Plain-English summary: Be kind, be honest, be at least 13. Don't post illegal content. Messages you've read get deleted after 24 hours. Unread messages stay until you open them. We never sell your data. You use Blip entirely at your own risk, you agree not to sue us over anything that happens through the app or through other users, and if a dispute ever does come up, it's resolved one-on-one through arbitration, not a lawsuit or class action.
1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using Blip ("Service", "we", "us"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Blip. Your continued use of the Service constitutes ongoing acceptance of any updates to these Terms.
2. Eligibility & Account
Age Requirement
You must be at least 13 years of age to create an account. By registering, you represent and warrant that you meet this requirement.
13 is our minimum for a specific reason: it's young enough that a kid using Blip can still reasonably tell a parent or another trusted adult what's happening on the app if something goes wrong, rather than feeling like it has to be hidden. Below that age, kids are generally more vulnerable to being targeted by predatory adults and are less likely to speak up about it - so we don't allow accounts under 13 at all.
For parents of 13–17 year olds: we recommend periodically looking through your child's chats, call history, and friends list together. Blip doesn't do this monitoring for you - it's on you as the parent to stay involved. Users 18 and over don't need this kind of oversight.
Phone Number Requirement
Every account must provide a phone number. This exists for one reason: to make it harder for someone who gets banned for violating these Terms to just sign up again under a new username. It is not used for marketing or shared with third parties.
Account Security
- You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password.
- You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.
- You must provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration.
- You may not share your account credentials with others.
- You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account.
Username Policy
Usernames must be 3–24 characters using only letters, numbers, and underscores. We reserve the right to reclaim usernames that violate these Terms or impersonate others.
3. Your Content
You retain ownership of any content you post ("User Content"). By posting User Content, you grant Blip a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, display, and distribute that content solely for the purpose of operating the Service.
You represent that your User Content:
- Does not violate any applicable law or regulation.
- Does not infringe any third-party intellectual property rights.
- Is not defamatory, obscene, or otherwise objectionable.
- Does not contain malware, viruses, or harmful code.
We may remove any User Content that violates these Terms at our sole discretion, with or without notice.
4. Acceptable Use
You agree not to use the Service to:
- Harass, threaten, or intimidate other users.
- Post content that is hateful, discriminatory, or promotes violence.
- Share sexually explicit content involving minors (strictly prohibited — will result in immediate account termination and reporting to authorities).
- Impersonate any person or entity.
- Spam, phish, or engage in any deceptive practices.
- Attempt to hack, reverse-engineer, or disrupt the Service.
- Collect user data without consent.
- Post content that violates any local, national, or international law.
- Sell, trade, or transfer your account to another person.
Violations may result in immediate account suspension or termination, and may be reported to law enforcement where applicable.
Certain severely offensive words and slurs are detected automatically. Using one in a message results in an immediate ban - there is no warning first.
5. Messaging & Data Expiry
How message expiry works
Blip is built around the principle that data should not live forever. Here's exactly how it works:
- Read messages — Automatically deleted 24 hours after being opened.
- Unread messages — Kept until you open them. Once read, the 24-hour clock starts.
- FlashSnaps — Deleted immediately once opened by the recipient.
- Stories — Automatically expire 24 hours after posting.
- Unread messages (safety net) — Messages unread for more than 30 days are automatically removed.
Important: Once a message is deleted, it cannot be recovered. We do not maintain backups of expired content. Do not use Blip as a permanent record of important communications.
Group messages
The same expiry rules apply to group messages. Group messages are stored in the same messages.csv and follow identical deletion rules.
5a. Calls & Encryption
Calls are not monitored
Blip has no admin call-monitoring feature. Nobody at Blip can watch or listen in
on a 1:1 call, a Blip Match session, or a group call. If you experience abuse,
harassment, or illegal activity on a call, use the in-app Report
feature — reports are reviewed based on what you describe, since Blip itself
cannot access call content to verify it independently (see Encryption below).
Encryption
- 1:1 calls and Blip Match — end-to-end encrypted: regular
one-on-one calls and Blip Match sessions are encrypted with a key that only
the two participants hold, derived directly between their devices. Blip's
server relays the call's audio/video but never has the key and cannot decrypt
the content — the same is true for any hosting provider or anyone with
access to the server.
- Group calls (3+ people) — encrypted in transit, not end-to-end:
group calls still relay through Blip's server in a form the server could
technically decrypt, though there is no feature that lets anyone actually do
so. End-to-end encryption for group calls is planned but not built yet.
- Messages and stories — encrypted at rest, not end-to-end: stored
message and story text is encrypted on the server's disk with AES-256-GCM using
envelope encryption (each item sealed under its own key, which is itself sealed
under a master key derived through a slow key-derivation function). It cannot
be read directly from the storage medium without the master key, but Blip's
server does process it in readable form to deliver it to you.
- In transit: When Blip is served over HTTPS, your
connection to the server is encrypted, so others on your network cannot read
your messages or calls as they travel.
6. Privacy Policy
Data we collect
- Account data: Username, email address, phone number, display name, date of birth, and bcrypt-hashed password.
- Messages: Text content and any media you send, stored temporarily per Section 5.
- Stories: Media and text content you post, deleted after 24 hours.
- Usage data: We do not collect analytics, telemetry, or behavioral tracking data.
How we use your data
- To provide and operate the Service.
- To communicate with you about your account.
- To enforce these Terms and keep the Service safe.
What we never do
- We never sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties.
- We never display targeted advertising.
- We never read your private messages for any purpose other than safety investigations when legally required.
- We never store your plain-text password — only a bcrypt hash.
Data storage
All data is stored locally in CSV files on the server you operate. You are responsible for the security of your server. We recommend restricting access to the data/ directory.
Your rights
You may request deletion of your account and all associated data at any time by contacting the administrator or using the account deletion option in your profile settings.
7. Intellectual Property
The Blip name, logo, and all related trademarks are the property of Blip. The underlying software and design are protected by copyright.
You may not use the Blip name or branding without prior written permission.
8. Termination
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, if we believe you have violated these Terms or for any other reason at our sole discretion.
Upon termination, your right to access the Service immediately ceases. A ban permanently deletes your messages, Snaps, and stories, and removes you from every friend's friends list. This is not reversible.
You may delete your own account at any time through your profile settings.
9. Disclaimers
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITH ALL FAULTS AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING OUT OF COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE.
We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free, that defects will be corrected, or that the Service or the server that makes it available are free of viruses or other harmful components. We do not warrant that messages or stories will be available for any specific period of time, that any content will be accurate or reliable, or that the results of using the Service will meet your expectations.
We make no representation or warranty regarding the identity, intentions, conduct, or trustworthiness of any other user. Blip is a platform for communication between third parties; we do not vet, background-check, or endorse any user, and any reliance you place on another user's identity or statements is at your own risk.
No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained by you from us or through the Service creates any warranty not expressly stated in these Terms.
10. Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL BLIP, ITS OWNER, OPERATOR, ADMINISTRATORS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, OR AGENTS (COLLECTIVELY, THE "BLIP PARTIES") BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND — INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, LOSS OF GOODWILL, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, PERSONAL INJURY, OR ANY OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSS — ARISING FROM OR RELATING IN ANY WAY TO YOUR ACCESS TO, USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE, REGARDLESS OF THE LEGAL THEORY ASSERTED (CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE) AND EVEN IF THE BLIP PARTIES HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
THIS LIMITATION APPLIES WITHOUT LIMITATION TO ANY HARM, LOSS, INJURY, DEATH, SCAM, FRAUD, HARASSMENT, DEFAMATION, STALKING, THREATS, EXPOSURE TO OBJECTIONABLE OR ILLEGAL CONTENT, UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO YOUR ACCOUNT OR DATA, OR ANY OTHER CONSEQUENCE ARISING FROM ACTIONS OF OTHER USERS, THIRD PARTIES, OR CONTENT, MESSAGES, CALLS, OR STORIES TRANSMITTED THROUGH THE SERVICE — WHETHER OR NOT THE BLIP PARTIES KNEW OR SHOULD HAVE KNOWN OF THE RISK.
YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT YOU USE THE SERVICE ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE BLIP PARTIES ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF ANY USER OR THIRD PARTY, AND YOU AGREE THAT YOU WILL NOT BRING ANY CLAIM, DEMAND, OR ACTION AGAINST ANY BLIP PARTY ARISING FROM SUCH MATTERS, EXCEPT WHERE SUCH A WAIVER IS PROHIBITED BY LAW.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE BLIP PARTIES' AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE, WHETHER IN ONE INSTANCE OR A SERIES OF INSTANCES, EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE TOTAL AMOUNT YOU PAID TO BLIP IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM AROSE, OR (B) FIFTY U.S. DOLLARS ($50). THIS IS YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY. BECAUSE BLIP IS FREE TO USE, THIS AMOUNT WILL BE $0 FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF USERS.
SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU; IN SUCH CASES, THE BLIP PARTIES' LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE SMALLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
10a. Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Blip Parties from and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your access to or use of the Service; (b) your User Content; (c) your violation of these Terms; (d) your violation of any law or the rights of any third party; or (e) any dispute, interaction, or communication between you and any other user, including anything that happens on a call, in a message, or as a result of a connection made through the Service.
We reserve the right, at our own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, and you agree to cooperate with that defense.
10b. Release of Claims & Assumption of Risk
Blip connects you with other people, some of whom you will not have met before. You understand that interacting with other users — through messages, calls, Blip Match, or otherwise — carries inherent risk, and you voluntarily assume all such risk.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, you hereby release, waive, and forever discharge the Blip Parties from any and all claims, causes of action, and liability of any kind arising out of or in any way connected to your interactions with, or the conduct of, other users of the Service, whether such claims are known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, disclosed or undisclosed.
If you are a resident of a jurisdiction that requires a specific statement to make a general release effective as to unknown claims (for example, California Civil Code Section 1542), you expressly waive the protection of any such statute and confirm that this release extends to all claims that you do not know or suspect to exist in your favor at the time of agreeing to these Terms.
11. Dispute Resolution, Arbitration & Class Action Waiver
Please read this section carefully — it affects your legal rights.
Informal resolution first
Before filing any formal claim, you agree to first contact us and attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.
Binding individual arbitration
If a dispute is not resolved informally, you and Blip agree that any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved exclusively by final, binding arbitration, rather than in court, except that either party may bring an individual claim in small claims court if it qualifies. The arbitration shall be conducted on an individual basis and administered under commercially reasonable rules for consumer arbitration in effect at the time the claim is filed.
Class action and jury trial waiver
YOU AND BLIP EACH WAIVE THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY AND THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION, CLASS ARBITRATION, OR ANY OTHER REPRESENTATIVE OR CONSOLIDATED PROCEEDING. Any arbitration or claim will be conducted only on an individual basis and not consolidated with any other person's claim. If this class action and representative-proceeding waiver is found unenforceable as to a particular claim, that claim (and only that claim) shall proceed in court rather than in arbitration, with the remainder of this section continuing to apply to all other claims.
Opt-out
You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by notifying us in writing within 30 days of first agreeing to these Terms; if you opt out, disputes will instead be resolved exclusively in the courts identified in the Governing Law section below, and you waive your right to a jury trial to the fullest extent permitted by law.
If any part of this section is found to be unenforceable for a particular claim, that claim proceeds in court under the Governing Law section, and every other provision of these Terms remains fully in effect.
12. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Service's operator resides, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles. Subject to the arbitration agreement above, you agree that any legal action not subject to arbitration shall be brought exclusively in a court of competent jurisdiction in that location, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.
13. Severability, Force Majeure & Other Terms
Severability
If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court or arbitrator of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. The invalidity of any part of these Terms in one jurisdiction has no effect on its validity in any other jurisdiction.
Force majeure
The Blip Parties are not liable for any failure or delay in performance resulting from causes beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disaster, war, terrorism, riot, labor conditions, governmental action, internet or utility failures, or failures of third-party hosting or infrastructure providers.
No waiver
Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms is not a waiver of that right or provision. Any waiver must be in writing and signed by an authorized representative to be effective.
Assignment
You may not assign or transfer these Terms, by operation of law or otherwise, without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms without restriction, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
Entire agreement
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy above, constitute the entire agreement between you and Blip regarding the Service and supersede any prior agreements, whether written or oral.
Survival
Sections concerning Your Content's license, Disclaimers, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, Release of Claims, Dispute Resolution, and Governing Law survive any termination of your account or these Terms.
14. Changes to These Terms
We may modify these Terms at any time. We will provide notice of significant changes by posting a notice on the Service or via email. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.
We encourage you to review these Terms periodically.