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Terms of Service

1. Acceptance

By creating an account or using groupchat ("the Service"), you agree to these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

2. Account & Authentication

groupchat uses Google OAuth for authentication. There are no passwords and no password reset flow. If you lose access to your Google account, you lose access to your groupchat account. We cannot verify your identity or recover your account through any other mechanism.

Each Google account maps to one groupchat account. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent service limits is prohibited.

3. How the Service Works

You upload your local iMessage database (chat.db) to the Service. The Service parses the file, extracts text messages and metadata, and stores them in a hosted database for analysis.

Append-Only Semantics

Message ingestion is append-only. When you re-upload chat.db:

  • New messages are added.
  • Existing messages are not modified or overwritten.
  • Messages you have deleted in Apple Messages.app remain in the Service's database until you explicitly delete them through the Service's deletion endpoints.

4. AI Features and BYOK

Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)

The Service's AI features (insights, natural language Q&A) require an LLM provider. You can provide your own API key for Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT), or Google (Gemini), or use a locally-running Ollama instance tunneled to the Service.

Your Responsibility

When you provide your own API key:

  • You are responsible for all charges incurred with your LLM provider.
  • You are bound by the LLM provider's terms of service and acceptable use policies.
  • The Service does not store your API key in plaintext — keys are encrypted at rest. However, the key is decrypted in memory when making API calls on your behalf.
  • The Service is not liable for any costs, data exposure, or policy violations arising from your use of your own API key.

Consent

Message text is sent to an LLM provider only with your explicit, per-feature consent. You will be prompted before any message content leaves the Service.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

  1. Scrape or bulk-export data from the Service through automated means beyond the provided API endpoints.
  2. Share others' messages obtained through the Service without the consent of all parties to the conversation.
  3. Upload data you do not own — you may only upload your own chat.db from your own Apple devices.
  4. Attempt to access other users' data, bypass authentication, or exploit vulnerabilities in the Service.
  5. Use the Service for any purpose that violates applicable law.
  6. Reverse-engineer the Service's security measures, encryption, or access controls.

Violation of these terms may result in immediate account suspension or termination.

6. Data Ownership

You retain ownership of your message data. By uploading chat.db, you grant the Service a limited license to store, index, and process your data solely for the purpose of providing the Service to you. This license terminates when you delete your account.

7. Service Availability

The Service is provided on a best-effort basis. There is no Service Level Agreement (SLA). We do not guarantee uptime, availability, or response times. We may take the Service offline for maintenance, upgrades, or security patches without prior notice.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time for violation of these Terms. You may delete your account at any time.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Service is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, express or implied. We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of profits, or interruption of service.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Service's operators from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from your use of the Service, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any third party's rights.

10. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email. Continued use of the Service after notification constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles.

12. Contact

For questions about these Terms, security disclosures, or any other contact: groupchatdata@gmail.com.

We read this inbox daily and aim to respond within 72 hours. For urgent security issues, write SECURITY in the subject line.