The short version
Use Grounded for your own digital-wellness goals as an adult. Don't try to break it, don't resell it, don't use it to spy on someone else. Subscriptions are handled by Apple. If it breaks, you can stop using it and request a refund from Apple via reportaproblem.apple.com — Apple reviews each request at their discretion. Australian Consumer Law still protects you regardless of anything we write here.
1 Who these terms are between
These Terms of Service ("Terms") form an agreement between you ("you", "your") and the sole developer of the Grounded iOS application ("we", "our", "us"). By downloading, installing, or using Grounded (the "App"), you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy.
If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, don't use the App.
2 What Grounded is (and isn't)
Grounded is a self-directed digital-wellness tool for adults. You choose which apps to block, and you earn unlock time by walking, focusing, or checking in at nature spots. Nothing in the App is medical advice, therapy, clinical treatment, or behavioural intervention. Grounded is not a parental-control product, not a workplace-monitoring product, and not a device-management product.
If you are experiencing a mental-health crisis or addiction-related harm, please contact your local health service. In Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14, Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.
3 Eligibility
You must be at least 16 years old to use Grounded. If you are between 16 and 18, a parent or legal guardian must agree to these Terms on your behalf. Grounded is rated 4+ on the App Store because it contains no objectionable content, but is designed for adult self-regulation.
4 Your licence
Apple grants you the right to use the App under its Licensed Application End User License Agreement ("EULA"). These Terms are additional to that EULA. If there's any conflict between these Terms and the EULA, the EULA governs matters Apple retains, and these Terms govern everything else.
The App is licensed, not sold. You get a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use it on any Apple device you own or control, for your own personal use, subject to the Apple App Store Terms.
5 Subscriptions and billing
Grounded is free to download. Some features are part of Grounded Premium, which is offered as an auto-renewing subscription in two tiers:
- Premium Monthly — US$4.99 per month (or local-currency equivalent). New subscribers pay an introductory price of US$1.99 for the first month, then US$4.99 per month thereafter.
- Premium Yearly — US$39.99 per year (or local-currency equivalent). New subscribers receive a 7-day free trial before the first annual charge; cancel before the trial ends and you pay nothing.
Introductory offers are one-time and governed by Apple's eligibility rules (broadly: new subscribers to the subscription group in a given territory). Ineligible users see the standard subscription price.
Your Apple Account is charged on confirmation of purchase (for paid intro periods) or at the end of the free-trial period. The subscription renews automatically at the standard price unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the current period ends. The renewal charge is taken within 24 hours of the end of the current period.
You manage or cancel at any time in your iPhone Settings › your name › Subscriptions › Grounded Premium. Cancelling stops the next renewal; the current period remains active until it expires.
We do not process payment details, do not store credit-card information, and do not have visibility into your Apple Account. Price changes are handled by Apple under App Store policy: a material price increase requires your explicit opt-in before it is charged.
6 Refunds
All purchases are processed by Apple. Refund requests must be directed to Apple via reportaproblem.apple.com. We cannot issue refunds directly.
Nothing in this section limits your rights under Australian Consumer Law or equivalent consumer-protection laws in your region (including EU/UK statutory warranties, and implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for purpose).
7 Acceptable use
You agree not to:
- Reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract source code from the App, except to the extent allowed by law;
- Use the App to block, monitor, or surveil another person's device without their informed consent;
- Attempt to bypass, tamper with, or exploit the app-blocking or earning mechanisms (for example, spoofing step data or fabricating location check-ins);
- Use the App for any illegal purpose or in violation of Apple's App Store policies;
- Resell, sublicense, or commercially redistribute the App.
We may, without notice, terminate your licence if you materially breach these Terms.
8 Your data
How Grounded handles your personal information is described in full in our Privacy Policy. The short version: the App has no account system, no backend, and no analytics. Data lives on your device.
9 Third-party services
The App integrates with the following Apple-provided frameworks: HealthKit, Family Controls / DeviceActivity, MapKit, Core Location, StoreKit 2, and UserNotifications. Each is governed by Apple. We do not exchange your data with any third party outside of Apple.
10 Disclaimers
The App is provided "as is" and "as available". To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, or accuracy. We make no promise that the App will be uninterrupted, error-free, or achieve any specific behaviour-change outcome.
Apple's DeviceActivity framework is known to have reliability limitations (Apple Feedback FB18061981 and others). Grounded includes multiple fallback mechanisms but we cannot guarantee an unbroken blocking experience in every scenario.
Nothing in this section excludes any warranty, guarantee, or condition that cannot be lawfully excluded under Australian Consumer Law or the equivalent in your jurisdiction.
11 Limitation of liability
Except to the extent such limitation is not permitted by Australian Consumer Law (or an equivalent non-excludable statutory guarantee in your region), our aggregate liability arising out of or related to the App or these Terms is limited to the total amount you paid to Apple for Grounded in the twelve (12) months before the event giving rise to the claim. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, lost data, or business interruption.
Nothing in this section limits liability that cannot be excluded by law, including for death, personal injury, fraud, or breaches of non-excludable statutory guarantees under Australian Consumer Law.
12 Apple as third-party beneficiary
You acknowledge that these Terms are between you and us only, not between you and Apple. Apple is a third-party beneficiary of these Terms and may enforce them against you. Apple has no obligation to maintain or support the App.
13 Governing law and disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Victoria, Australia, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. You and we submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria, Australia. If you are a resident of another country, you may also have rights to bring proceedings in the courts of that country.
Before starting any legal proceeding, you agree to contact us at alexiedemo1@gmail.com and try to resolve the issue in good faith.
14 Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make a material change, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where reasonable, post a notice inside the App. Continued use of the App after a change means you accept the updated Terms.
15 Contact
Anything unclear, or just want to say hi? Email alexiedemo1@gmail.com.