Support

What happens in an exchange?

Open Lumio and write one kind line — up to 80 characters, for someone you'll never meet. Then rest your finger on the screen and hold. If another person is holding at the same moment, you're matched: their light appears where their finger is. Bring your two lights together and the screen blooms.

Their line then unfolds for you on parchment, exactly as they typed it, with a postmark: the date, and the country it came from. Yours goes to them. After that there's a short affirmation, an optional breathing break, and you leave. One exchange, and it's complete.

Can I reply, or find them again?

No, and that's deliberate. There are no replies, profiles or chats, and no way to reach the same person twice. A line arrives, and that's the end of it. It's what lets you say something kind to a stranger without any weight attached.

What does “from a light in…” mean?

It's the country your partner's connection appeared to come from, worked out by our network provider, Cloudflare. It's never a city or a location. If they use a VPN it may be wrong, and if it's unknown the postmark says “from a light far away”.

Why didn't anyone appear?

An exchange only happens when two people arrive at the same moment. That's what makes each one rare, and it's why a line from Lumio means something: another person was really there, holding too.

While you wait, the light at the edge of the screen slowly dims. After about a minute, if no one has come, Lumio lets you go gently. You can try again later, take a slow breath instead, or tap chime for me at dusk for a quiet reminder in the evening. Before you hold, Lumio may show how many people are holding right now — only ever the real number.

Does a quiet night break my streak?

Your streak counts the days in a row on which you completed an exchange. If a day passes without one, it starts again. An exchange always needs another person, so a quiet night is never your failure.

Why was my line sent back?

Every line is screened before it reaches anyone, and Lumio carries only kindness. The screening turns away insults and anything cruel, sexual, violent or political, links and advertising — and also lines that are sad, hopeless or hard on yourself, because the person receiving yours came looking for warmth. It errs on the side of caution, so it sometimes turns away a line that was meant kindly.

Your words stay in the box, so you can soften them and try again. How screening works.

What can I do?

Beneath the letter, tap this didn't feel kind. You can release it (it leaves your journal), or choose never cross paths again, which releases it, reports it, and makes sure the two of you are never paired again. They won't know. Or, if it's alright, keep it.

Something more serious happened.

If a letter held a threat, suggested someone is in danger, or involved a child, write to us via our contact form with the date, the approximate time and your time zone, and the words as best you remember them. If anyone is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services first. See our Community & Safety Standards.

Where are my letters kept?

In your kindness journal, on your phone and nowhere else: each exchange's two lines and the date, up to your 200 most recent. You can delete any letter from the journal. We never have a copy, so we can't restore one.

I have a new phone. Can I bring my journal?

Your journal lives only on your phone. It may come along if you restore a full backup of your old phone, but we can't move it for you, because we never had it.

How do I erase everything?

Open Settings (the gear on the home screen) and tap Forget me. It erases your anonymous id, your journal, your streak and your settings from your phone, immediately. More about deleting your data.

Is Lumio really anonymous?

Yes. There are no accounts, and Lumio never asks for your name, email or phone number. Your phone uses a random id so our server can tell two phones apart. Our Privacy Policy sets out every detail.

Will Lumio send me notifications?

Only if you ask. Lumio never requests notification permission when you open it. If you tap chime for me at dusk, it asks once, then schedules one quiet reminder a day at 8 pm your time. The reminder is set on your phone; nothing is sent from a server.

How do I stop the evening reminder?

Turn off notifications for Lumio in your phone's settings — on iPhone, Settings → Notifications → Lumio; on Android, Settings → Apps → Lumio → Notifications. Forget me in Lumio's settings cancels it too.

Does Lumio need sound?

It's best with sound on, but everything works without it. Lumio has a gentle narrated voice during the welcome and the breathing break, a soft chime at the bloom, and ambient music while you look at the world.

How do I turn off the narration or music?

During the welcome, tap MUTE (or SKIP to move on). Elsewhere, tap the small VOICE or MUSIC marker on the screens where they play. Lumio remembers your choice. Chimes and other small sounds follow your phone's volume.

Does Lumio cost anything?

No. Lumio is free, with no ads and no in-app purchases.

Is Lumio a crisis service?

No. Lumio is one small moment of kindness, not support for a crisis. If you're in danger or thinking about harming yourself, please call your local emergency number or reach a crisis line through findahelpline.com.