Safety and Support
Last updated 2026-10-03
If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number now.
Staying safe
- Never share your name, phone number, social media, address, school or workplace. Glimmer blocks most contact details automatically, but not all.
- You decide how long a chat lasts. Tap ✕ to leave at any time; nobody can message you after you leave, and there are no profiles or friend lists to find you by.
- Block someone from the chat menu (⋯) so you are not matched with them again.
- Do not move a conversation to another app because someone asks you to, and never send money.
Reporting
Open the chat menu (⋯) and choose Report, in a chat with a person or with an AI character. The app confirms that we received it. The person you report is not told who reported them. A report keeps a copy of the recent conversation so we can review it. Depending on what happened, we may ban the device from Glimmer and report to the authorities. Child safety reports are reviewed first. See our child safety standards.
AI characters
AI chats are always labelled "AI". To keep AI characters from producing sexual content, graphic violence, content that encourages self-harm or instructions for violence:
- the characters are adults and are instructed never to produce such content, sexualise anyone or take part in roleplay involving minors;
- every AI reply is screened automatically before it is shown, and a reply that fails the screening is not shown;
- we test the characters against attempts to get such content and adjust them when a test fails;
- you can report any AI reply from the chat menu, and these reports are reviewed like any other.
Glimmer is for adults only. Where Google Play tells the app that an account belongs to someone under 18, Glimmer does not start a chat.
Complaints
If you think we handled a report badly or did not follow our safety rules, email [email protected] with the subject "Safety complaint". We answer within 15 days.
Australia: eSafety Commissioner
The eSafety Commissioner is Australia's independent online safety regulator. It helps people remove serious online abuse and illegal or restricted content, and it oversees industry codes that apply to services like Glimmer. If you are in Australia and we have not resolved your report or complaint, you can report to eSafety. Learn more at esafety.gov.au.
Suicide and self-harm response protocol
When it applies
Messages in AI chats are screened automatically for signs of suicide or self-harm. When a message shows such signs, the chat switches to a safety mode.
What the app does
- It sends a fixed crisis message, written and reviewed by people rather than generated by the AI, that encourages you to reach someone who can help now and names a crisis line.
- For the rest of the conversation the AI character stops playful or distracting replies. It puts your immediate safety first: contacting emergency services when there is current danger, staying with a trusted person and moving away from anything dangerous.
- The AI never claims to be a counsellor, never gives crisis phone numbers of its own and never pretends that help has arrived.
Crisis lines and support
| Country | Service |
|---|---|
| United States | 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 |
| Canada | 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 |
| United Kingdom | Samaritans: call 116 123 |
| Australia | Lifeline: call 13 11 14 |
| New Zealand | Need to Talk?: call or text 1737 |
| Mexico | Línea de la Vida: 800 911 2000 |
| Brazil | CVV: call 188 |
| Japan | よりそいホットライン: 0120-279-338 |
Glimmer is not a crisis service, and AI characters are not a substitute for professional help.