Support

Questions, problems, or a great site Netsurfer should know about?

Common questions

How do I get Netsurfer?

Netsurfer is in beta. Join the beta to install it through Apple's TestFlight app: it's free and works on iPhone, iPad and Macs with Apple silicon. Beta versions update through TestFlight, and the App Store version is coming soon.

A channel shows sites that aren't about my topic

The small web is small: when a channel runs out of exact matches, Netsurfer tries related topics, then shorter versions of your search, then drifts to random small sites. The topic shown above the bottom bar tells you which (“→ lake monster”, or “drifting”). Long-press a channel to edit its search; a word or two often works best. If you turn on Help Find Missing Topics in ⚙︎, searches that come up short tell us which topics the index is missing.

Can I suggest a site?

Yes, please. Know a small, independent site Netsurfer should find, or have one of your own? Email its address to hello@netsurfer.app, with a word on what it's about. A person looks at every suggestion and adds the ones that fit by hand, so it can take a while, and big platforms and shops aren't included. Once added, a site is read by NetsurferBot, which follows its robots.txt.

How do I find something new to explore?

Tap the site's name at the bottom › Rabbit Holes… for topics the page you're on mentions, then tap one to surf it. Or highlight any few words on a page and choose Surf from the menu that appears. Either opens a new deck right away; to keep it on your home screen, tap the site's name › Keep as Channel (or choose Add as Channel instead of Surf).

How do I get back to where I was?

After following a topic, tap the ‹ button just above the bottom bar on the left (it shows where it goes, like “‹ 🌸 anime”) or, on the new deck's first site, swipe right once more. You'll be back on the same site you left, as you left it, and you can keep going back the way you came.

A page is blank or won't load

Pull down at the top of the page to reload it, or tap the site's name › Reload Page. Old sites are sometimes simply gone; Netsurfer skips most of those before you reach them, and in Old mode brings back the Wayback Machine's copy. If it keeps happening, tap the site's name › Report a Problem… so we can look into it.

I never want to see a website again

Tap the site's name at the bottom › Block Site. To undo it, open the Stash (🔖 on the home screen) › Blocked.

Why did a site get skipped?

Netsurfer skips big platforms and shops, dead links, parked or for-sale domains, “page not found” pages, pages in languages you don't read, and sites that are really a portfolio or résumé. Random sites (in Shuffle, or once a channel runs out) also skip blogs that are mostly about programming; a channel you search for still finds them. Each check can be turned off in ⚙︎: Skip Other Languages, Skip Portfolios & Résumés, Skip Developer Blogs.

Can I keep sites for later?

Tap 🔖 to save a site to the Stash. To get new posts from a blog, tap its name › Follow; they'll appear under Following. Follow only shows up on sites that publish a feed. Most blogs do; many old hand-made pages don't.

Is Netsurfer safe for kids?

Netsurfer opens websites from across the internet and is rated 16+. Turning on ⚙︎ › Family Filter blocks known adult sites and pages with explicit words, but no filter catches everything. It doesn't check images.

What does Netsurfer know about me?

Nothing about you. There are no accounts, and everything the app remembers stays on your phone. Your channels' searches go to Netsurfer's own index, which answers them without keeping any record of what was searched or who asked. If you turn on Help Find Missing Topics (the app asks once, and it's in ⚙︎), a search that finds little can be counted anonymously, kept only as a topic several people searched that day, so we know which topics to add. See the privacy policy for exactly what stays on your phone and what goes to the index and other search services.

How do I delete my data?

Everything Netsurfer remembers is on your phone. Deleting the app deletes all of it.

I run a website. Can I keep it out of Netsurfer?

Yes. Netsurfer's own index is built by NetsurferBot, which follows robots.txt: two lines keep your site out of it. The app also finds sites through public search services and lists of small websites, such as Wiby and Neocities, which robots.txt can't keep a site out of. For those, email hello@netsurfer.app with your site's address and we'll add it to the list of sites the app always leaves out.