Terms of service

These terms are an agreement between you and Frozen Chat (“we”, “us”), the operator of the Frozen Chat apps for Android and iOS, Frozen Chat Web, the website at frozenchat.com and the licence-key shop (together, the “service”). By creating an account, buying a licence or otherwise using the service you agree to them, and to our community guidelines. Our privacy policy explains how we handle data.

1. Who can use the service

• You must be at least 16 years old (at least 13 in the United States, where your local law allows), or older if the law of your country sets a higher age for using a service like this without parental consent.
• You must be able to make a binding agreement, and not be barred from using the service under the laws that apply to you, including sanctions laws.
• If you use the service for an organisation, you confirm you may accept these terms on its behalf.

2. Your account, recovery words and PIN

• Your account is a username and keys created on your device. We don't know who you are and don't need to.
• When you sign up you get a Recovery Key (24 recovery words), and you can set a recovery PIN. Keep them safe and private. They are the only way back into your account if you lose every device. We never have them and cannot reset or recover them, your account or your messages.
• You are responsible for what happens on your devices and your account, and for keeping your devices secure.
• Messages live on your devices. If you lose them without a backup, your chat history is gone; we can't restore it.
• Don't sell, transfer or impersonate accounts, or register usernames to squat on or impersonate other people, brands or Frozen Chat itself.

3. Licences

• Using the service requires a licence (a plan). Plans, their length, limits and prices are listed on the pricing page.
• You get a licence by redeeming a single-use licence key, or by buying “upgrade or extend” for an existing username on the website.
• Licences are sold only on frozenchat.com. There are no in-app purchases: nothing is sold inside the apps or through Apple's App Store or Google Play. Every purchase is a contract between you and Frozen Chat alone; Apple and Google are not parties to it and are not responsible for it, including for payments, delivery of keys or refunds.
• Prices are in US dollars and paid in cryptocurrency through our payment provider, NOWPayments. Network fees and exchange rates are set by the provider and the blockchain, not by us. Taxes are included where we are required to charge them.
• Licences never renew automatically. Nothing is charged unless you buy again. Redeeming or buying the same plan before the end date extends it; buying a different plan converts your remaining time at the same value, as described on the buy page.
• After the end date there are 7 days of grace with everything working. After that the account becomes read-only: you can still open the app, read your chats, make and restore backups and see your contacts, but you can't send messages, make or join calls, or upload files until you renew. Nothing is deleted because a licence ended (backups in our storage are kept for 30 days after your plan stops including them).
• Keys bought in the shop are shown on your order page and held for you for 24 hours after you first view them. Save them: we can't show them again afterwards.
• A licence is a personal, non-transferable right to use the service for the stated period. Unused keys may be given to others; a redeemed licence can't be moved to another account.
• We may change plans and limits for the future. We won't reduce the limits of a period you have already paid for.

4. Refunds

Our refund policy explains when you can get your money back. It doesn't limit any rights you have under the consumer law of your country.

5. Acceptable use

You must not use the service to:

• break the law, or help or encourage anyone else to;
• create, share, request or store child sexual abuse material, or groom, sexualise, exploit or endanger children in any way (see child safety). We have zero tolerance for this;
• harass, threaten, bully, stalk, dox or intimidate anyone, or incite violence or hatred;
• share intimate images of someone without their consent, or threaten to;
• promote or support terrorism or violent extremism;
• sell or trade illegal goods or services, including weapons, drugs or stolen data;
• defraud people, run scams or phishing, or impersonate others;
• send spam, bulk or automated unsolicited messages, or create accounts in bulk or by automation;
• infringe other people's intellectual property or privacy rights;
• spread malware, or attack, overload, probe, scrape or reverse-engineer the service to harm it or its users, outside our responsible-disclosure process;
• get around rate limits, plan limits, blocks or suspensions.

Because messages are end-to-end encrypted, we can't see what you send. We act on reports from users (which can include the reported messages), on information from authorities, and on technical signals such as rate-limit violations.

6. Your content

What you send is yours. You give us only the permission we need to transmit and store it, encrypted, so the service can deliver it. We can't read it, and we claim no other rights in it. You are responsible for having the right to send what you send.

7. Suspension and termination

• You can stop using the service at any time and delete your account.
• We may suspend or terminate an account, or revoke a licence, if it breaks these terms or the law, if we have to by law, or to protect users or the service. Where it is safe and lawful we will tell you why, and you can contest the decision by writing to [email protected].
• Accounts suspended for child sexual exploitation, terrorism or serious fraud are terminated without refund.
• If we stop the service as a whole, we will give at least 30 days' notice in the app, and refund or honour unused paid time where we can.

8. Software and updates

We grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use our apps on devices you own or control, under these terms. Parts of Frozen Chat are open-source software under their own licences, which take precedence for that code. We update the apps to fix problems and keep them secure; older versions may stop working with the service.

9. Disclaimers

We work hard to keep the service secure and available, but it is provided “as is” and “as available”. To the extent the law allows, we make no warranties beyond those stated in these terms, and we don't guarantee that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free or suitable for a particular purpose. Don't rely on it for emergency calls: Frozen Chat cannot call emergency services.

10. Limitation of liability

To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, lost data, lost profits or loss of goodwill, and our total liability for any claim relating to the service is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, such as liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or your statutory rights as a consumer.

11. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the operator's place of establishment, and disputes go to its courts. If you are a consumer, you also keep the protection of the mandatory laws of the country where you live, and you may bring a claim in its courts. Please contact us first: most problems can be solved quickly by e-mail.

12. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. We will post the new version here with a new date and announce material changes in the app at least 14 days before they take effect, unless a change is required sooner by law or to stop abuse. If you don't agree, you can stop using the service and delete your account.

13. Other terms

If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest stays in force. Not enforcing a right is not a waiver of it. You may not transfer these terms; we may transfer them to a successor operating the service, with notice to you. These terms, the pages they link to and, for the iOS app, section 14 are the whole agreement between us about the service.

14. Additional terms for apps from Apple's App Store

If you downloaded the Frozen Chat app from Apple's App Store, these additional terms apply, in addition to the rest of these terms. If they conflict, this section prevails for the iOS app.

1. Parties. These terms are between you and Frozen Chat only, not Apple Inc. (“Apple”). Frozen Chat, not Apple, is solely responsible for the app and its content.
2. Scope of licence. Your licence to use the app is limited to a non-transferable licence to use it on any Apple-branded products you own or control, as permitted by the Usage Rules in the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions, except that the app may be accessed and used by other accounts associated with you via Family Sharing or volume purchasing.
3. Maintenance and support. Frozen Chat is solely responsible for providing maintenance and support for the app, as described in these terms or as required by law (contact: [email protected]). Apple has no obligation whatsoever to furnish any maintenance and support services for the app.
4. Warranty. Frozen Chat is solely responsible for any product warranties, express or implied by law, to the extent not effectively disclaimed. If the app fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price (if any) of the app to you. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the app, and any other claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs or expenses attributable to any failure to conform to any warranty are Frozen Chat's sole responsibility.
5. Product claims. Frozen Chat, not Apple, is responsible for addressing any claims by you or any third party relating to the app or your possession and/or use of it, including: (i) product liability claims; (ii) any claim that the app fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement; and (iii) claims arising under consumer protection, privacy or similar legislation.
6. Intellectual property rights. In the event of any third-party claim that the app or your possession and use of it infringes that third party's intellectual property rights, Frozen Chat, not Apple, is solely responsible for the investigation, defence, settlement and discharge of any such claim.
7. Legal compliance. You represent and warrant that (i) you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. Government embargo, or that has been designated by the U.S. Government as a “terrorist supporting” country; and (ii) you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
8. Developer contact. Questions, complaints or claims about the app: Frozen Chat, [email protected].
9. Third-party terms. You must comply with applicable third-party terms of agreement when using the app (for example, your mobile network's terms).
10. Third-party beneficiary. Apple and Apple's subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these terms, and upon your acceptance of them Apple will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these terms against you as a third-party beneficiary.

15. Contact

Questions about these terms: [email protected].