Terms of Use for the Maru App

1. Provider and scope

These Terms of Use apply to the Maru mobile app, provided by:

Email: hello@heymaru.com
Imprint: https://heymaru.com/imprint

By using the app, you agree to these Terms. The Privacy Policy and mandatory statutory rules also apply.

2. What Maru provides

Maru provides editorial stories and optional personal reflection features. You can read or listen to stories and record your own moments. Features, content and availability may change as Maru evolves.

Maru is not a medical, psychological, therapeutic, financial or other professional advisory service. Its content is not a substitute for individual diagnosis, treatment or advice. In an emergency, contact the appropriate local emergency or support service.

Pre-release versions distributed through TestFlight are provided for a limited, free beta test. Features may contain errors or be temporarily unavailable. Apple processes its own TestFlight data; our Privacy Policy explains Apple's processing and how we use data Apple makes available to us. Mandatory statutory rights remain unaffected.

3. Account and access

Free access covers today's Daily stories and the previous seven calendar days: eight date windows in total, while those stories remain available. You can keep unlimited personal moments independently of that window. Premium gives access to your collection of previously opened stories that remain available; it does not unlock a complete archive of stories you have never opened or guarantee permanent availability of individual content.

If Apple verifies your use of a Sandbox version of Maru, your Maru account may receive permanent free Premium access. This includes TestFlight and Developer Sandbox. The gift is tied to your Maru account, requires no purchase and does not become a paid subscription. A separately purchased Apple subscription remains independent. Deleting your Maru account ends its access.

Some features require a personal account. You must provide accurate and current information, keep your access credentials secure and notify us promptly if you suspect misuse. Your account is personal and may not be transferred or made available for use by another person.

The app is not intended for children who cannot legally consent to its data processing and use under applicable law. Where required, a parent or guardian must provide consent.

4. Acceptable use

You may use Maru for personal, non-commercial purposes in accordance with these Terms. In particular, you must not:

• use Maru unlawfully, abusively or fraudulently;
• bypass security, access or technical protection measures;
• disrupt, overload or automatically scrape the services;
• copy or commercially exploit editorial content beyond the limits permitted by law or expressly allowed under section 6; or
• use Maru in a way that infringes the rights of others.

5. Your content

You retain the rights to personal text you enter in Maru. You grant us only the rights technically required to associate that content with your account, transmit and store it securely, synchronise it between your signed-in devices, and recover, export or delete it at your request.

Do not enter content whose storage is unlawful or infringes another person's rights. The external beta is also not intended for special categories of personal data under Art. 9 GDPR, including health data and data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade-union membership, genetic or biometric identity, sex life or sexual orientation.

Maru does not use your personal text for advertising, editorial publication, profiling, topic or mood analysis, automated decisions or training generative models.

6. Maru content and intellectual property

Stories, images, audio, design, software, trademarks and other content provided by Maru are protected by copyright and other laws. For the duration of your authorised use, you receive a limited, non-transferable and revocable licence to use this content within the app for personal purposes. No additional rights are transferred.

Linked sources and external content are subject to their respective providers' terms.

7. Availability and changes

We aim to operate Maru reliably but do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free availability. Maintenance, security measures, technical failures or circumstances beyond our control may temporarily restrict features.

We may develop, modify or discontinue Maru and editorial content where this is reasonable in light of your legitimate interests. We will communicate material changes to these Terms in an appropriate manner. Mandatory statutory rights are not affected.

8. Charges

Free use and free Premium access incur no usage fees. If Maru offers you a paid monthly subscription, Apple shows the price, features, term and automatic renewal before your explicit purchase confirmation. Without that confirmation, no paid subscription begins. Free Premium access does not start a paid subscription. Apple handles purchase, payment and renewal. You can manage a separately purchased subscription in Apple's subscription settings and end automatic renewal under the conditions shown there. Cancellation does not end the already paid period early. Removing the app or deleting your Maru account does not automatically cancel an Apple subscription.

9. Termination and account deletion

Deleting your Maru account does not automatically cancel a separately purchased Apple subscription. Manage or cancel it in Apple's subscription settings. Necessary technical evidence and billing records subject to statutory retention are separate from deletion of personal account content; the privacy policy explains the details.

You may stop using Maru at any time, delete individual private moments, export your known Maru data as a versioned JSON file under “My Maru”, and delete your account there. See the Privacy Policy for details about export, the deletion process and remaining technical barrier and backup periods.

We may suspend or terminate access in the event of a serious or repeated breach of these Terms, a security risk or a legal obligation. Where possible and reasonable, we will inform you in advance.

10. Liability

We have unlimited liability for intent and gross negligence; injury to life, body or health; liability under the German Product Liability Act; and any expressly assumed guarantee.

For a slightly negligent breach of a material contractual obligation, liability is limited to the foreseeable loss typical for this type of contract. A material contractual obligation is one whose performance is essential to the proper execution of the contract and on which you may regularly rely. To the extent permitted by law, liability for other cases of slight negligence is excluded. Mandatory consumer rights remain unaffected.

11. Consumer dispute resolution

We are neither willing nor required to participate in dispute-resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.

12. Governing law

The laws of the Federal Republic of Germany apply, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. If you are a consumer, mandatory protections under the law of your country of habitual residence remain unaffected.

13. Contact and current version

Send questions about Maru or these Terms to hello@heymaru.com.

The current version is available at https://heymaru.com/app/terms.