Terms of Use

Please read these Terms of Use ("Terms") carefully before using Ticky. These Terms are a legally binding agreement between you ("you", "your", or "User") and DarkMatter DevWorks("we", "us", "our", or the "Company"), the developer and operator of the Ticky mobile application (the "App" or "Ticky").

By downloading, accessing, or using Ticky, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated here by reference. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not download, access, or use the App.

1. About Ticky

Ticky is an AI-powered mobile application that lets you:

• Scan handwritten shopping lists and notes with your device camera and convert them into digital list items using artificial intelligence;
• Create, edit, and organise shopping lists and to-do tasks;
• Share and collaborate on lists with other users;
• Receive reminders and notifications;
• Track task time and view related statistics.

The App is available on Android and iOS and is provided as an ongoing service that we may update, enhance, or modify from time to time (collectively, the "Service").

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old (or the minimum age of digital consent in your country, if higher) to use Ticky. If you are under the age of majority in your jurisdiction, you may only use the App with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian. By using the App, you represent and warrant that you meet these requirements and that you have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.

You are responsible for complying with any laws and regulations that apply to your use of the App in your location.

3. Your Account

Certain features of Ticky require you to create an account or sign in, including through Google Sign-In or Sign in with Apple.

• You agree to provide accurate and complete information and to keep it up to date.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.
• You must notify us promptly at hs@darkmatterdevworks.com if you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account.
• We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to safeguard your account.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or that we reasonably believe are being used unlawfully or fraudulently.

4. The AI Scanning Feature — Accuracy Disclaimer

Ticky uses artificial intelligence (provided by Anthropic (Claude)) to read handwritten lists and extract text from images you submit. When you use the scan feature, the image you capture is transmitted securely to our cloud service and to our third-party AI provider for processing.

You acknowledge and agree that:

• AI-generated results are provided on a "best effort" basis and may contain errors, omissions, or misinterpretations, particularly with unclear handwriting, poor lighting, or unusual formatting.
• You are solely responsible for reviewing and verifying all extracted items before relying on them.
• Ticky is a convenience tool. It is not intended for any use where an error could cause harm, financial loss, or legal consequence, and it does not provide professional, medical, financial, or legal advice.
• You must not submit images that contain other people's personal information, confidential material, or unlawful content without proper authority to do so.

5. Subscriptions, Purchases, and Billing

5.1 Free tier and scan quota

Ticky offers a free tier that includes a limited number of AI scans per calendar month. Your free scan allowance resets at the start of each month. Free-tier usage is supported by advertising (see Section 7).

5.2 In-app purchases

Ticky offers the following optional paid products, purchased through the Google Play Store or Apple App Store:

• Remove Ads — a one-time, non-consumable purchase that removes advertising from the App.
• Unlimited Scans (Monthly) — an auto-renewing subscription that grants unlimited AI scans for the subscription period.

5.3 Auto-renewing subscriptions

• The Unlimited Scans subscription automatically renews at the end of each billing period unless you cancel it at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.
• Your account will be charged for renewal through your app store account.
• You manage and cancel subscriptions through your Google Play or Apple App Store account settings — not within the App. Deleting the App does not cancel your subscription.

5.4 Payments, prices, and refunds

• All purchases are processed by the applicable app store, and their payment terms apply in addition to these Terms.
• Prices are displayed in your local currency and may include applicable taxes. We may change prices for future billing periods, subject to advance notice where required by law.
• All refunds are handled by the app store in accordance with its policies. We generally do not process refunds directly and are not obliged to provide them except where required by law.

5.5 Restoring purchases

You may restore previously purchased products using the "Restore Purchases" function, subject to the app store's verification of your prior purchase.

6. Shared Lists and Collaboration

Ticky allows you to share lists and invite other users to collaborate.

• When you share a list, collaborators you invite may view, add, edit, or remove items on that list.
• You are responsible for choosing who you share lists with and for the content you make available to them.
• Share invitations may expire and can be revoked. You may remove collaborators or leave a shared list at any time.
• We are not responsible for the actions of other users on lists you share or join.

7. Advertising

The free version of Ticky is supported by advertising, including through Google AdMob and its mediation partners (such as Pangle). Ads may be personalised based on your consent and device settings. On iOS, we request permission through App Tracking Transparency; you can control tracking through your device settings at any time. Purchasing "Remove Ads" or an active subscription that removes ads will disable in-app advertising.

8. User Content

"User Content" means the lists, items, tasks, notes, images, and other content you create, upload, or submit through the App.

• You retain ownership of your User Content.
• You grant us a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, process, transmit, and display your User Content solely to operate and provide the Service to you (for example, to sync your data, run AI scans, and enable list sharing).
• You are solely responsible for your User Content and represent that you have all necessary rights to it and that it does not violate any law or third-party right.

9. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the App for any unlawful, harmful, fraudulent, or infringing purpose;
• Upload content that is illegal, abusive, obscene, or that infringes the rights of others;
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise derive the source code of the App, except where permitted by law;
• Interfere with, disrupt, overload, or attempt to gain unauthorised access to the App, our servers, or our third-party providers;
• Use automated means (bots, scrapers) to access the Service, or abuse the AI scanning feature to circumvent usage limits;
• Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the App or Service without our written permission.

We may suspend or terminate your access if you violate this section.

10. Third-Party Services

Ticky relies on third-party services to function, including Google Firebase (authentication, database, cloud functions, messaging, analytics, crash reporting), Anthropic (Claude) for AI processing, Google AdMob and mediation partners for advertising, and the Google Play and Apple App Store billing platforms. Your use of these features is also subject to those providers' terms and policies. We are not responsible for the availability, performance, or practices of third-party services.

11. Privacy

Your use of Ticky is subject to our Privacy Policy, which explains what data we collect and how we use it, including data processed for authentication, cloud sync, AI scanning, analytics, crash reporting, and advertising. By using the App, you consent to the data practices described in the Privacy Policy.

12. Intellectual Property

The App, including its software, design, branding, "Ticky" name, logos, and all related intellectual property (excluding your User Content), is owned by the Company or its licensors and is protected by intellectual property laws. Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, personal, non-transferable, non-exclusive, revocable licence to use the App for your own personal, non-commercial purposes. No other rights are granted.

13. Notifications

Ticky may send you push notifications and reminders (for example, task reminders). You can control or disable notifications through your device settings.

14. Availability and Changes to the Service

We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service at any time, with or without notice. We do not guarantee that the App will always be available, uninterrupted, or error-free. We are not liable for any loss resulting from the modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Service.

15. Disclaimer of Warranties

The App and Service are provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, and reliability. We do not warrant that AI scan results will be accurate or that the App will meet your requirements or operate without interruption or error.

16. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Company and its directors, employees, and suppliers will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, profits, revenue, or goodwill, arising out of or relating to your use of (or inability to use) the App — even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

To the extent liability cannot be excluded, our total aggregate liability arising out of or relating to these Terms or the App is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you paid us for the App in the twelve (12) months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) USD 5.00 (five United States Dollars).

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including under applicable consumer protection laws (such as the South African Consumer Protection Act, where it applies to you).

17. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its affiliates from any claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your use of the App, your User Content, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any law or third-party right.

18. Termination

You may stop using the App at any time and may delete your account. We may suspend or terminate your access to the App at any time if you breach these Terms or if we discontinue the Service. Upon termination, the licence granted to you ends, but sections that by their nature should survive (including Sections 8, 12, 15, 16, 17, and 19) will continue to apply.

19. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. You agree that the courts of Pretoria, South Africa will have jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the App, except where mandatory local law grants you the right to bring proceedings elsewhere.

20. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you within the App. Your continued use of the App after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the changes, you must stop using the App.

21. Apple App Store — Additional Terms (iOS users)

The following applies if you download Ticky from the Apple App Store:

• These Terms are between you and the Company only, not with Apple. Apple is not responsible for the App or its content.
• Your licence to use the App is limited to a non-transferable licence to use it on Apple-branded devices you own or control, as permitted by the App Store Terms of Service.
• Apple has no obligation to provide maintenance or support for the App.
• In the event the App fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple may refund the purchase price (if any); to the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation with respect to the App.
• Apple is not responsible for addressing any claims relating to the App, including product liability, legal or regulatory non-compliance, or consumer protection claims.
• Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and may enforce them against you.
• You represent that you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. Government embargo or designated as "terrorist-supporting", and that you are not on any U.S. Government restricted-party list.

22. General

• Entire agreement: These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the App.
• Severability: If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full effect.
• No waiver: Our failure to enforce any right or provision is not a waiver of it.
• Assignment: You may not assign these Terms. We may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

23. Contact Us

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