PSA: Current FAQ

Brave Rewards
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This is a FAQ created to help provide some basic information for anyone needing help. I will try to update this as things change, new issues arise, and people begin to ask questions often enough for it to be considered (by me) as a frequently asked question. The topic is locked as it is designed for be informative only. All support should be sought in your own topic or via a support ticket. Thanks!

Community Info

Common Errors and Issues

Brave Rewards

Brave Shields (Ad-blocking)

Creators

Backup & Restore

Sync

Brave Wallet

Official Help Center

You can access many of Brave’s official Help resources at https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us

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What is the purpose of Brave Community?

Brave Community is a place for users and staff to assist each other in identifying and resolving issues, suggesting new features, and sharing updates on things that have recently changed.

Most of the support you receive here will be from other users. This is not to say you won’t see various people from Brave responding and trying to help, but it’s important not to have this as an expectation for every topic or post/comment.

NOTE

Things like missing payments or checking if your account might be flagged/suspended will generally not be answered by staff, except to tell you to create a Support Ticket. This is because they will need additional information from you that should not be shared publicly. So do yourself a favor and just create a Support Ticket if you’re in one of those situations.

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How can I tell who is from Brave compared to regular Users?

There are two primary things to look at in order to identify whether someone here is from Brave. Both of which you can see in the screenshot below.

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#1 is a half black, half white shield icon that appears at the end of their name. This symbol means they are an Administrators/Admin or Moderator, which are employed with Brave.

#2 is the Brave lion, which will appear along with their profile picture.

Also, I’ll list some of the more common Support below:

There are others, but you’ll likely see the above most often. Each has little areas that they do best in. For example, Fanboynz is for Brave Shields and Web Compatibility overall. And hub is Brave Wallet.

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What is a Community Ninja?

Community Ninja is a badge and title that is given to a User who is active and helpful here on Brave Community. It doesn’t make us any more special than others. It’s just there to show that we have earned a reputation and have a level of trust given by Brave. In other words, it’s there to help show you that we’re most likely pointing you in the right direction to get assistance and mean well in all we do.

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Each of us have our own levels of expertise and experience. Not every Community Ninja will have their badge/title showing. You can click on Community Ninja if you’re curious who all has the badge/title.

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What are the rules for posting on Brave Community?

A full list of rules can be found at https://community.brave.com/faq

My own rephrasing and simplifying of the rules can be seen below:

  • Be respectful

  • Don’t come here to scam or advertise. This isn’t the place for it.

  • Remember this is a place for Support and feedback on Brave. Everything should be centered around that.

  • Don’t create multiple topics about the same issue or in other ways spam.

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Search Before Posting

It helps everyone when people try to look for similar issues before creating new topics. This prevents other issues from getting drowned out and can save all of us a lot of time and headaches by referencing answers already given. If you need help in knowing how, let’s go through some advice below:

How to search

In order to search for topics, you just click on the image that appears on the top of the page and type in brief words of what you want.

Search Example

For example, maybe you did not receive your monthly BAT payment. For that, you can type in Missing BAT or Rewards payment. This will get you results similar to like below:

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Tip #1

It’s important to click and read on things. Sometimes the response it highlights doesn’t seem right, but if you check the topic, it’s exactly your problem.

Tip #2

If for any reason it doesn’t seem accurate, it’s important to know you can sort results. To sort, you just click on the Sort By area and choose the method. I tend to suggest Latest Post rather than Relevance, but it’s up to you.

Tip #3

Lastly, it’s important to realize there’s also option for advanced searches. On this you can make it narrow things down based on a lot of options.

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How long does it take to get help?

If you need direct support from Brave, then it’s not uncommon for it to take 3-5 business days or longer before you get a response. There are times it can take a couple weeks, such as during holidays. This is especially true if you’ve created a Support Ticket. Obviously it will vary based on luck regarding how many people are working each day, how many people are seeking help, etc.

Otherwise, you are very likely to be able to get assistance from one of the many Users here who take their time to provide answers and suggestions, if they have the knowledge to assist.

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Troubleshooting Steps

Many of the basic browser issues can be resolved just by trying the troubleshooting steps below. If you can try these before posting and advise of the results, it will save you and Support a lot of time.

For all issues:

  • Make sure you’re using the most recent version of Brave.
    • On Desktop you go to brave://settings/help to check version and if there’s an update possible it should update itself
    • On iOS and Android, you can go to Settings → About to see the version number. For updates, you need to go to Play Store or App Store and check if updates are possible

Browser performance issue or crashes:

  • Open in a New Private Window.

    • This is done to help see if it might be something like your extensions.

  • Create a new profile (Desktop only).

    • This works similarly as New Private Window but it also goes one step further of being able to see if it’s perhaps due to a setting you’ve changed or a corrupt profile.

  • If having issues with performance on Desktop, try toggling Use hardware acceleration when possible (Desktop only) to see if you notice a difference.

  • On Android or Desktop, if issue with graphics or performance, can try brave://flags and then enable Vulkan.

  • If your browser had crashed, make sure to go to brave://crashes (Desktop and Android only) and submit any pending reports. Be sure to share the Crash Report ID

  • Try turning off Shields and see if it makes a difference (If it does, just means might need to change settings on that particular site)

  • Disable firewalls, VPN, and or antivirus to see if it has any impact.

  • Clear cookies and site data. (on Android, also try to clear cache)

  • Test on Chrome and see if the issue happens there too.

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Be wary of scammers

Brave will NEVER:

  • Ask you for your Wallet recovery phrase

  • Ask for your password(s)

  • Ask you to send payment for assistance

  • Send you to some oddball website for “live chat” or help.

  • Request you call a phone number for support

  • Ask you to share your sync phrase or QR code

There will be people who pretend they are with Brave or some other companies and will try to do any of the above or more. Make sure you know how you can tell who is from Brave and be very careful of who you give your personal information to.

Example of some of the types of scam responses we get from bot/scam accounts being made are:

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Support Ticket Links

Rewards:
If you have an issue with payments, flagged accounts, or anything of that sort which will require Brave to gather your personal information and do an investigation, you’ll need to create a support ticket at https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360001302431

Creators:

If you have an issue with Creators such as adding more channels, issues with payments, changing your information, etc then you’ll need to create a support ticket at https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=10061687185549.

Do note that suspensions are only handled via email at [email protected] and will not be answered on Brave Community or via the support ticket mentioned above.

Brave Premium:

Most issues, including cancelations, can be handled in your Premium Account. However, if you need to delete your Brave Premium account, have an issue with payments, etc then you can create a support ticket at https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360003078831

Uphold:

If you have issues with Uphold, you can contact them directly at [email protected] or via a support ticket at https://support.uphold.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

Gemini:

If you have issues with Gemini, you can contact them via their support form at https://support.gemini.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=1260809732969

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Profile has been flagged

If your profile has been flagged you most likely will want to create a Rewards Support Ticket at https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360001302431 so Brave can investigate and decide if they would like to reinstate your account.

For those asking why, there’s clear answer you’ll be given. What can be said is found at Why do profiles get flagged?

NOTE

As of June 2023, being flagged will mean all connected devices are flagged. This no longer will be impacting individual profiles and instead will extend to all devices connected to the same custodial account. These changes are happening because people were trying to circumvent antifraud by simply creating new profiles or attaching new devices. So these changes are coming to prevent that.

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Missing Rewards BAT Payment:

First off, make sure that payments have completed by checking Ads Payout Status Update. If it shows still processing or pending, then you may still get your payment.

If that shows payments as completed and you have not yet received payment, then you should create a Rewards Support Ticket at https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/requests/new? where someone from Brave will investigate.

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Region Not Supported

If you get an error message saying something along the lines of Region Not Supported or Unsupported Region then it means that the ability to link to a custodial partner, such as Uphold, is currently not available for your country.

These decisions often are made by the custodial partners rather than by Brave. Usually it occurs due to high amounts of fraud or due to government regulations, such as sanctions. The custodial partner may still allow accounts to be active and used, but still put a limitation on the ability to link to Brave.

In any case, if you’re experiencing this issue then it’s important to know that Brave is looking at adding support to your region as soon as possible. Whether it be making arrangements with existing partners or adding new ones, Brave wants to have as many regions working as possible so they can make money. Remember, they earn much of their money from us participating in Rewards. So each country not supported is a loss of potential revenue.

What this means for you is that you’ll not be able to earn BAT from Brave Rewards until your region is supported.

You can see an official list of which countries are supported at https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/articles/6539887971469

NOTE 1

If you live in a supported region but are getting this notice, then it’s likely that you used a passport or other form of ID for a country that’s not currently supported. Brave will rely on whatever passport you submitted to custodial partners to determine your location.

For example, let’s say you created Uphold when you lived in Russia and you used your passport from there. Now you live in France and have changed your address with Uphold, but you didn’t submit a new passport or other ID. This would still report to Brave that you’re from Russia, therefore might not be supported. (as Russia is not supported at the time of writing this FAQ section).

NOTE 2

I know for many from EU, this can be frustrating as you don’t need to update passport or ID when you change countries as long as it’s within the EU. In fact, getting resident permits sometimes aren’t possible and everyone having a driver’s license might sound quite odd. Unfortunately, that passport or ID is what it’s based on for now.

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Rewards are not available in your area

If you’re getting this message, it means your device Locale is set to be in a region that Brave is not able to support for Brave Rewards at all. This means no ads or any form of participation of Rewards is possible for you. Countries that are not available for Rewards can be seen at https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/articles/9053832354957-Unavailable-jurisdictions-Brave-Rewards-is-not-available-in-your-region-

If you don’t live in one of those countries but still see this message, you will need to check all your device settings. Most likely, you have your country, region, regional format, or something of the sort set to a country that is on the list. Until that is changed, you’ll not be able to access Rewards.

Example of someone who had this issue is in screenshot below. You’ll see they had country for Belarus but regional format for Russian (Russia). This then told Brave they are from Russia, which at the time of this FAQ is not supported. Once they changed from Russian/Russia for their region and regional format, Rewards became available.

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Limited Uphold account functionality

If you’re getting this message, it means you have not fully completed all the steps for KYC/AML that is required by Uphold. To know for certain what’s missing, you may need to contact Uphold directly. That said, the step often missing is what they call Liveness. This is a selfie picture that you have to take live, in the moment.

You can get to this either by trying to initiate a withdrawal from Uphold. It’s important to note you don’t actually have to complete the withdrawal, only pretend like you’re going to do it. Once this is done, it will ask for your picture. Or others have stated that simply installing the app on your phone and using it may end up notifying you of the need to submit another picture (selfie).

And yes, some say that even if you had submitted a picture once before, this is an additional one they want/need. Link to a post made from another User who experienced this issue is I cannot get verified using Uphold. The problem seem to be from Brave - #3 by firsttradingday

Another person sharing this solution is SOLUTION to "ERROR: Limited Uphold account functionality”

Also someone shared a screenshot of instructions from Uphold directly, so I’ll put that below:

Uphold limited functionality
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Creators showing unverified even though I’m verified

If your website is showing as an Unverified Creator even though you’re verified, then try the steps below. If they don’t work, then create a support ticket.

Step 1
Make sure your region is supported. Just because you’re linked to a custodial partner doesn’t mean your region is supported. You can verify this by making sure your country is on the list at https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/articles/6539887971469

Step 2
Hit the refresh button that appears next to where it says Unverified Creator. Sometimes this simple refresh is enough to resolve the issue for you.

Step 3
Go to your Creators dashboard and disconnect from the custodial partner, then reconnect. Sometimes this refreshes things and resolves issue within 24 hours. You may need to repeat Step 1 for yourself again.

Those are primary steps which resolve for some people. If that doesn’t do it, then create a Creators Support Ticket at https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=10061687185549 and someone from Brave will investigate

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How do I participate in Rewards?

On the far right hand side of your address/URL bar, you’ll see New Tab - Brave 1_18_2023 22_59_11 which is the Rewards icon. If you have never tapped/clicked on it before, then when you click on it you’ll see the prompt below:

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After you take the tour, you’ll want to hit Start Using Brave Rewards and it will then prompt you to choose your country.

-NOTE- The country you select must be the one you’ll have a passport or other photo ID when you go to connect to a custodial partner, assuming you want to earn BAT for yourself and receive payouts. If the country you choose doesn’t match the ID you used with Uphold, Gemini, or whichever partner you’re using then you’ll get a Country Mismatch error and will have to reset Rewards or change your ID before you can participate.

New Tab - Brave 1_18_2023 23_04_16

Then you’ll need to connect to a custodial partner, such as Uphold or Gemini if you want to be able to earn. If you can’t create an account with them for any reason, then you can still participate but all earnings will be auto-contributed.

However, if you’re able to create an account and link it to Brave, then you’ll be able to receive payouts each month based on the Brave Ads that have appeared on your device.

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Once that step is done, all you need to do is make sure that Brave is allowed to show notifications on your device. Many of the ads Brave shows will be notifications, though there are other types. Keep in mind that you never have to click on ads to earn anything. In fact, Brave only wants you to click on ads if you’re interested in them. Just having them appear is all that’s needed for you to earn BAT.

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When will I receive my Rewards payment?

Payments begin processing around the 7th of each month. It’s important to remember that this is when the process begins and is not when you’re guaranteed to receive your pay.

Brave Support typically updates a topic, Ads Payout Status Update, that you can check each month to see the overall status of payments.

NOTE

Generally your Estimated Earnings will become 0 on the final day of the month and then will process and send starting around the 7th. The dates generally go by United States on Pacific time. So if you’re in Europe or other areas, you’ll need to keep the time difference in mind.

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How can I see more ads?

There’s no real way to increase the number of ads you can see. However, there are things you can do to make sure you’re not missing out on potential ads. For example:

  • Make sure settings like Focus Assist (on Windows) are turned off. Many OS or devices come with these settings now, which will pause all notifications during hours it thinks you’re sleeping or while you’re busy doing things, such as playing games or watching videos. If it pauses notifications, that means it will pause ads.

  • Make sure your New Tab Page settings (Settings → New Tab Page or on your New Tab Page, go to Customize) has Sponsored Images turned on. This will allow possible ads to be served when you open a new tab.

  • Make sure Brave News is turned on. On Desktop you go to Customize on your New Tab Page and then to Brave News and make sure it’s enabled. On iPhone and Android, you need to go Settings → Brave News.

  • Make sure your IP address and device Locale are the same. If these don’t match, you can have issues receiving ads or getting paid for the ads you do see. This is especially important to remember if you use a VPN. (Same goes with proxy servers, usually bad to have as can cause issues)

  • Do your part to spread word about Brave. The more people who are aware will help to bring advertisers. More advertisers in your area = more ads.

  • Use your device casually and make sure it’s running. Overall it observes our activity. As long as we’re moderately active on our devices and letting notifications serve, we’ll usually do well. Just keep in mind if you leave a device unattended for extended periods of time, you’ll see less ads. Yet in the same token, if it’s constantly in use and seems like someone is using it to “farm” Rewards, then it also will reduce ads.

For all others on what to avoid, check out part about Why do profiles get flagged?

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What types of ads are there?

There are currently four types of ads available. These are:

  • Push Notifications (PN) - These will appear in the Notification Center of your device. The maximum amount of PN ads you can receive are 10 per hour, up to 100 per day. That said, the maximum number will almost never be reached.

  • Sponsored Images (SI) - These are also referred to as New Tab Page (NTP) ads. These are shown to you when you visit a NTP. The maximum amount of SI you can receive is 20 per day, with a maximum of 1 every 15 minutes. Unlike PN ads, you these will be big ads that are designs that take up the entirety of the background of your NTP. The designs/images can vary greatly.

  • Inline Content (IC) - These will be shown to you as you scroll through Brave News, which is below your New Tab Page. The maximum amount of IC ads you can see are 12 per hour, up to 60 per day. As with PN ads, you’re not guaranteed the maximum and may come nowhere close.

  • Search Ads - These are still in beta at the time of writing the FAQ and, as a result, won’t be available via Rewards. However, once set these will appear during searches at Brave Search and we will be able to earn BAT from them. The maximum amount we can see is unknown at this time. However, this will be a good way to increase monthly earnings while looking for things you need.

NTP Ad Example:

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Brave News Ad Example: (See the BAT triangle on top right that says ad? It appears mixed in with news sources as you scroll through Brave News. They can be big or small

)

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