the bottom when you open a whaddup from a friend.

• how to unlock all stickers?
  stickers will unlock if you log into Blink for the required number of consecutive days. full days are counted (24 hours). so if the stickers didn't unlock exactly on the third day, wait until tomorrow — they will definitely unlock.

• why is there no widget on Android? when will it be available?
  currently, the widget on Android is in development, but we plan to add it in the future.

friends

• where can I see incoming/outgoing friend requests?
  new friend requests are always displayed every time you log into the app. if you want to see all requests including outgoing ones — go to the friends section and click "requests". here you can also cancel or decline them.

• what is the time next to the friend's icon?
  this is the time your friend has been in his current location. h = hours, m = minutes.

• how to hide your geolocation from someone?
  if you want to hide from a certain friend for a short while, you can enable a temporary freeze for them. to do this, tap the “you” section on the map ⟶ gear icon in the top left corner ⟶ "visibility settings" ⟶ here choose “freezeˮ and tap the desired duration. you can freeze your geolocation for a maximum of 24 hours; after that, you'll need to enable the freeze again if necessary. during the freeze, your friend will simply see that you are standing still. that is, your last geolocation at the moment of the freeze. besides freezing, you can enable “approximate geoˮ — your geolocation will be broadcast to the friend with some inaccuracy. unlike freezing, where there are no marks for the friend, with approximate geo, a “low accuracyˮ tag will appear for you — the friend can see it. however, such a tag also appears with poor satellite connection, so the friend won't know for sure either.

• how to know if a friend has frozen you?
  you can't know for sure, that's the point of the freeze feature. but during a freeze, the friend will just stay in one place for a long time, and their geolocation won't change.

• how to delete a friend?
  go to the profile of the friend you want to remove ⟶ tap the three dots in the top right corner ⟶ "delete from friends." after that, the friend will disappear from your map and won't see your geolocation, just as you won't see theirs.

• how to block a user?
  go to the profile of the user you want to block ⟶ click the gear icon in the upper left corner ⟶ "block".

• how to unblock a user? where to see your blacklist?
  press the “you” button on the map ⟶ tap the gear icon in the top left corner ⟶ "privacy" ⟶ "blacklist". to unblock a user, tap the gear icon next to their nickname and select "unblock".

map and geo

• how to change your location?
  you cannot change your geolocation manually — we show the location that your phone transmits to us. inaccuracies occur due to GPS interference, overall poor connection, and other issues not on our end. if your geolocation in Blink is displayed incorrectly, you need to do the following: open Blink ⟶ tap “you” on the map ⟶ tap the gear icon (settings) ⟶ “help” ⟶ "report geolocation problems". this won't change the geolocation, but this way we will receive all the necessary information to help us investigate the problem. and the interference should pass on its own over time, as it is usually caused by external sources.

• why is constant access to geo needed?
  without constant access to geolocation, Blink cannot show your location to friends in real-time. without permission to access geolocation in any mode, it cannot update your geo in the background. this means your geolocation will only update when you enter the app, which is not ideal.

• does Blink work without the internet?
  no. internet access is required to update geolocation and transmit it in real-time.

• what is freeze mode and approximate location? how to enable them?
  freeze and approximate geo are two slightly different features that allow you to hide from your friends' eyes for a while. with freeze, you can “fixˮ your geolocation in place for a specific friend, while approximate geo will show your location with some inaccuracy. freeze cannot be detected, only guessed. the story is a bit different with approximate geo — as soon as you turn it on for a friend, a “low accuracyˮ tag will appear for you. you can enable freeze or approximate geo like this: tap “you” on the map ⟶ gear icon in the top left corner ⟶ "visibility settings" ⟶ here choose “freezeˮ or “approximate geoˮ and tap the desired duration. you can turn them on for a maximum of 24 hours; then you'll need to turn them on again if necessary.

• what does the crossed-out geo icon on the friend's pin mean?
  it means that Blink is not receiving the geolocation from the friend's phone. this can happen for various reasons: — the friend has not allowed access to geolocation in any mode for Blink and hasn't opened the app for a long time; — the friend simply hasn't opened the app for a very long time; — the friend has turned off geolocation/access to it for Blink; — the friend's phone/internet/connectivity is turned off, or there are strong interferences with them.

• how to change the colored trail when moving/how to change pin style?
  when a user moves on the map, a colored trail is left behind them. this is the pin style, which can be changed to another one (if they are unlocked!). you can also buy new pin styles in our market. to change the pin style, press “you” on the map ⟶ tap the pencil in the top left corner ⟶ "pin style" ⟶ select the one you need here. please note that you can only change the style of your own pin. but all friends will see it when you move.

general questions about Blink

• why is Blink called that way?
  we love World of Warcraft, and "blink" is a skill used by mages to teleport themselves forward. we named the app after it.

• what is a "pin"?
  a pin is a user's "profile" on the map. so when you open Blink, you see your pin and your friends' pins on the map.

• what are those messages at the top when entering the app? who writes them?
  these are our welcome messages or welcome phrases, whichever you prefer. we come up with them, specifically the guys from the marketing department. by the way, these phrases often change and new ones are added so that no one gets bored

possible problems and their solutions

• i have an inaccuracy on the map! what should i do?
  message our support directly in the app: “you” on the map ⟶ gear icon in the top left corner ⟶ “help”. we’ll look into what’s going on and fix everything if possible!

• i have a problem, how do i contact support?
  our support is right in the app: “you” on the map ⟶ gear icon in the top left corner ⟶ “help”. both a bot and real human support staff answer there, 7 days a week without days off or interruptions. if for some reason you cannot write in the app, you can contact us by email at help@blinkmap.com. we will definitely reply there too, but the response time may be longer.

• where can I suggest my ideas for improving the app?
  we are always happy to see interesting ideas in our support: “you” ⟶ gear icon in the top left corner ⟶ “help”.

• my geolocation is determined incorrectly. what to do?
  like any map app, we show the geolocation that your phone transmits to us. you can verify this by opening another map app — for example, Google Maps, which is good for comparison. inaccuracies happen due to GPS interruptions in the area (for example, if the signal is being jammed), poor connection, and other issues like external interference from metal fences. also, GPS has an error margin of 20 meters, which is within the normal range. if your geolocation in Blink is displayed incorrectly, do this: open Blink ⟶ tap “you” on the map ⟶ tap the gear icon (settings) ⟶ "report geolocation problems". this way you will send all the information directly to our developers, which will help us analyze the problem. no, it won't fix your geolocation instantly, let's be honest, it just sends us the necessary data to figure it out. but on our end, we are working to make everything display as accurately as possible and to minimize such interference! so this information will be very useful to us. and geolocation interference usually passes on its own over time, as it's caused by external sources or the device itself. often this happens because of devices jamming GPS signals across the country from time to time for obvious reasons.

• my friend's geolocation is determined incorrectly. what to do?
  it's the same as with your geolocation — we show the location transmitted by the user's phone. if a friend's geolocation is displayed incorrectly, it means their phone transmitted it that way for one of many reasons. it happens that the friend didn't grant Blink access to geolocation in "always" mode or disabled background operation. because of this, their location will only update if they enter the app, so they definitely need to check these permissions. also, the friend might simply haven't entered the app for a long time, or there is GPS signal interference in their area. additionally, the friend could have simply frozen their geolocation from you or turned on “approximate geoˮ. in this case, even we won't be able to say for sure. nevertheless, if a friend's geolocation is constantly wrong — have them write to our support directly in the app: “you” ⟶ gear icon in the top left corner ⟶ “help”.