Terms of Service

1. About the App

Ahval is a personal journaling app for iPhone and iPad. It lets you write entries with text, photos, voice notes, moods, tags, and locations; organise them into journals; and revisit them through a calendar and a map. It can also schedule a daily writing reminder.

Ahval is file-based. Your entries are stored as plain Markdown files with their media in ordinary folders, either in your own iCloud Drive container or in the App’s on-device Documents folder. The folder is browsable in the Files app. We do not operate a server that stores your journal entries, and we have no ability to read, recover, or restore them.

Because the files live in your own storage, entries can also be created, edited, moved, renamed, or deleted outside the App — by you, by another device signed into your iCloud account, or by another program. The App reads whatever it finds. You are responsible for anything that happens to those files outside the App.

2. Eligibility & accounts

• This application is not intended for children. You must be old enough to form a binding contract where you live, and at least the minimum age required by the App Store rating and by your local law.
• Ahval has no user accounts and requires no sign-up, email address, or password. Access to the App and to your entries depends on your device, your Apple Account, and your iCloud settings — all of which are yours to secure.
• You are responsible for keeping your device, passcode, biometrics, and Apple Account secure. Anyone with access to your unlocked device or your iCloud Drive can read your journals.

3. Licence to use the App

Subject to these Terms, we grant you a personal, limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable licence to install and use the App on your iPhone and iPad devices that you own, as permitted by the App Store Terms of Service and Apple’s Licensed Application End User License Agreement. These Terms supplement the Apple Standard EULA; where they conflict, these Terms govern to the extent permitted by Apple’s rules.

This is a licence, not a sale. All rights not expressly granted are reserved. The licence ends automatically if you breach these Terms.

4. Your content & your files

• You own your content. Everything you write, photograph, record, or otherwise put into Ahval — your “Content” — remains yours. We claim no ownership in it and take no licence to it. We do not receive, host, moderate, or publish your Content.
• You are responsible for it. You are solely responsible for your Content and for the consequences of storing it, including whether you have the right to record or photograph other people and any legal obligations that follow (for example, consent to record audio in your jurisdiction).
• It stays portable. Entries are ordinary Markdown files and ordinary media files. You can open, copy, back up, or move them without the App, and you keep them if you stop using Ahval.
• Deleting the App does not delete your files. Files stored in your iCloud Drive container remain in iCloud until you remove them yourself. Files stored on-device are removed with the App. Removing files is your action to take, and it cannot be undone by us.

5. Backups & data loss

Syncing between your devices is performed by Apple’s iCloud Drive, not by us. Its availability, timing, conflict handling, and storage limits are governed by your agreement with Apple. Where an entry is edited on two devices at once, the resulting file state is determined by iCloud, and data loss is possible. You are responsible for maintaining independent backups of anything you cannot afford to lose.

6. Device permissions

Some features ask for system permissions. Each is optional; declining one disables only the feature that needs it, and you can change your mind at any time in iOS Settings.

7. Ahval Pro & subscriptions

The App is free to download. Ahval Pro is an optional paid subscription that unlocks additional features. At the time of writing these include photo and voice-note attachments, the full set of accent colours and journal covers, and unlimited “Moments”; the free tier includes a limited allowance of Moments and a single default accent and cover set.

7.1 Billing

• All purchases are made through Apple’s In-App Purchase system. Apple is the merchant of record. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase.
• Subscriptions renew automatically at the then-current price for the same period unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your Apple Account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period.
• You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time in your Apple Account settings (Settings → your name → Subscriptions), or from the “Manage Subscription” row inside the App. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current paid period; deleting the App does not cancel a subscription.
• Where a free trial or introductory offer is available, its terms are shown at purchase, any unused portion is forfeited if you buy a subscription during the trial, and eligibility is determined by Apple.
• Purchases are tied to the Apple Account that made them. Use “Restore Purchases” on the paywall to re-establish an entitlement on another device or after reinstalling.

7.2 When an entitlement ends

If your subscription lapses, expires, is refunded, or is revoked, Pro features stop working and the App returns to the free tier. Nothing on your iCloud folder is changed or deleted. Photos and voice notes already in your entries remain in your files exactly as they are, but are shown locked inside the App until Pro is active again. Pro accents and covers revert to the free defaults while your original choice is remembered and restored if you resubscribe.

8. Pricing & price changes

• The price that applies to you is the one shown in the App at the moment of purchase, in your App Store region and currency.
• For an auto-renewing subscription, a price increase affecting your renewal takes effect only in accordance with Apple’s rules, which may require your explicit consent or give you notice and the chance to cancel before the new price applies. If you do not accept it, your remedy is to cancel before the next renewal.
• A lower price, a promotion, or a free tier offered to anyone else, or at any other time, creates no entitlement to a refund, credit, or price match for a purchase you already made.
• We may offer a lifetime or one-time purchase option at our discretion; if we do, its scope is what is described at the time of that purchase, and it does not oblige us to continue operating, maintaining, or distributing the App (see §11).

9. Fulfillment policy

Ahval is a digital product. Nothing is shipped, and there is nothing to deliver physically.

• What you receive. The App itself is delivered by Apple through the App Store when you download it. A purchase of Ahval Pro delivers a digital entitlement that unlocks the Pro features described at the time of purchase.
• When. Fulfillment is immediate: the entitlement is granted as soon as Apple confirms the purchase, and it normally appears in the App within seconds. Unlocking may take longer, or require you to reopen the App or tap “Restore Purchases”, if your device is offline or Apple’s or our subscription provider’s systems are delayed.
• How to access it. The features unlock in place inside the App on the device signed into the purchasing Apple Account.
• Duration. A subscription entitlement lasts for the billing period purchased and for each renewal that is paid, and ends when the subscription ends.

10. Refund policy

Because Apple is the merchant of record for every purchase made in the App, all refunds are handled by Apple, under Apple’s policies. We cannot grant, process, or guarantee a refund, and we have no access to your payment method.

• Cancelling a subscription stops future charges; it does not refund charges already made.
• If Apple issues a refund or chargeback for a subscription, the corresponding Pro entitlement may be revoked immediately.
• We may, entirely at our discretion and without creating any obligation or precedent, ask Apple to consider a goodwill refund on your behalf.

11. Changes, suspension & discontinuation

• We reserve the right, at our sole discretion and without liability to you, to modify, suspend, limit, or permanently discontinue the App or any part of it — including any feature, the Pro tier, ongoing development, bug fixing, support, compatibility with future iOS versions, and distribution on the App Store — at any time, with or without notice.
• We are under no obligation to provide updates, maintenance, support, or continued availability of any feature, and no statement, roadmap, or answer to a feature request creates one.
• If we permanently discontinue the App, we will make reasonable efforts to give notice through the App, the App Store listing, or ahval.app where practicable, and, where required by law or by Apple’s rules, to stop billing recurring subscriptions.
• Because your entries are ordinary files in your own storage, they remain accessible to you without the App if it is discontinued.
• We may suspend or terminate your access if you breach these Terms, misuse the App, or attempt to circumvent paid features.

12. Required updates

The App checks the minimum supported app version. If your installed version falls below that minimum, the App may require you to update before it can be used further, and may block use until you install a newer version from the App Store. This is used to retire versions with serious defects or incompatibilities.

Updates may add, change, or remove features and may alter how data is stored. Your device’s settings control whether updates install automatically.

13. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• copy, modify, distribute, sell, rent, lease, sublicense, or create derivative works of the App;
• reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the App, or attempt to derive its source code, except to the extent this restriction is prohibited by applicable law;
• circumvent, disable, or tamper with the Ahval Pro entitlement checks, the paywall, or any other technical limitation, or use a jailbroken or modified environment to obtain paid features without paying;
• use the App in violation of any law, or to store or produce content that is unlawful for you to possess;
• use the App to record or photograph others where doing so is unlawful, or without any consent your law requires;
• interfere with, attack, or place unreasonable load on the services the App relies on;
• remove or obscure any proprietary notice in the App; or
• use the App in any high-risk setting where failure could lead to death, personal injury, or environmental or property damage.

14. Intellectual property

The App — including its source code, design, user interface, layout, illustrations, icons, writing prompts, copy, and the “Ahval” name and logo — is owned by the Developer. Nothing in these Terms transfers any of those rights to you. Your Content is excluded from this section; it is yours (see §4).

15. Feedback

If you send us a feature request, bug report, suggestion, or other feedback, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use it without restriction, attribution, or compensation. Feedback is given voluntarily, is treated as non-confidential, and creates no obligation for us to act on it. Please do not include personal journal content in a support message.

16. Third-party services

The App relies on a small number of third-party services. Your use of them is governed by their own terms and privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their acts, omissions, availability, or changes.

17. Privacy & analytics consent

How we handle data is described in the Privacy Policy. In summary: your journal entries and media stay in your own storage and are never sent to us.

Anonymous usage analytics are off by default. They are collected only after you explicitly agree to share. You can change your answer at any time under Me → Privacy → Share Usage Data. Turning it off stops collection.

18. Warranty disclaimer

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the App and all related services are provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranty or condition of any kind, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise. We expressly disclaim all warranties and conditions of merchantability, satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, quiet enjoyment, title, and non-infringement, and any warranties arising out of course of dealing or usage of trade.

Without limiting the above, we do not warrant that:

• the App will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free;
• the App is free of bugs or defects, or that any particular defect will be fixed — software of this kind contains errors, and new errors are introduced by updates and by changes in iOS;
• your entries, media, statistics, streaks, dates, locations, or search results will be accurate, complete, preserved, or recoverable;
• syncing will complete, complete promptly, or resolve conflicts the way you would have chosen;
• a reminder notification will be delivered at any particular time, or at all — notifications depend on iOS and your device settings, and the App must not be relied on as an alarm or for any time-critical or safety-critical purpose;
• the App will remain compatible with future versions of iOS or future devices; or
• the App is fit for medical, therapeutic, diagnostic, evidentiary, legal, or record-keeping purposes. Ahval is not a medical device and provides no medical or mental-health advice. If you are struggling, please contact a qualified professional or your local emergency service.

No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained from us or through the App creates any warranty not expressly stated here.

19. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall the Developer, or its officers, employees, contractors, or suppliers, be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, goodwill, business, or opportunity, or for any loss, corruption, or unauthorised disclosure of data, entries, photos, voice notes, or other content, or for the cost of substitute products or services, arising out of or relating to the App or these Terms, however caused and on any theory of liability, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability, or otherwise, and even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

20. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Developer from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and reasonable legal costs arising out of your Content, your use or misuse of the App, or your breach of these Terms or of any law or third-party right.

21. Termination

You may end this agreement at any time by ceasing to use the App and deleting it from your devices (and, separately, cancelling any subscription via Apple). We may suspend or terminate your licence immediately if you breach these Terms or if we discontinue the App under §11.

On termination, your licence ends and you must stop using the App.

22. Governing law & disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of Türkiye, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules, and the courts of İstanbul have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of or relating to them.

23. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time — for example to reflect new features, new legal requirements, or changes to our pricing model. The current version is always published at ahval.app/terms with the “Last updated” date at the top.

For material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to give notice in the App, in the App Store release notes, or on this page in advance of the change taking effect. Your continued use of the App after the changes take effect constitutes acceptance. If you do not accept the updated Terms, stop using the App, and cancel any subscription through Apple.

24. General provisions

• Entire agreement. These Terms, the Privacy Policy, and the Apple Standard EULA are the entire agreement between you and us about the App, and supersede any prior understanding.
• Severability. If any provision is held unenforceable, it is modified to the minimum extent necessary or severed, and the rest remains in force.
• No waiver. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it.
• Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these Terms. We may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, or to a successor developer of the App.

26. Contact

Questions about these Terms, the App, or a purchase:
contactahvalapp@gmail.com