Frequently Asked Questions

How is HeadsUp.social financed?

HeadsUp.social has no formal subscription fee, nor does it earn from data-collection or advertising - we live on the support of our members. You can make a voluntary contribution HERE.

Can I recover my password if I lose it?

Lost passwords cannot be recovered, but can they can be reset. If you lose or forget your password, send an email to or make a new account and contact Support.

Which browsers can I use?

HeadsUp is frequently tested in Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Opera on Windows PCs and Android devices, and Safari on iPhone and iPad, so we know that it works well in those browsers. However, Safari for iOS or iPadOS does not support push notifications at all, Firefox and Opera both support them well on Windows but not very well on Android. Chrome and Firefox for iOS and IPadOS cannot make video calls, so Apple users must use Safari. NOTE: HeadsUp.social is built on many of the very latest web technologies available in HTML 5 and modern browsers - Mozilla Developer Network refers to many of them as "experimental". But they are very widely used because they are so powerful and useful - we can expect them to be continuously hardened and improved.

What is a PWA?

A PWA (Progressive Web App) is a web-based application with special configurations which enable it to be installed by browsers on mobile devices and PCs. PWAs start and run faster as stand-alone applications, they do not need to show the browser controls and address bar, and parts of the website can be made to function offline. Installed PWAs launch from an icon on the home screen / desktop, and they can receive push notifications while offline. Installing the HeadsUp.social PWA to your home screen takes only a few seconds and provides considerable advantages.

How to install the PWA?

On desktop, the HeadsUp.social PWA installs in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Click the icon in the address bar (top right). When you then click "Install", the browser tab will close and the PWA window opens. On Android devices, the PWA installs in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera. Load HeadsUp.social in the browser, go to the browser settings menu and use "Add to home screen." Then close the browser and launch the PWA from the new icon on your home screen.

How are my messages protected?

There are two scenarios: In a video call: Messages sent during video calls travel peer-to-peer over a webRTC data channel, which means they are encrypted under the TLS protocol (https://), they do not go via the webserver and cannot be intercepted. They are encrypted again and stored in the browser's memory-cache. Not in a video call: When a message is posted, it is encrypted and stored in the poster's browser and sent to the webserver where it is encrypted again and stored, waiting for the recipient to collect it. In an ongoing chat session, this is never more than a couple of seconds. Messages are deleted from the server when they are collected and displayed in the HeadsUp.social chat window. HeadsUp stores them encrypted in the browser's memory-cache.

Protect your Privacy

The final responsibility for the privacy of your messages lies with you, since your messages are on your device, not on the HeadsUp webserver. You should therefore protect both your device and your HeadsUp login with strong passwords. Consider also deleting messages frequently - no message is as secure as one that been deleted, leaving no trace!