Documentation
How Surf works, written against the shipping product. Every number here is the number the app enforces, and where something has a limit or an exception, the exception is stated rather than left out.
IntroductionWhat Surf is, in one page.How ranking worksThe candidates, the weights, the damping.What each plan includesEvery limit and every gated feature.EncryptionThe design, and the limits of it.
Start here
What Surf is, how to get an account, and how the app is laid out.
- IntroductionSurf is a general social network with no advertising on any tier, and with the feed ranking handed to the person reading the feed.
- Create an accountSigning up takes about a minute, and setup is eight short steps you can change later.
- Install SurfSurf is a web app that installs to a home screen and then behaves like a native one.
- Getting aroundA map of the app: what each surface is for, and where it lives.
- Multiple accountsUp to five accounts can be signed in on one device, and switching between them does not sign you out.
Your feed
How ranking works, every control over it, and how to switch it off.
- How ranking worksThe For You feed gathers candidates, scores them against your settings and your history, then damps repetition before showing you the result.
- Feed controlsFour presets, ten sliders, and up to twelve standing rules written in plain English.
- Topics and filtersLean into or away from subjects, set a comfort level for what is shown, and bound the feed by language, country and network.
- Why am I seeing thisEvery ranked post can explain itself from its own ranking signals, and the same sheet is where you correct it.
- Muting and filteringWords, topics and accounts can be removed from every feed view outright, without blocking anyone.
- Turning ranking offOne switch replaces the ranked feed with a newest-first feed that does no scoring and no learning.
Finding things
Explore and trending, lists you build by hand, the map, and finding people you already know.
- Explore and trendingThe two places to find things you are not already following, and what decides what appears in them.
- ListsFeeds you assemble by hand from accounts you choose, separate from who you follow.
- The mapPosts placed by location and people near you, both of which require you to share your location first.
- Finding people you knowContact matching that compares your address book without ever sending it to us.
Posting
Every format, the composer in full, and what you can still change after publishing.
- FormatsFive ways to publish, each with a different shape and a different audience behaviour.
- The composerEverything you can attach to a post before publishing, and the limit on each.
- ThreadsA thread is a connected run of posts you can reorder before publishing and continue later.
- ShortsVertical video up to three minutes on every tier, with a full editor behind it and a trial mode for testing.
- StoriesA photo or clip that expires after 24 hours, shown to everyone, to close friends, or to a group you define.
- LiveA real-time broadcast with chat, reactions and paid Super Chats, on a length cap that depends on your plan.
- Drafts and schedulingDrafts sync across your devices, and scheduled posts publish themselves at a time you choose.
- Editing, undo and deletingWhat you can still change after publishing, and for how long.
Studio
The video editor that runs in the browser, from the timeline to the export.
- OverviewStudio is a real multi-track video editor that runs in your browser, with nothing to install and no render queue.
- The timelineClips, layers and audio on one timeline, with keyframes for anything that needs to change over time.
- Filters, colour and AR55 filters across seven categories, manual colour adjustment, and 27 face-tracked AR lenses.
- Captions and audioAutomatic captions in eleven styles, a music library, voiceover, text to speech, and eighteen voice effects.
- AI editingOne-tap automatic editing on Sapphire, and a conversational editing agent with 51 tools on Sapphire Pro.
- ExportingExport quality follows your plan, there is no render queue, and paid tiers carry no watermark.
Messaging
Direct messages, the encryption design and its limits, groups, and calls.
- Direct messagesOne-to-one and group threads, encrypted end to end by default, with the usual editing, reacting and forwarding.
- EncryptionDirect messages use X3DH and the Double Ratchet, with AES-256-GCM content encryption and a 60-digit safety number for verification.
- Devices and backupKeys live on your devices, so history is only recoverable if you set up an encrypted backup first.
- Group threadsNamed groups with invite links, slow mode, and per-thread controls.
- Voice and video callsPeer-to-peer where the network allows it, with a relay fallback when it does not.
- Conversation controlsDisappearing messages, view once, read receipts, muting, and themes.
Spaces
Communities with their own rules, moderators and culture.
Intelligence
Search, Ask, Memory, summaries and writing help, and where each of them runs.
- Surf VisionEvery AI feature is a named toggle in one place, grouped by what it touches, and each can be switched off on its own.
- Search and AskSearch by meaning or by picture, and ask a question about a post and get a cited answer in the thread.
- MemorySearch your own history on Surf, including things you read rather than posted.
- Writing helpPolish, duplicate detection and Copilot are suggestions in the composer, never automatic edits.
- Where AI runsSome models run in your browser and some run on servers. This page says which is which, without rounding it up to on-device.
Profile and account
Identity, privacy, the people around you, notifications, security and your data.
- Your profileName, username, bio, links, cover and the customization that comes with a paid plan.
- Privacy settingsWho can see your account, who can reach you, and what your presence gives away.
- PeopleFollowing, followers, close friends, circles, and the three different ways to make someone go away.
- NotificationsTwo channels, four routing modes, and a switch per notification type.
- SecurityTwo-factor authentication, session review, and what happens after too many failed logins.
- Your dataSee what you have done, export a copy, deactivate temporarily, or delete permanently.
- Appearance and accessibilityTheme, text size, language, motion and contrast.
Plans and billing
What each tier costs, what it unlocks, and how payment works.
- The plansOne free tier that is a complete social network, and three paid tiers that add headroom and creator tooling.
- What each plan includesEvery numeric limit and every gated feature, generated from the app's own tier configuration.
- BillingHow the trial works, how to change plans, and what happens when you cancel.
- The ranking multiplierPaying does change reach, by a published amount, inside the same formula everyone gets. Here is exactly what it does and what it cannot do.
Creators
The three ways to be paid on Surf, the fees, the payouts, and the analytics.
- Getting paidFan subscriptions, Super Chats and brand deals, all inside the product, with the fee stated for each.
- PayoutsPayouts run through a regulated payment processor and are available in the United States at launch.
- AnalyticsThe dashboard, what it measures, and the questions you can ask it in plain language.
- Business accountsThe plan for organisations: a verified badge, brand deals from the buying side, and API keys.
Safety and well-being
Reporting, appeals, restricted mode, family supervision, and limits you set for yourself.
- Reporting and appealsHow to report something, what happens next, and how to appeal a decision about your own account.
- Restricted modeA stricter filter for the whole account, for younger users or anyone who wants a quieter platform.
- Family CenterA guardian can supervise a young person's account, see what matters, and manage the safety settings.
- Well-beingLimits you set for yourself: a daily post cap, a screen-time cap, and a downtime window.
Reference
Tables to look things up in.
Cannot find it here
The help center answers common questions in shorter form, and contacting us reaches a person. For abuse, copyright or privacy requests, use report a problem.