Has Blink Shell stopped being a serious tool for Linux administrators?

[chemihub]

Hi everyone,

I’m a long-time Linux system administrator, and I recently subscribed to Blink Shell for iPad, drawn by its reputation as a serious, professional-grade terminal and its support for Secure Enclave-protected SSH keys.

However, after using the latest version, I’ve been thoroughly disappointed:
• SSH keys generated using Secure Enclave do not save a .pub file in ~/.ssh, and there’s no clear way to extract the public key from the terminal.
• There’s no support for aliases, not even temporary ones, which severely limits command-line productivity.
• Core utilities like ssh-keygen, nano, scp, vim, etc. are missing entirely from the local shell environment.
• Editing ~/.ssh/config manually isn’t supported in any straightforward way — everything is buried in UI menus.

In short, Blink seems to have moved away from being a serious terminal for advanced users. It now feels more like a restricted SSH frontend with nice animations but limited transparency or control.

I’ve since requested a refund from Apple and moved to Termius, which, while more GUI-focused, at least supports biometric SSH keys and exposes basic configurations more clearly.

I’m curious: has anyone else noticed this shift? Has Blink changed direction? Are technical users expected to adapt to a locked-down model now?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

🔗 Related issue with technical details here:
#2113
(Feel free to comment or upvote if you’ve run into similar problems.)

[carloscabanero]

Hi! Thanks a lot for reaching out and for the thoughtful feedback.

I’m not sure what your previous experience is with Blink or other terminals on iOS, but let me start by addressing your specific points—because many of the features you mentioned are actually already available, so I’m curious where the confusion might be coming from:

• SSH Keys & Secure Enclave: For keys generated using the Secure Enclave, you can copy the public key within the configuration for that key. That's actually the only part you can copy—since the private key stays securely in the enclave (as expected). More details here: docs.blink.sh/basics/ssh-keys.
  We also no longer use ~/.ssh to store any key info—this changed several versions (years) ago. Since keys are managed by Keygen or the Secure Enclave and handled by our internal agent, we found that sticking to standard paths like ~/.ssh was misleading or confusing in this context.
• Aliases vs Snips: Blink has never supported aliases—but we do support Snips, which we believe are even more powerful in most use cases. You can read more about them here: docs.blink.sh/basics/snips. That said, Blink 19 (our upcoming version) will make it even easier to start shortcuts for your most-used commands.
• Commands & Tools: While we don’t include nano, we do include vim, scp, sftp, and many other UNIX tools. You can tap to view the full list. And we also support Files.app integration.
• SSH Config: You can edit your ~/.ssh/config manually using vim, or even with our VS Code integration. Some users sync their config file via iCloud or just drop it into Blink from another device.
• On "Restricted SSH": That’s not the case. We haven’t introduced any limitations to SSH—in fact, we’ve added security and capabilities over time.
• On "Nice animations but limited control": Appreciate the kind words! But Blink has almost no animations—just when switching tabs—and the only UI is the config and contextual bar. We've even been called “the anti-app”. Are you sure you were using Blink? 😄

I’m really sorry Blink didn’t meet your expectations, but I'm always looking to improve. You say you’re moving to Termius, and I totally respect that, but may I ask what tilted the board in your case? I ask because if your decision was based on the points above, I think Blink might actually support more of what you're looking for: Termius does not support anything ~/.ssh related (they do not give any access to the file system or any shell), it lacks a shell or UNIX commands or aliases, and it is definitely a more "locked-down" experience and "buried in UI menus" (nothing against that, some people like a GUI).

Now, I do agree that Blink has zigzagged in direction over the past versions, but not in the way you described. The shift came when we launched Blink Code and Blink Build, as we tried to ship an all-in full development tool. And although Code and Build have been successful, they’ve also diluted the advancements we made and how Blink Shell itself is perceived. In hindsight, they should have been separate applications from the start (and we are looking into that).

And with all that on the table, I have been planning Blink 19 to be a return to our roots with better connections, more customizations, and more of what makes Blink Shell great.

So if you have ideas for that, we are all ears too!

[chemihub]

Dear Carlos,

Thank you for your reply.
The thing is, I had high expectations for Blink—as a terminal-like app with the kind of freedom a real terminal environment offers.
Of course, I wasn’t expecting something as raw or complete as a-Shell, but I must admit I expected something more powerful—especially considering the price difference between Termius and Blink.

After spending some time exploring the app, I wasn’t able to find the local files folder in Blink, which made it hard to understand where configurations or keys were actually stored.

Maybe giving users the chance to test the full app for a few days before committing to a 22€/year subscription (which isn’t expensive at all for a truly useful tool) could help us better understand what Blink offers—and where its real strengths are.

Thanks again for your work, and I’m curious to see how Blink 19 shapes up.