BranchBeat is a place to make and share music. This safety center brings together how to block, mute and report, where to find help, and how we deal with bullying and abuse. It is for everyone who uses BranchBeat, and the same safety center is in the app: open the ☰ menu and choose Safety center.

If someone is bullying you

Bullying and harassment are not allowed on BranchBeat. That includes insults, threats, mocking someone, sharing things to embarrass them, and getting others to pile on. If it is happening to you, it is not your fault.

Don’t reply. Replying often keeps it going.
Block the account, so you no longer see each other (see below).
Report it, so a person on our team can look at it and act.
Save a screenshot if you want a record, for example to show someone you trust.
Talk to someone you trust: a friend, a family member, a teacher or another adult.

StopBullying.gov, from the US government, has advice for young people, parents and teachers on dealing with cyberbullying. Our Cyberbullying Policy says what we treat as bullying and what we do about it.

Block, mute and other controls

Block: open the person’s profile, tap ⋯ and choose Block. You can also block from the ⋯ menu on one of their posts, by pressing and holding one of their comments, or by pressing and holding your conversation with them in Messages. You won’t see each other’s posts, comments or messages, and you stop following them.
Undo a block: Settings → Account & Security → Blocked accounts.
Mute a conversation: in Messages, press and hold the conversation and choose Mute. Its notifications stop, and the conversation stays in your inbox.
Remove a conversation: press and hold it in Messages and choose Delete conversation. It leaves your inbox; the other person keeps their copy.
Comments on your posts: press and hold any comment on your own post and choose Delete comment.
Notifications: choose which ones you get in Settings, under Notifications.

How to report

You can report a post, a comment, a message or an account. The person you report is not told who reported them.

A post: tap ⋯ on the post and choose Report.
A comment: press and hold the comment and choose Report comment.
A message: press and hold the message and choose Report message.
An account: open the profile, tap ⋯ and choose Report.

Then choose the reason that fits: Harassment or bullying, Hate or discrimination, Sexual content, Child safety concern, May be too young to use BranchBeat, Violence or threat, Spam or scam, Copyright/IP issue, Impersonation, Other. Choose “May be too young to use BranchBeat” if you think an account belongs to someone too young for BranchBeat. Once you report something it is hidden from your view, and you can block the account in the same step.

Our team is emailed when a report is filed, and a person reviews it. Child-safety reports are reviewed first. We can hide or remove content and suspend or close accounts. Our Child Safety Standards explain how reports about children are handled.

If someone shared an intimate image of you without your consent, including a fake one, we remove it within 48 hours of a valid request. Our TAKE IT DOWN notice explains how to ask.

You can also email support@branchbeat.com with a link to, or a description of, what you saw. You do not need an account to do this.

If you are struggling

If you are thinking about suicide or hurting yourself, or you are worried about someone else, you are not alone, and help is available right now.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number (911 in the US).
In the US, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, at any time.
Anywhere in the world, Find a Helpline lists free, confidential helplines in your country, by phone, text and chat.
Talking to someone you trust, such as a friend, a family member, a teacher or a doctor, can help too.

If a post, comment or message makes you think someone may be in danger, report it, and if the danger is immediate, contact emergency services. Searching BranchBeat for some self-harm terms shows these resources instead of posts.

Social media and wellbeing

Sharing music online can be a way to connect, learn and get feedback. Researchers are still studying how social media affects wellbeing, and the effects differ from person to person. Some people find that heavy use crowds out sleep, exercise or time with others, or that comparing themselves with others affects how they feel. Things many people find helpful:

Notice how you feel. If using an app leaves you feeling worse, take a break.
Protect your sleep: put your phone away at bedtime.
Turn off notifications you don’t need.
Remember that a post shows a chosen moment, not someone’s whole life. Likes and follower counts are not a measure of your music, or of you.
Think before you share. Once something is posted, others can see it and may copy it. Never share your address, school, phone number or passwords.
Be kind. Every account is a person.

If you are under 18, your account has extra protections: your posts are seen only by people you follow who follow you back, you do not appear in search, and someone can message you only if you follow each other. A parent or guardian who approves or is linked to your account can set a daily time limit and quiet hours, and turn off direct messages.

How the Community feed works

Both feeds in Community are chronological. The Global feed shows public posts, newest first, in the same order for everyone. The Friends feed shows posts from the accounts you follow, and your own, also newest first. Neither feed is ranked by an algorithm or built from your data: what you play, like or listen to does not change the order. Posts from accounts you have blocked, and posts you are not allowed to see, are left out. Recordings in the feed play only when you tap them.

Our policies

Cyberbullying Policy: what counts as bullying here, and what we do about it.
Removing intimate images (TAKE IT DOWN): how to ask us to remove an intimate image shared without consent.
Child Safety Standards: how we protect children and handle reports about them.
Moderation and safety features: every tool we use to moderate content and protect teens.
Terms of Service: the rules everyone agrees to.

Contact us

Questions or concerns about safety on BranchBeat can be sent to support@branchbeat.com. A person reads every message. If anyone is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services first.