Terms of Service

1. Scope and Acceptance

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern the use of the AliveGuard mobile application, the AliveGuard contact portal, and this website (together, the "Service"), operated by:

Gunnar Wolfgang Polte (AliveGuard)
Glasbläserhöfe 22
21035 Hamburg
Deutschland / Germany
Email: support@aliveguard.app

They apply both to registered users of the app ("Users") and to the emergency contacts a User adds, when those contacts sign in to the AliveGuard contact portal or receive notifications from the Service ("Contacts"). By creating an account, setting up a check-in schedule, or signing in to the contact portal, you agree to these Terms.

2. Description of the Service

AliveGuard is a personal safety check-in app. A User sets a recurring check-in schedule. If a check-in is missed and a grace period elapses, AliveGuard notifies the Trusted Contacts the User has added, by email and, where enabled and consented to, by SMS and/or WhatsApp.

AliveGuard is not an emergency service. It is not monitored around the clock by any person, does not itself dispatch police, medical, or fire services, and cannot guarantee that a notification reaches a Contact or that a Contact is able or willing to act on it. In a situation of immediate danger, always contact your local emergency number directly.

Delivery of notifications depends on functioning mobile and internet networks and on third-party providers (see our Privacy Policy for details). We do not control, and cannot guarantee, the availability or timeliness of these networks and providers.

3. User Accounts

Using the app requires a User account. You are responsible for providing accurate information, for keeping your check-in schedule up to date, and for the security of any credentials used to access your account.

AliveGuard is intended for personal, non-commercial use by individuals who are legally capable of entering into this agreement.

4. Trusted Contacts and the Contact Portal

A User may add Trusted Contacts to be notified in an emergency. By adding someone as a Trusted Contact, the User confirms that they are authorised to share that person's name, email address and, where provided, phone number with us for this purpose.

Every newly added Contact automatically receives an email informing them that they have been added, with a link to the AliveGuard contact portal and instructions for withdrawing their consent at any time. A Contact may sign in to the portal — passwordlessly, using only their email address — to see what they are a contact of, manage which channels reach them, and withdraw at any time.

Withdrawing as a Contact ends notifications to that person for the User in question. It does not delete the User's account or affect other Contacts.

5. Notifications by SMS, WhatsApp and Email

AliveGuard sends two kinds of notification to a Contact: an automatic alert when a User misses a check-in, and a manual alert when a User presses the in-app "I need help" button. Both are limited to this purpose — AliveGuard never sends marketing or promotional messages.

For text messages sent through this program:

• Program: AliveGuard emergency check-in alerts.
• Message frequency varies — messages are sent only when a check-in is missed or help is requested, typically no more than a few times per month.
• Message and data rates may apply.
• Reply HELP for help, or contact us at support@aliveguard.app.
• Reply STOP at any time to stop SMS notifications for that phone number — this can also be managed in the contact portal at any time, and applies immediately.
• Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

WhatsApp notifications require a separate, explicit consent from the Contact themselves, given by confirming an invitation sent to their WhatsApp number. WhatsApp delivery is additionally subject to WhatsApp's own Business Messaging Policy and Meta's Terms of Service.

For details on which providers we use to deliver these notifications and how your data is processed, see our Privacy.

6. Premium Subscription

Certain features — including SMS and WhatsApp notifications — are part of an optional, paid Premium subscription. Pricing and available plans are shown in the app and on the relevant App Store or Google Play listing.

Subscriptions are billed and managed entirely through Apple's App Store or Google Play, in accordance with their respective terms. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, through your Apple ID or Google account settings — not through AliveGuard directly. Refunds, if any, are handled by Apple or Google under their own policies; we do not process payments or refunds ourselves.

7. Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability

The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We do not warrant that it will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that every notification will be delivered or delivered without delay.

To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for damages arising from a missed, delayed, or undelivered notification; from an outage or malfunction of a mobile network or a third-party provider (see Section 5); or from a Contact's inability or unwillingness to act on a notification received.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability for intent (Vorsatz) or gross negligence (grobe Fahrlässigkeit), for injury to life, body, or health, or for any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under mandatory German law.

8. Your Obligations

• Provide accurate information, and only add real people as Trusted Contacts whom you are authorised to share the relevant details with.
• Do not use the Service to harass, spam, or contact people without a legitimate safety-related reason.
• Keep your account credentials confidential and notify us if you believe your account has been compromised.
• Comply with applicable law when using the Service.

9. Termination

You may delete your account at any time from within the app. This ends all check-in tracking and notifications and, in line with our Privacy Policy, removes your personal data within the stated retention periods.

We may suspend or terminate access to the Service for a User or Contact who violates these Terms, in particular Section 8.

10. Changes to the Service and these Terms

We may change or discontinue features of the Service, and may update these Terms to reflect such changes or changes in legal requirements. The current version is always available on this page. Where a change materially affects your rights, we will make reasonable efforts to notify Users in the app in advance.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the law of the Federal Republic of Germany, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). If you are a consumer, this choice of law does not deprive you of the protection afforded by mandatory provisions of the law of your habitual residence.

12. Contact

For any questions about these Terms, please reach out to us at: support@aliveguard.app