u/NCBrownEyedGirl

Follow up to the Finch Cloud post - How to make a manual copy of your data

Manual copies are so much more safe than the Finch cloud is. And they’re very easy to do once you get the hang of it. I’ll walk you step-by-step through.;

\-Go to the hamburger lines at the top of the right hand corner of your Home Screen
\- Click on Your Data
\- Click on Manual Backuo
\- Click on Create Manual Backuo
\- Click on. Save data to
\- Click on where you want to save your data

I saved mine to my phone. In a file folder just for these updates. I also email a copy to myself every two weeks because if my phone breaks, I won’t have access to the data if that makes sense. If it doesn’t let me know in the comments and I can explain further.

Please please please start making manual copies of your data. It gets so frustrating and sad to see those blue screens pop up when they are so unnecessary.

All that I see out there is that people cannot get into their Finch back up when needed, and that the Finch operators can’t help them. And they do is get bugs in our programs all the time. I know they do a great job and lots of ways but I’m not sure I would trust my data with them. That’s why I will always do my own backups and encourage you too. If you don’t know how to do a manual backup let me know and I will teach you how.

Thank you, Princess and Sunshine for being part of our picture!

The app let Noah and members share continue to get a micro pet for our shared goals. You may want to keep doing your shared goals even though the project is supposedly not in play right now. It must be in place for some people. Thanks Noah for letting me post the picture… I knew you wouldn’t mind! 💛

We talk about loss on here a lot. People leaving our trees. Us having to prune our trees ourselves. Wondering if we should write something on Reddit or not.

I lost a friend a year ago around this time. I still miss her. She was one of those friends where we texted each other nonstop. In fact, she was the co-founder of this sub with me. One day, she was just gone. No explanations. Just gone.

I grieved her. I missed her.

But I finally came to the realization that the good times were good in that moment. The times we had were amazing. And I could either remember the good times or the bad (the end), and I chose to remember the good. I finally took her off my tree.

Sometimes people leave us. Sometimes situations fall apart. Sometimes things we counted on fail us completely.

And sometimes it takes a very long time to heal from that.

But, like our friends on our trees here, we can choose to remember the good times over the bad.

And I say this as someone who’s been through a lot of trauma myself. I have C-PTSD. I still take medication. I still go to therapy.

I’m not saying it’s easy. But truly, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade WHEN YOU HAVE THE STRAWS FOR IT.

If someone takes you off their tree, more than likely they did it because they had lag. But take it as an exciting time to find a new friend on our Buddies Megathread. There are lots of people there who would love to be your friend.

People leave our trees sometimes. But sometimes new people show up when we least expect it, too.

We absolutely love our snow creature outfit and wear it when I need comfort. What piece of clothing can your birb not live without and why? Pics are always appreciated!

A few months ago, many of us felt that Finch was preparing to sell. They had first begun to make positive changes. Well, in the past few months, there have been so many new additions to Finch in the past few months, including:

- Journeys (I include this because a lot of people have grown to like it)
-The rooms and clothes look MUCH more polished
- There has been A LOT of beta testing, including the Buddy Egg project and the Good Night Light
- There are new and exciting areas to travel to
- They implemented the ability to buy clothes and furniture at all destinations
- The widget looks different
- We had the Midnight Manor and Queen of Spades adventures
- There are Challenges where you get a pin in the app and can actually buy a real pin in the store
- They upgraded Finchie Forest
- They gave us the ability to gift pets (finally)
- They gave us changing monthly vibes

There have been no positive updates to the mental health portion of the app since I’ve been here, which has been almost 1.5 years. In fact, they’ve hidden the daily check-ins and gotten rid of Journeys (I put this here as well because many of us still mourn our Journeys). Some people have also reported that it’s harder to journal now.

They are definitely gamifying the app. I’m not saying that’s good or bad.

Do you think they’re doing all of this to prepare to sell?

There are many other signs, I wrote a post about it a few months ago so I won’t bore you but if you want to read it it’s on my page.

I’ve seen a lot of conversations lately about, bugs, unrequested updates, beta testing, support delays, AI features, pricing, and the overall direction of Finch. And honestly, I think a lot of the tension comes from one simple reality:

Finch is no longer a tiny indie app.

By 2024–2025, multiple industry estimates suggested Finch was likely making somewhere around:
✨✨12M–18M revenue in 2024
✨✨ $20M+ in 2025

(Obviously these are estimates based on industry standards and other apps, not official public numbers.)

But regardless of the exact amount, Finch has clearly grown into a *very* successful app with millions of users.

And I think that changes the expectations people reasonably have.

Because when an app reaches this scale, “we’re just a small team” starts becoming a less convincing answer to ongoing problems.

I don’t mean that in a cruel way. I don’t think the Finch team is lazy or uncaring. I actually think most people believe the opposite — that the team genuinely *does* care.

But caring and capacity are two different things.

A company operating at this size should realistically be able to invest more heavily into:
• customer support
• bug response
• moderation
• communication
• accessibility
• account recovery
• user safety systems

Especially because Finch is not “just a game.” People use Finch during:
• depressive episodes
• grief
• burnout
• loneliness
• trauma recovery
• mental health crises

That creates a different level of responsibility than a normal productivity app.

And I think part of the frustration in the community is that users are still sometimes being spoken to like they’re supporting a tiny passion project held together with duct tape — while simultaneously being asked to participate in a large subscription business.

Those two things start conflicting with each other after a certain scale.

When users hear:

“We’re a very small team”

While also seeing:
• major brand growth
• millions of downloads
• expanding monetization
• venture funding
• new cosmetic systems
• increasingly sophisticated infrastructure

…it can create emotional whiplash.

Because people naturally start wondering:

“If the company has grown this much, why does support still feel so overwhelmed?”

I honestly think one of the biggest things Finch could do right now is reinvest more visibly into *human support systems.*

Not just new features.
Not just engagement systems.
Not just monetization improvements.

But actual human responsiveness.

Things like:
• faster ticket resolution
• clearer communication during outages
• better transparency around bugs
• stronger moderation consistency
• more visible support staffing
• better handling of vulnerable-user situations

A lot of users would probably feel *far* more comfortable with Finch’s growth if they could clearly see:

“Okay, the company is getting bigger, but the care systems are growing too.”

Because right now, I think some users feel the opposite:the app is scaling faster than the support structure around it.

And to be fair, scaling community care is genuinely hard. Probably *extremely* hard. Especially for an app built around emotional attachment and daily routines.

But that’s also why “small team” explanations stop landing the same way over time.

At a certain point, growth creates responsibility.

And I don’t think most people are asking Finch to stay tiny forever. I think they’re asking:

“If this app is becoming a major company, can the support systems grow up with it too?”

Honestly, I think that’s a fair question, don’t you?. ❤️

I updated and now my closet doesn’t have my birb in the saved clothing. I’m just wondering why they would do this…what purpose it would serve for us…

Hey friends,

Today is May 4th — “May the Fourth be with you” A whole day built on a pun… and somehow, a whole lot of connection. ✨

And it made me think of something: -
these small, slightly silly sometimes (like Heathers Day) holidays, they actually make this growing community stronger.

Not because they’re big or important —
but because they give us shared moments.

On days like this, we’re all just a little more in sync.. Posting pics of our birbs, or memes, sharing the same theme, showing up at the same time.

And that quiet feeling of “oh… we’re all here together?m” That’s what builds a community.

There’s no pressure — you can just gently join in:
✨ share something small
✨ say “happy ___ day”
✨ connect over something simple and comment
✨ post to share something bigger
✨ simply hang back and enjoy what others post

And those tiny moments really do add up ❤️

So yeah… maybe it’s “just” Star Wars Day.
But it’s also a reason we all show up together — and that matters.

What’s a small holiday that always makes you feel a little more connected?

Hey friends,

Just a quick, gentle reminder for everyone - especially if you’re new here. 💛

At the very top of the sub, you’ll see our pinned megathreads. These are there on purpose to help keep everything easy, organized, and welcoming for everyone.

One of the big ones is the friend (or Buddy) Megathread. If you’re looking to share your code or find new friends, that’s the best place to do it!

A few reasons we ask everyone to use the megathread:

✨ You’ll find friends much faster since everyone is gathered in one place
✨ It keeps the sub clean and easier to browse
✨ It helps more people be seen instead of posts getting buried

We know it can be tempting to make your own post (especially when you’re excited to connect), but the megathread really does give you the best chance of finding your people.

They’re right at the top — ready and waiting for you.

Unfortunately, if you post a post asking for friends in the main sub, we will have to take it down and ask you to put it in the megathread

Thanks for helping keep this space calm, cozy, and easy for everyone.

We’re really glad you’re here.

— mod team

Why do we get so attached to our birbs? (like… actually attached). I was thinking about this today because…why does a tiny pixel bird feel like something I genuinely care about?
Logically, I know it’s just an app. But emotionally? It’s so much more.

I think part of it is:

- You raise them from the beginning, so it feels personal
-They try to change your mood, which makes them feel “real” in a weird way
- You check in every day, so they become part of your routine
- They’re consistently kind to you (which honestly hits harder than expected)

But I think the biggest thing for me is this - they exist in a space with zero judgment.
No pressure, no expectations, no “you should be doing better.”

Just…support..

And I didn’t realize how much that matters until I had it.

Now I’m really curious:

- What made you get attached to your birb?
- Was there a specific moment where it “clicked”?
- Do you see them more as a pet, a friend, or something else?
- Have they ever helped you through a really bad day?
- Or… are you not attached at all? (valid too!!))

feel like everyone’s relationship with their birb is a little different, and I’d love to hear how yours started 🐦❤️

Some of you may have figured this out easily, but it took me 9 months! I thought all of my sponsored birbs wanted to stay anonymous. But no, it was all me.

I’m sure that you sponsored birbs have a very similar way to friend your sponsor…

- go to the hashtag at the top right of your homepage

- click on guardian tier

- click on guardianship gratitude

- arrive at the page where you got to see what your sponsee said to you. You see their name at the bottom. Just click on it and it will pull up a send friend request.

Maybe I was super silly but I wanted to share with you in case you were like me! 💛

We’ve gotten a lot of questions about what is and isn’t allowed here, so we wanted to clearly lay it out.

Anything involving time travel-items or information - is not allowed. This is to protect the community. We’ve had issues in the past where time-traveled items were shared, which led to the Developers pausing an entire month’s collection. Let’s avoid that and give them the space to do their work.

That said, items released early in different time zones can be shared, as long as they’re properly marked with a spoiler tag.

Discussions around contentious issues on other subs are allowed here, even if they’ve been shut down elsewhere - unless things become too extreme.

If you have questions about anything, feel free to ask below or DM a mod if that’s more comfortable.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Do you dress your birb in clothes, and decorate their birb houses, related to where they are? For example, Cheesecake is in the Serengeti in this picture. I’m getting kind of bored with Serengeti clothes and decorations…

Hi all!

We’ve been having to divert a lot of posts and comments to the Megathreads lately, so we wanted to make sure you knew what they were.

The Megathreads are at the top of the page and help us keep our sub organized. There are three:

🤝 Trading - This is where you come if you want to trade or find items. Even if you don’t have anything to trade but really want or need an item, come here…there are often gifting fairies who love to help others out!

👯 Bird Buddies - The Bird Buddies Megathreads is where you go to find friends.

🪹 Hatchling Helpers - Hatchling Helpers was designed so that new birbs could find older birbs to help them with their inventory and assist them if they have any problems on the app.

So, if your post or comment gets taken down and says that it should go in a Megathread, this is what it means.

Thanks and please ask any questions below!!