Tumblr’s tipping feature is no longer available for use

Tumblr has officially shut down “Tips,” an opt-in feature allowing creators to receive one-time payments from their followers. The tipping icon has now been removed from all posts and blogs that had the feature enabled. Creators who have used this feature should note that June 15 is the final day to withdraw any remaining funds received from tipping.

The reason for discontinuing Tips is straightforward: the feature did not gain the traction Tumblr had hoped for. In a post last month, the company stated, “Tipping hasn’t seen the usage we’d hoped for.” This decision aligns with Tumblr’s strategy, initiated during last year’s reorganization, to eliminate underperforming features.

“While this will affect a very small number of you, we know that those of you who do Tip do so with great admiration for your Tumblr peers, and we’re sorry to be taking this away from you,” Tumblr added.

Introduced in 2022, Tips was meant to complement Post+, Tumblr’s subscription service that allowed creators to put content behind a paywall. However, Post+ was discontinued last year due to user backlash. Users expressed frustration over Tumblr’s monetization attempts, which likely contributed to the failure of the Tips feature.

Despite the shutdown of Tips and Post+, Tumblr still offers other monetization features, such as the Supporter badge. This badge costs $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year and can be displayed on users’ blogs. According to Tumblr, the badge will become “shinier” over time as the user continues to support the platform.