Terms of Service

Echoes App Last Updated: April 13, 2026 Effective Date: April 13, 2026

1. Agreement to Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Echoes mobile application, the Echoes website (echoesapp.live), and all related services (collectively, the "Service"), operated by Echoes LLC ("we," "our," or "us").

By creating an account, accessing, or using Echoes, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use Echoes.

2. Eligibility

2.1 Minimum Age

You must be at least 13 years old to create an account and use Echoes. By creating an account, you represent that you are at least 13 years of age. We verify this through date of birth at registration.

If you are between 13 and 17 years old, you represent that you have reviewed these Terms and that your parent or legal guardian has consented to your use of the Service.

2.2 Account Accuracy

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration, including your name, email address, date of birth, and region (if provided). You are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of this information.

2.3 Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials. You agree to notify us immediately at support@echoesapp.live if you suspect unauthorized access to your account. We are not liable for any loss resulting from unauthorized use of your account.

3. The Service

3.1 What Echoes Does

Echoes is a wellness application that allows users to:

Check in with their emotional state
Write anonymous letters about what they are feeling
Receive anonymous letters from other users, matched by our AI-based system to resonate with the recipient's emotional experience

3.2 Anonymity

Echoes is designed around anonymity between users. When you write a letter, the recipient will never see your name, email, profile, or any identifying information. They may see only:

The text of your letter (after automated safety screening and PII removal)
The emotion you selected
Your state or region, if you provided one

You understand and agree that this anonymity is a core feature of the Service and that you will not attempt to circumvent it by including identifying information in your letters.

3.3 No Guarantee of Delivery

We do not guarantee that every letter you write will be delivered to another user, or that you will receive a letter after every check-in. Letter matching depends on the availability of appropriate matches in our pool, your emotional state, and other algorithmic factors. Delivery timing varies based on emotional intensity and other signals. Letters remain eligible for matching for up to 30 days after submission, after which they expire from the matching pool.

3.4 AI Processing

Your letters and check-in data are processed by artificial intelligence systems for the purpose of safety screening, content moderation, and emotional matching. By using the Service, you consent to this processing. You can learn more about how AI processes your data in our Privacy Policy.

3.5 Future Premium Features

Echoes may introduce optional premium features, subscriptions, or paid services in the future. These may include, but are not limited to, advanced emotional analytics, additional letter-writing opportunities, priority matching, premium writing prompts, avatar or theme customization, or other enhanced capabilities. Premium features may be offered as monthly subscriptions, annual subscriptions, or one-time in-app purchases. Echoes may also offer institutional licenses for educational institutions, employers, and healthcare organizations.

Any paid features will be clearly identified and their pricing disclosed before purchase. Purchases made through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store are subject to the respective store's terms and refund policies. These Terms will be updated before any paid features are made available.

4. Content Guidelines

4.1 Your Letters

When you write a letter on Echoes, you agree that your content will:

Be respectful toward the unknown person who may receive it
Not contain threats, harassment, bullying, or hate speech directed at any individual or group
Not contain sexually explicit material
Not contain spam, advertising, or promotional content
Not intentionally include personally identifiable information (your own or others')
Not promote or glorify violence, self-harm, or illegal activity
Not attempt to solicit personal information from other users
Not attempt to identify other users or circumvent the anonymity of the platform

4.2 Content Screening

Every letter submitted to Echoes is automatically screened by AI systems before it enters our matching pool. Letters may be:

Approved: The letter passes screening and enters the matching pool for delivery to another user.
Flagged: The letter is withheld from the pool and may be reviewed. The author is not penalized or notified in a punitive way.
Held for safety: If our systems detect that a letter may indicate the author is experiencing a crisis (such as active self-harm ideation), the letter is not delivered. Instead, the author is shown crisis resources and support information. This is done out of care, not punishment.

4.3 Reporting

Users who receive a letter may report it if they believe it violates these Content Guidelines. Reported letters are reviewed, and appropriate action is taken, which may include removing the letter and restricting the author's account.

4.4 Content Moderation Decisions

We reserve the right to remove any content and restrict or terminate any account that violates these Content Guidelines, at our sole discretion. Moderation decisions are made in good faith with the goal of maintaining a safe and supportive environment.

4.5 Minor-Specific Content Provisions

Users between the ages of 13 and 17 are subject to additional content protections. Letters delivered to minor users undergo elevated quality and safety screening thresholds, which means only higher-quality letters from the matching pool are eligible for delivery to these users. Minor users may receive a smaller pool of letters as a result of these protections. These measures are implemented to provide age-appropriate content safeguards and do not affect how letters written by minor users are treated.

5. User Conduct

You agree not to:

Use the Service for any unlawful purpose
Attempt to access another user's account or personal information
Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Service
Use automated systems (bots, scrapers) to access the Service
Interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers
Impersonate any person or entity
Use the Service to distribute malware or harmful code
Attempt to manipulate the matching algorithm
Create multiple accounts for the purpose of abuse or circumventing restrictions
Use the Service to harm, exploit, or endanger minors in any way

6. Intellectual Property

6.1 Our Property

The Echoes name, logo, design, code, algorithms, and all associated intellectual property are owned by Echoes LLC and protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works of any part of the Service without our prior written consent.

6.2 Your Content

You retain ownership of the letters you write. However, by submitting a letter to Echoes, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to:

Process, store, and transmit your letter for the purpose of operating the Service
Screen your letter for safety and content compliance
Deliver your letter (in anonymized form) to matched users
Retain your letter in our systems as described in our Privacy Policy

This license exists solely to enable the Service to function. We will never use your letters for advertising, marketing, or any purpose unrelated to the core Service without your explicit consent. This license terminates when your account is deleted and your letters are permanently removed from our systems.

6.3 Feedback

If you provide us with feedback, suggestions, or ideas about the Service, you grant us the right to use that feedback without restriction or compensation.

7. Account Termination

7.1 By You

You may delete your account at any time from the Settings screen in the app. Account deletion is permanent and irreversible. Upon deletion:

All data associated with your account — including your profile, check-in history, letters you wrote, match records, and any letters previously delivered to other users — will be permanently and irreversibly deleted from our systems.
Recipients who previously received your letters will no longer be able to view them.
Content flagged for safety review may be retained in anonymized form for up to 90 days for abuse prevention purposes.

7.2 By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account if we reasonably believe you have:

Violated these Terms or Content Guidelines
Used the Service to harm or endanger others
Created the account with false information (including a false date of birth)
Engaged in a pattern of abuse, harassment, or other harmful behavior

We will make reasonable efforts to notify you before or at the time of termination, unless doing so would compromise the safety of other users or an ongoing investigation.

8. Disclaimers

8.1 Service Provided "As Is"

Echoes is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or that defects will be corrected. We make no warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

8.2 Not a Mental Health Service

Echoes is not a mental health service, therapy platform, crisis hotline, or substitute for professional care. The Service is designed to facilitate emotional expression and anonymous human connection. It is not designed to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any mental health condition.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact:

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (United States)
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
Emergency services: Call 911 (US) or your local emergency number

While we make efforts to detect and respond to crisis indicators in letter content, our automated systems are not perfect and should not be relied upon as a safety net.

8.3 No Guarantee of Emotional Outcomes

We do not guarantee that using Echoes will improve your emotional wellbeing, that you will find the letters you receive helpful, or that the matching algorithm will produce meaningful connections. Emotional experiences are subjective, and results vary from person to person.

8.4 Third-Party Content

Letters you receive are written by other users, not by us. We screen letters for safety and content compliance, but we do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, helpfulness, or appropriateness of any letter content. You read and engage with letters at your own discretion.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Service.
We are not liable for any content created by other users, including letters you receive.
We are not liable for any emotional distress, harm, or negative outcomes resulting from your use of the Service or from content you encounter on the Service.
Our total liability to you for any claims arising from your use of the Service is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the twelve months preceding the claim, or (b) one hundred US dollars ($100).

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain warranties or liabilities. In such jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the fullest extent permitted by law.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Echoes LLC and its founders, officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from or related to:

Your use of or access to the Service
Your violation of these Terms
Your violation of any applicable law or regulation
Content you submit through the Service
Your infringement of any third party's rights
Any dispute between you and another user of the Service

11. Dispute Resolution

11.1 Informal Resolution

Before initiating any formal dispute resolution, you agree to first contact us at support@echoesapp.live and attempt to resolve the matter informally within 30 days.

11.2 Mandatory Binding Arbitration

IF THE DISPUTE IS NOT RESOLVED INFORMALLY WITHIN 30 DAYS, YOU AND ECHOES LLC AGREE THAT ANY DISPUTE, CONTROVERSY, OR CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS, THE SERVICE, OR YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ECHOES LLC SHALL BE RESOLVED EXCLUSIVELY BY BINDING INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION, rather than in court, except as provided in Section 11.5 below.

Arbitration shall be administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Consumer Arbitration Rules then in effect. The arbitration shall take place in New York County, New York, or at another mutually agreed location. The arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding and may be entered as a judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction.

If the AAA is unavailable, the parties shall agree on an alternative arbitration provider. If the parties cannot agree, a court of competent jurisdiction shall appoint an arbitrator.

11.3 Class Action Waiver

YOU AND ECHOES LLC AGREE THAT EACH PARTY MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION. Unless both you and Echoes LLC agree otherwise in writing, the arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims and may not preside over any form of class, consolidated, or representative proceeding.

11.4 Exceptions

The following disputes are exempt from the mandatory arbitration provision:

Either party may bring an individual action in small claims court for disputes within that court's jurisdiction.
Either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement, misappropriation, or violation of intellectual property rights.

11.5 Opt-Out

You may opt out of the mandatory arbitration and class action waiver provisions by sending a written notice to support@echoesapp.live within 30 days of first accepting these Terms. The notice must include your name, email address associated with your account, and a clear statement that you wish to opt out of arbitration. If you opt out, disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in New York County, New York.

11.6 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

12. General Provisions

12.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Echoes LLC regarding your use of the Service.

12.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.

12.3 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

12.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer your rights under these Terms. We may assign our rights without restriction, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

12.5 Modifications

We may modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via in-app notification or email at least 14 days before they take effect. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to the changes, you should stop using the Service and delete your account.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at:

Email: support@echoesapp.live Subject line: Terms Inquiry — [Your Topic]

These Terms of Service were last updated on April 13, 2026.