Terms of use

Who runs Yappio

Yappio is run by Jovan Johl, an individual in the United States. In these terms, "we" and "us" mean the operator of Yappio. You can reach us at [email protected]. We do not publish a postal address.

What these terms cover

They apply to the Yappio chat service (the web app, the desktop apps and the API), to this website and to any paid plan. The privacy notice, the acceptable use page, the cookies page and the copyright page are part of these terms.

A server (community) can add its own rules on top of ours. Those rules are set by the people who run that server, not by us. If a server rule conflicts with these terms, these terms win.

Who can use Yappio

You must be at least 13 years old. We ask for your date of birth when you sign up and we do not create accounts for people under 13. Accounts made before we asked for a date of birth must confirm their age, and an account that turns out to belong to someone under 13 is closed. In some places the law sets a higher age for agreeing to this kind of service or for having your data processed. If that applies where you live, you must be at least that age.

If you are under the age of majority where you live (18 in most places), you may only use Yappio with the permission of a parent or guardian, who is responsible for how you use it. A parent or guardian who wants us to close a child's account or delete a child's data can write to [email protected].

You may not use Yappio if you have been banned from it, or if the law where you live forbids you from using it.

Your account

Give us a real email address and a date of birth that is true, and keep your password to yourself. You are responsible for what happens on your account. Tell us at once if you think someone else has got into it.

One person, one account. Do not sell, rent or give your account to someone else. You can close your account at any time, as described in the privacy notice.

Your content

What you write, upload, record or share on Yappio is yours. You are responsible for it, and you promise that you have the right to share it.

To run the service, you give us permission to store your content, copy it, process it (for example resize an image or write out a voice note) and show it to the people you or the server you posted in chose to share it with. This permission is only for running and protecting Yappio, it is not exclusive, and it ends when your content is deleted, apart from the limited copies described in the privacy notice. We do not use your content to advertise and we do not sell it.

Other people in a conversation or server can see what you post there, and can copy, quote or screenshot it. Think about that before you share something private.

Rules and safety

You agree to follow the acceptable use page. In short: no harassment or threats, no hate directed at people for who they are, no sexual content involving minors, no illegal content, no spam or scams, no impersonation, and no attacks on the service.

We take the safety of children seriously. Sexual content involving minors is not allowed anywhere on Yappio, in public or private spaces, and it is reported. If we find or are told about child sexual abuse material, we remove it, we may preserve it as evidence, we close the account, and we report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) through its CyberTipline and to the authorities as the law of the United States requires. To report something, use the report option in the app or write to [email protected].

Messages on Yappio are not end-to-end encrypted. We do not read your conversations as a matter of routine. We can look at content when it is reported, when you give us a support code, or when we need to in order to keep people safe, enforce these terms or follow the law.

Servers and the people who run them

Owners and moderators of a server can see what is posted in it, remove content, mute, kick or ban people, and set rules. Server owners are responsible for the communities they run. A server owner has to follow these terms and the acceptable use page, and we can remove or suspend a server that does not.

Bots and apps that people add to a server act on their own. We do not review each one. Add only the ones you trust.

Paid plans

Some features need a paid plan, for you or for a server. Paid plans are subscriptions bought through Stripe, our payment provider. The price, what the plan includes and how often you are charged are shown before you pay. Prices can change, and the price you will pay is always shown at checkout.

A subscription renews automatically until you cancel it. You can cancel at any time from the billing page in the app or through the billing portal that opens from it. If you cancel, the plan stays active until the end of the period you paid for and then stops renewing. If a payment fails, we will write to you and give you a short period to fix the card before the paid features switch off.

Refunds are handled case by case. If you think you were charged by mistake or you have a problem with a payment, write to [email protected] and we will look at it.

Yappio does not see or store your card number. It is handled by Stripe under its own terms and privacy policy.

Suspending or ending access

We may warn you, remove content, limit features, suspend or close an account, or remove a server if you break these terms, if it is needed to protect people or the service, or if the law requires it. Where it is reasonable to do so we will tell you why. If you think we made a mistake, write to [email protected] and a person will look at it again.

You can stop using Yappio whenever you like. Some parts of these terms keep applying after that, such as the ones about your content, liability and the law that applies.

The service and what we do not promise

We work to keep Yappio running and to keep it safe, but it is provided as it is and as it is available. We do not promise that it will always be online, free of errors or free of data loss. Features can change, move to another plan or go away. Please keep your own copy of anything you cannot afford to lose.

To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, lost profits, or content posted by other people. Our total liability to you for anything to do with Yappio is limited to what you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, or 50 US dollars if you paid nothing. Nothing in these terms limits any right you have that the law does not allow to be limited, and nothing excludes liability that cannot be excluded.

Our content and brand

The Yappio software, design, name and logo belong to the operator unless stated otherwise. You may link to any page and quote short passages with attribution. The Yappio name and logo may be used as described on the brand page. Copyright concerns are handled as described on the copyright page.

The website and the early access list

The website at yappio.chat describes the service. Some screens and sample names on it are illustrations, not real people or conversations. The website may still offer to put your email address on a list for news and early access. Joining it does not create an account or reserve anything, and you can leave it at any time with the link in each message or by writing to us.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as Yappio changes. The date at the bottom of the page shows the latest version. If a change matters, we will tell you in the app or by email before it starts when we can. If you keep using Yappio after a change takes effect, you accept the new version. If you do not accept it, you can close your account.

Which law applies

These terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the state where the operator lives. Any dispute that we cannot settle by talking first is for the courts that have jurisdiction there, unless the law where you live gives you the right to go to a court near you. Please write to us before anything else; most problems can be fixed that way.

Contact

Questions about these terms go to [email protected].