Welcome to Flare. These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a legal agreement between you and Flare ("Flare," "we," "us," or "our") governing your use of the Flare mobile application and related services (the "Service"). By downloading, accessing, or using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the Service.
1. Eligibility
You must be at least 13 years old (or the minimum age of digital consent in your country) to use Flare. By using the Service, you represent that you meet this requirement and that you have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.
2. Your account
- You register using your phone number and a username you choose. You're responsible for keeping your account secure and for all activity that happens under it.
- You agree to provide accurate information and to keep it up to date.
- Notify us promptly if you believe your account has been compromised.
3. How Flare works
Flare lets you broadcast a time-boxed "I'm free" signal (a "flare") to your friends, see which friends are currently free, and send a lightweight "wave." Flares are ephemeral and expire automatically. The core features — broadcasting, seeing who's free, and connecting — are free to use.
4. Text messages and SMS consent
Flare uses text messages (SMS) as part of the Service. By creating an account with your phone number, you agree to and consent to receive SMS text messages from Flare at the number you provide, including:
- One-time verification codes to confirm your phone number and sign you in;
- Account and security notifications related to your use of the Service;
- Invitations, sent only when you choose to invite a specific person.
Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply depending on your mobile carrier and plan. Flare does not send marketing or promotional text messages without your separate, express opt-in consent.
You can opt out of non-essential texts at any time by replying STOP to any message, and reply HELP for help or contact us at sendaflareup@gmail.com. Because one-time verification codes are required to sign in, opting out of those messages may prevent you from accessing your account. Mobile carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
We do not sell your phone number, and we do not share your mobile opt-in data or SMS consent with third parties for their own marketing or promotional purposes. See our Privacy Policy for how we collect, use, and protect your information.
5. Acceptable use
You agree not to:
- Use the Service for any unlawful, harmful, harassing, or abusive purpose;
- Impersonate another person or misrepresent your identity;
- Send spam, or add or contact people without a genuine personal connection;
- Attempt to access accounts, data, or systems you're not authorized to access;
- Reverse engineer, scrape, overload, or interfere with the Service or its infrastructure;
- Use the Service to violate the privacy or rights of others.
We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.
6. User content
You're responsible for the content you share through the Service, including notes attached to your flares. You retain ownership of your content. By sharing it, you grant Flare a limited, non-exclusive license to host and display that content to your chosen recipients for the purpose of operating the Service.
7. Paid features
We may offer an optional subscription ("Flare+") with additional features. If you subscribe, billing is handled by the Apple App Store or Google Play, and is subject to their terms. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled, and you can manage or cancel them through your app store account. The core loop remains free.
8. Third-party services
The Service relies on third-party providers (such as app stores, cloud hosting, and push notification and messaging services). Your use of those services may be subject to their own terms, and we're not responsible for their acts or omissions.
9. Disclaimers
The Service is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We don't warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that flares will always be delivered on time.
10. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Flare and its team will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of data, goodwill, or profits, arising out of or related to your use of the Service. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service will not exceed the greater of the amount you paid us in the past twelve months or USD $50.
11. Termination
You may stop using the Service and delete your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access if you violate these Terms or if we discontinue the Service. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (such as disclaimers and limitations of liability) will survive.
12. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date and provide notice within the App. Continuing to use the Service after changes take effect means you accept the updated Terms.
13. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Any disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Texas, unless applicable law requires otherwise.
14. Contact us
Questions about these Terms? Email us at sendaflareup@gmail.com.
These Terms are pre-launch and will be reviewed by legal counsel before public release to ensure they fit your business, jurisdiction, and the requirements of the app stores.