Terms of Service

Who can use Kindred

Children under 13 can have an account only with a parent’s approval, given from the parent’s own Kindred account after we email them. The approving parent is responsible for their child’s use of Kindred and can delete the child’s account at any time. See the Children section of our Privacy Policy. If you are under the age of majority where you live, you confirm that a parent or guardian agrees to these terms with you.

Adults may add children to the family tree as people in the tree. Children below the minimum age may not have their own account.

Your account

• Give accurate information and keep it up to date.
• Keep your password and devices secure, and tell us if you think someone else is using your account.
• You are responsible for what happens in your account.
• If you sign in with Apple or Google, their terms also apply to that sign-in.

Your content

You own what you add to Kindred: people, photos, stories, posts, comments and messages (“your content”).

So that we can run the service, you give us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free permission to host, store, copy, display and send your content, only to operate Kindred: to show it to the members of your family tree, to deliver the messages and reminders you send, to make exports you ask for, and to keep backups. We do not use your content for advertising and we do not sell it. This permission ends when your content is deleted, except for copies in backups (removed within 60 days) and content other members have already received.

You confirm that you have the right to share your content. A family tree is about real people: add only information you are entitled to share, and respect the wishes of living relatives who ask you to change or remove information about them.

Family trees, roles and history

A family tree is shared by everyone invited to it. Each member has a role:

• Owner: created the tree and can manage everything in it.
• Admins can edit the tree and manage members.
• Collaborators can add people, photos, posts and events, and edit their own branch.
• Viewers can look, like, comment and message.

Changes to the tree are kept in an edit history, and many of them can be undone. Owners and admins may change roles or remove members. Because a tree belongs to the whole family, people you add may stay in the tree after you leave or delete your account.

Messages and notifications

Kindred lets you send one message to your family through the Kindred app, WhatsApp, email or text message. Each person chooses which of these channels they receive on, and can change that at any time. Messages sent through WhatsApp, email or SMS are also subject to those services’ terms.

Use messaging only for your family. Do not use Kindred to send advertising, spam or messages to people who did not join or agree to receive them. We send our own announcements about Kindred only to people who opt in.

Acceptable use

Kindred is a place for families. When you use it, do not:

• harass, bully, threaten or intimidate anyone, or post hateful content;
• post anything illegal, or content that sexualises or exploits children in any way;
• post sexually explicit or graphically violent content;
• share someone’s private information (such as their contact details or address) against their wishes, or content you do not have the right to share;
• pretend to be someone else, or mislead people about who you are;
• send spam, chain messages or unwanted promotions;
• try to access accounts or trees that are not yours, interfere with the service, upload malware, or collect data from Kindred by automated means;
• use Kindred to break the law or to help anyone else do so.

Reporting and blocking

If something on Kindred is harmful or breaks these terms, report it in the app using Report, or email info@kindredplace.app. You can also block a person so they can no longer contact you. We review reports and may remove content, limit features, or suspend or close accounts that break these terms. Where possible, we will tell you why. If you think we got it wrong, write to us and we will take another look.

Leaving and deleting your account

You can leave a family tree or delete your account at any time, in the app or on the web (Me → Delete account). Deleting your account removes your account, posts, comments and likes; people you added stay in the tree for your family. See how to delete your account for details.

We may suspend or close an account that seriously or repeatedly breaks these terms, or if the law requires it.

The service

Kindred is currently free for families. We keep improving it, so features may change, and we may add, change or stop features. If we ever plan to stop the service entirely, we will give reasonable notice so you can export your family tree.

Kindred relies on other services, such as Apple, Google, WhatsApp, email and SMS providers. We are not responsible for those services, and their availability may affect Kindred.

No warranty

We work hard to keep Kindred safe and available, but we provide it “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, to the extent the law allows. We do not guarantee that Kindred will always be available or error-free, that messages will always be delivered, or that information entered by family members is accurate. Please keep your own copies of photos and documents that matter to you.

Limitation of liability

To the extent the law allows, Kindred is not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, or for loss of data, content or goodwill, arising from your use of the service. Because Kindred is free, our total liability for any claim relating to the service is limited to 100 US dollars.

Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, such as for fraud, or your rights as a consumer under the law of the country where you live.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as Kindred changes. We will update the date above and, for significant changes, let you know in the app before they take effect. If you keep using Kindred after that, the new terms apply; if you do not agree, you can delete your account.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, USA, and disputes will be handled by the courts of Delaware, unless the law of the country where you live as a consumer gives you the right to bring a claim there.

Contact

Questions about these terms? Write to info@kindredplace.app.