Terms of Use

Legal

Last updated 11 August 2026

Plain-language first. Each section opens with a short summary in ordinary words, then the actual terms. The summaries are there to be read; the terms are what govern. Where they ever seem to disagree, the terms are what apply. This is a real agreement between you and the person who makes The Familiar — it isn’t legal advice to you, and reading it doesn’t make me your lawyer.

1.Agreeing to these terms

These Terms of Use are an agreement between you and Eva Lothian (“I”, “me”), who makes and operates The Familiar (the “app” or “service”). By creating an account or using the app, you accept these terms. If you don’t agree with them, please don’t use the app.

2.Who can use it

You must be 18 or older to use The Familiar, and able to form a binding agreement where you live. It is an open-ended companion that will discuss whatever you bring to it, which is why it isn’t for children.

3.What the app is

The Familiar is a journalling companion: a small on-device creature you can keep and play with, a private journal you write to in conversation, and an AI that writes short fiction drawn from what you tell it. Some features are free and some require a subscription — see the Subscriptions & purchases terms.

4.Your account

You sign in through Google or Bluesky. You’re responsible for keeping access to that sign-in secure and for activity under your account. Tell me promptly at familiarhelp@outlook.com if you think someone else has gained access.

5.Your content stays yours

You own what you write. You give me only the narrow permission needed to run the app for you — store it, and send it to the AI providers so the features work. I don’t claim it, publish it, or use it to train anything.

You keep all rights to the journal entries, stories, configuration and other content you create (“your content”). You grant me a limited, non-exclusive licence to host, store, back up, and process your content solely to operate the service for you — including sending it to the AI providers named in the Privacy Policy to generate the responses and stories you ask for. This licence exists only to run the app and ends when you delete the content or your account, except for routine backups that clear in the ordinary course.

6.Acceptable use

Your use of the app is subject to the Acceptable Use policy. In short: don’t use the service to break the law or to harm others, and don’t try to break, abuse or reverse-engineer it.

7.AI-generated content

Your Familiar’s replies and its stories are generated by AI. They are fiction and conversation, not statements of fact, advice, or truth about you or anyone else. They can be wrong, odd, or made up — that’s in the nature of the thing. Please use judgement, especially before relying on anything it says.

8.It is not therapy, and not a crisis service

The Familiar is journalling and fiction. It is not healthcare, not treatment, and not a lifeline. If you’re in danger, contact emergency services or a crisis line.

The app does not provide medical, psychological, or mental-health advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it is not a substitute for a qualified professional. It is not an emergency service. If you are in crisis or think you might harm yourself or someone else, contact your local emergency number now. In the US you can call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline); elsewhere, use your local crisis line or emergency services.

9.Purchases

Paid features are sold as subscriptions and one-off items through the app stores. The Subscriptions & purchases terms, and your app store’s own terms, apply to anything you buy.

10.Availability and changes

I’m one person, and I may change, suspend, or discontinue parts of the app, or the whole thing, over time. I’ll try to give reasonable notice of anything significant, and you can always export your content. These terms may also change; if they change materially I’ll update the date and note it in the app, and continuing to use the app means you accept the update.

11.Ending your use

You can stop using the app and delete your account at any time. I may suspend or end an account that breaks these terms or the Acceptable Use policy, or where I’m required to. If I end the service entirely, I’ll aim to give you a chance to export your content first.

12.Disclaimers and liability

The app is provided “as is”, without warranties of any kind, to the fullest extent the law allows. To the extent permitted by law, I am not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, or for lost data or lost profits; and my total liability for any claim relating to the app is limited to the greater of the amount you paid me in the twelve months before the claim, or US $50. Some places don’t allow certain limitations, so parts of this may not apply to you.

13.Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Pennsylvania, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules, and any dispute will be handled by the courts located in Pennsylvania — except where the law where you live gives you the right to bring a claim locally, which these terms don’t take away.

14.Contact

Questions about these terms: familiarhelp@outlook.com.