Testing Badger

Before you start

Badger is in alpha. Most things work, some things won’t, and your feedback is the whole point — you’re helping shape what ships. Here’s how to get the most out of a test.

What to try

No need to do all of it — but the more corners you poke, the better. Each area links to the matching part of the Using Badger guide if you want the full how-to.

• Sign in & your profile. Sign in with Apple, Google or email, set a display name and avatar, and switch the theme between light, dark and system. Getting started →
• The map & moods. Set a primary and secondary mood plus a status emoji; take a walk or a drive and watch your activity icon change; tap a friend’s marker. The map & moods →
• Messages & groups. Start a DM, create a group, invite someone, promote a co-admin, and set a retention window. Accept and decline things from your inbox. Messages & groups →
• Posts & replies. Write a post to a group, reply in a thread, and like a post — then tap the likes to see who reacted. Posts & replies →
• Deleting. Press and hold your own message or feed post → confirm; on a feed post, try the 🗑 bin in the action row too. It should read “deleted” for everyone, and a reply thread should still work after its top post is deleted. Posts & replies →
• Formatting. Try the shortcuts — *bold*, _italic_, ==highlight==, headings, lists, quotes and links. Formatting your messages →
• Media & polls. Send a photo or album, a video, a voice note, a file, a GIF or sticker, and a poll — then open View votes. Media, polls & sharing →
• Location & Ghost Mode. Turn sharing on for one conversation and check you appear on the map, then switch on Ghost Mode and confirm you vanish. Location & Ghost Mode →
• Notifications. Have a friend message you and check the notification names who it’s from and the kind of thing — never the actual contents. Notifications →
• Your devices. Open Settings → Devices, rename this device, and try signing another one out. Settings & account →
• Interests & ads. Open Settings → Interests and pick a few. Badger shows ads, and your interests are the only thing ever shared with advertisers — never your identity, location or messages. Choosing some makes what you see more relevant, and helps us test that side of things.
• Home-screen widget. Add the Badger widget to your phone’s home screen and check it shows your mood, status and unread/invite counts — then change your mood and confirm the widget updates. Home-screen widget →

Writing a report we can act on

A great bug report is short but specific. If you can, include:

• What you were doing — the steps that led up to it, so we can try to reproduce it.
• What you expected to happen.
• What actually happened instead.
• A screenshot or screen recording, if the problem is something you can see.
• Your build number (bottom of Settings) and your device & OS.
• How often it happens — every time, or just now and then?

Good to know

• Things will change between builds. Layouts, wording and features are all still moving — that’s expected at this stage.
• The web is a companion. Badger on the web shows a read-only map and needs your phone set up first. That’s by design, not a bug — your phone (or desktop) is the full app.
• A few features are still on the way. Some things you might expect aren’t here yet — they’re being built for later releases.
• We can’t recover encrypted content. If keys are lost, messages can’t be brought back — so if something looks wrong with a conversation, tell us what you saw before clearing anything.

Send feedback

Anything at all — a crash, a confusing screen, a typo, or just an idea. We read every message, and early feedback carries the most weight.