@support / support.tumblr.com

Tumblr news, tips, and nerdy details. tumblr.com/help
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You might have heard that Tumblr became part of Automattic awhile back. Well, tomorrow we’re moving a bunch of our stuff over to their place (it’s getting pretty serious!), so if you notice anything wonky, that might be why.

…A better way of saying this is that we’ve been conducting some maintenance recently to migrate Tumblr (aka our servers, and all the other hardware that runs Tumblr) over to Automattic’s data centers. Automattic even bought us a bunch of new servers of our very own.

We’re flipping the switch on the final stage of this migration at 3am EST tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 13th. We’ll update you once we’re finished.

You shouldn’t notice any disruptions during this migration, but there’s a small chance that things might act up during this short time period. If so, we’ll update our Help Center with additional info–and if you have questions or see something weird, please let us know.

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Update (2:30am EST, Feb. 13): The migration is underway! Stay tuned.

Update (4:04pm EST, Feb. 20): We have now finished all of our residual migration tasks. Migration is complete. Onward and upward, Tumblr :)

You might have heard that Tumblr became part of Automattic awhile back. Well, tomorrow we’re moving a bunch of our stuff over to their place (it’s getting pretty serious!), so if you notice anything wonky, that might be why.

...A better way of saying this is that we’ve been conducting some maintenance recently to migrate Tumblr (aka our servers, and all the other hardware that runs Tumblr) over to Automattic’s data centers. Automattic even bought us a bunch of new servers of our very own.

We’re flipping the switch on the final stage of this migration at 3am EST tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 13th. We’ll update you once we’re finished.

You shouldn’t notice any disruptions during this migration, but there’s a small chance that things might act up during this short time period. If so, we’ll update our Help Center with additional info–and if you have questions or see something weird, please let us know.

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Say hello to a smoother posting experience

Now when you tap the compose button (that little pencil) in the app to create a new post, you’ll be brought to a fresh blank canvas. The post flower that used to pop up has been removed from the app, leaving you with the simple blank canvas to do whatever you wish. All of your familiar post options are still there, and now they’re easier to access. They just have a new home at the bottom of your screen, waiting to be tapped whenever you need them.

What’s changing?

Not much! The toolbar is the same ol’ thing you’ve come to know and love. You can still create and arrange (and rearrange) photosets, add audio and video, make or add your own GIFs and Loops from the camera or video button, or search for existing GIFs on Tumblr with the GIF button. The biggest improvement? Your recently saved photos, GIFs, and videos from your camera roll are now shown in the mini media picker right below post canvas. This makes it even easier to add that stuff to a post. Just tap ‘em to add ‘em.

The space for a title didn’t go away—now it can be anywhere you want, and you can have as many titles as you want. Your whole post can be just titles if you wish. We don’t advise that at all, but it’s up to you. Just tap into the text you want to turn into the title, then tap the Aa text button to cycle through the text styles. You can also long-press the Aa button to bring up a neat little menu of those same text styles—but hey, you knew that already.

Quick question: why?

This makes posting on Tumblr a smoother experience. And, well, since mid-2018, the post flower actually hasn’t had much to do with how your posts are categorized in your archives or what forms of media you can add to your post. A post with a video in it will be categorized as a video in your archives, no matter what other type of media accompanies it. Posts with photos and no video will be categorized as photo posts. Posts with audio and no photo and video will be—you guessed it—sorted as an audio post. Removing the post flower is simply removing a barrier between you and your post canvas.

Anything else?

Nah, that’s it. Happy posting, folks!

@staff quick and legitimate questions here:

  1. If the flower is gone why the floating button still has the tail with the other buttons of the flower?
  2. How do I post a chat?
  3. Why is the hasthags option in the next step when you post something but not when you reblog it?

Really hope you guys answer this, I love seeing dev team trying to improve their product and being nice to users

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Oh, hello. We love quick and legitimate questions (though we will also accept slow and illegitimate questions, because beggars can’t be choosers). Here we go:

  1. It sounds like you’re referring to posting on web. For now, you’ll still see the post buttons there, but you can add photos, videos, and GIFs to any post type, and format your text as needed.
  2. There are lots of formatting options for your text, including chat. Tap/hold the Aa icon to see the full menu.
  3. Good catch! We didn’t move the tagging options for reblogs because we wanted to keep that action as quick and convenient as possible.

Thanks for the questions and feedback! Always feel free to drop us a line, too.

Welcome to the Tumblr Café! Have you been here before? Today we’re announcing our newest dish: The Reporting Meatballs. 

Now when you see a post containing something that shouldn’t be on Tumblr—like spam, hate speech, or other violations of our Community Guidelines—you just tap the meatballs menu (●●●) in the upper right-hand corner of a post and follow the appropriate reporting flow. Our Trust & Safety team will be notified and zap away anything that doesn’t belong here on our platform.

People who create spambots or abuse any online platform in the interest of non-genuine social gestures are really good at finding new ways to develop and implement their spam. It’s what they do. We are constantly evolving and expanding the ways we find and eliminate the spam in response to that. You can read more about our process over here. Surfacing this reporting flow is just one way we’re continuing our efforts. While you’ve had the ability to report spam for years, it was a bit hidden under the airplane icon. This new button makes it a little easier to report the bad stuff you want off your dashboard.

Bon appétit!

Everything okay?

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, you are not alone.  

If you are in the United States, please try:

National Eating Disorders Association (support, resources, treatment options)

If you are outside the United States, visit IASP to find help lines related to eating disorders for your country. 

For self-help courses on body image and general peer support, please try Koko

If you need some inspiration and comfort on your dashboard, follow Post It Forward on Tumblr.

Updates to Tumblr’s Community Guidelines

Today we announced some big updates to our Community Guidelines and what kind of content is permitted on Tumblr. Adult content will no longer be allowed here. While we do not judge anyone for their desire to post, engage with, or view this stuff, it is time for us to change our relationship with it.

We expect you may have some questions on how this will affect you, and we’re here to make sure those questions get answered.

When does the new policy take effect?

Our new Community Guidelines will go into effect on December 17, 2018.

Newly uploaded content flagged as adult will no longer be allowed on Tumblr. We’ll also begin flagging and removing existing adult content with the ultimate goal of removing as much of it as we can.

What is considered adult content?

Adult content primarily includes photos, videos, or GIFs that show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples, and any content—including photos, videos, GIFs and illustrations—that depicts sex acts.

What is still permitted?

Examples of exceptions that are still permitted are exposed female-presenting nipples in connection with breastfeeding, birth or after-birth moments, and health-related situations, such as post-mastectomy or gender confirmation surgery. Written content such as erotica, nudity related to political or newsworthy speech, and nudity found in art, such as sculptures and illustrations, are also stuff that can be freely posted on Tumblr.

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SSL security, which has been available on the dashboard for a while, is now here for blogs. To turn it on, go to your blog settings and enable “Always serve blog over SSL.” Mmmmm, security. Check out our help docs for more info.

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An update on this:

  • SSL is being turned on by default for all Tumblrs that use our Official theme on the web, except those with custom domains. Because, well…Optica is the default theme, and why shouldn’t secure be the default?
  • This change only affects the web, because the mobile apps already use SSL all the time for your safety.
  • We don’t recommend it, but if for some reason you need to disable SSL, you can do so via your blog settings on the web, by turning off the “Always serve blog over SSL” option.
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Update to the update: Now SSL is available for blogs with custom domains, too. To turn it on, go to your blog settings and enable “Always serve blog over SSL.” Once you’ve done that, it takes a while (typically less than a day) for the SSL on custom domains to activate. We’ll send you an email when it’s ready.

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Yet another update: SSL is now being turned on by default for ALL Tumblrs that use our Official theme on the web. Even though we don’t recommend it, you can still turn it off in your blog settings.

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Tag filtering is here Don’t see what you don’t wanna see

In our ongoing effort to help you all determine your own experience here on Tumblr, we’re launching one of our most requested features: the ability to filter out posts from your dashboard based on their tags.

Trying to avoid #Star Wars spoilers? Filter them out. Need a break from all the #holiday excitement this month? Sheesh, fine. Filter it out. It’s your dashboard. Groom it well.

Where do I set up a tag filter?

In your settings! You’ll find it in your general settings on mobile, under “Filtering.” On the web, you’ll find it in your account settings, also under “Filtering.”

That makes sense. Will I know when stuff is being filtered out?

Yup. Just like with Safe Mode, you’ll see a placeholder in your dashboard wherever something is being hidden. If you actually do want to see it, you can click/tap on it, and it’ll appear.

I follow some real nimrods. How can I stop seeing their posts?

Unfollow them! And if they’re really being a jerk, block them. And if they’re truly being hateful, report them.

Anything else I should know?

Sure. There are lots of other tools for making Tumblr the Tumblr you want to see. You can read about them all in our help center.

<3 Tumblr

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One thing to note: As its name implies, tag filtering relies on a post’s tags to tell it what's what. It can't filter based on the full text used in a post, or sense subtle references or sarcasm. So be a good neighbor and tag accurately and often. 🏷

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Here it is: Best stuff first

Extremely handy if you follow a lot of people and hate missing anything good. 

Best Stuff First moves the best stuff on your dashboard—mhm!—right up to the top. 

It’s rolling out this week on iOS and Android, and comes with this Help Center article.  

Thanks! ✌️

This was the problem: You'd be searching for Field of Dreams, the critical standout film of 1989. But instead of Kevin Costner, you'd get rolling hills and wildflowers. That's because we're giving you the best stuff tagged #field or #dreams (or #of).

Here's the solution: Choosing #tagged in the app bundles the whole phrase together. You just search for something and tap #tagged at the top of the screen to show posts tagged with that exact phrase.

And hey, slugger. Learn about the tons of other ways you can filter a search in our help center, here.

⚾️

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SSL security, which has been available on the dashboard for a while, is now here for blogs. To turn it on, go to your blog settings and enable “Always serve blog over SSL.” Mmmmm, security. Check out our help docs for more info.

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An update on this:

  • SSL is being turned on by default for all Tumblrs that use our Official theme on the web, except those with custom domains. Because, well…Optica is the default theme, and why shouldn’t secure be the default?
  • This change only affects the web, because the mobile apps already use SSL all the time for your safety.
  • We don’t recommend it, but if for some reason you need to disable SSL, you can do so via your blog settings on the web, by turning off the “Always serve blog over SSL” option.
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Update to the update: Now SSL is available for blogs with custom domains, too. To turn it on, go to your blog settings and enable “Always serve blog over SSL.” Once you’ve done that, it takes a while (typically less than a day) for the SSL on custom domains to activate. We’ll send you an email when it’s ready.

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Check out the update above for blogs with custom domains, and follow our friends @security too!

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Announcing…

Three new features for posting from the mobile app

First, you can add images to reblogs. You asked for it, you got it.

Second, new text styles for your new text posts. Headers, lists, serifs, fancy cursive, serious typewriter. Look:

Lastly, intriguingly, you can drag paragraphs and images around to reorder them. Witness it:

Have fun with all this, Tumblr 😘

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Want to take a deeper dive into the new text poster? Hit up our help center for everything you need to know.

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A swifter way to block New to the iOS and Android apps

If anyone is sending you unwanted messages, @mentioning you when you don’t want to be mentioned, or following you when you don’t want to be followed, you can block them when you get the notification, without even opening the app.

  • On newer iPhones with 3D Touch, hard-press the notification, then tap the “Block” button that shows up.
  • On older iPhones, swipe the notification over to the right, tap the “View” button, then tap “Block.”
  • On Android phones, swipe down on the notification. Then, my friend, hit that block button.

There, now you are rid of this person forever.

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Hey, what’s this green dot in my messages? 👆

That dot lets you know when someone’s been on Tumblr recently. Send them a message, why don’t ya? 💚

Take note: You can hide your own activity status by adjusting your privacy settings (under “Availability” on web), if you want to. 

A partner program update

After experimenting with different approaches and formats for the last year or so, we’re putting an indefinite pause on the partner program that we announced last summer. We’re still excited by the possibilities of the project, and may revisit it in the future, but we haven’t quite figured out the best way to deliver on our goal.

For the time being, we’ve also taken down all the ads that were appearing on individual blogs across Tumblr while we determine how to deliver the best overall experience for both our users and our advertisers.

Thanks for being a part of all this, and we greatly appreciate your patience.  

❤️ Tumblr

Save some data for a rainy day

If you’re getting uncomfortably close to your data limit, try data saving mode. It's in settings.

When you're on a cellular network, videos and gifs will wait to load until you tap them. When you're back on wifi, everything will autoplay as it was meant to.