Terms of Use (tonen)

Version: 1.1·Last updated: 18 September 2026·Governing law: England & Wales

Quick summary

  • tonen helps you prepare for and reflect on social situations. It is not medical advice or a crisis service.
  • A free plan is available. Optional Premium is $4.99/month or $49.99/year in this region. Any eligible introductory trial and the final price are shown by Apple before purchase. Subscriptions renew unless cancelled.
  • You must be 13+ to use tonen.
  • Be kind and lawful. Don’t misuse the AI or copy our content.
  • We may update these terms. We’ll tell you if changes are material.

1) About us

  • Service name: tonen (the “App”)
  • Provider / legal name: Gavin Elliott (trading as “tonen”)
  • Registered address: 41 Huntley Crescent, Blaydon on Tyne, NE21 6EX, United Kingdom
  • Company / VAT numbers: Not applicable
  • Contact (support): support@usetonen.com
  • Privacy / data protection: privacy@usetonen.com

2) What tonen does (and doesn’t)

tonen offers:

  • A library of over 180 pre-written social scripts with tone options
  • AI-assisted Perspective Helper, Reply Helper and Debrief
  • Phone Call Mode and a Calm Kit (breathing, grounding, body scan and visualisation)
  • Custom script creation

tonen does not diagnose, treat, or cure health conditions. It is not a crisis or emergency service. If you are in danger or need urgent help, call 999 (UK) or your local emergency number.

3) Who can use tonen

  • You must be 13 or older.
  • If you are under 18, use tonen with care and speak to a trusted adult if you need help.
  • By using the App, you confirm you can enter a binding agreement and will follow these Terms.

4) Your account and trial

  • You sign in with Apple Sign In. We don’t store passwords.
  • Introductory trial: where you are eligible, Apple shows the duration and subscription terms before purchase. An accepted trial converts to a paid subscription unless cancelled before it ends.
  • Apple determines eligibility for an introductory trial.

5) Subscriptions, payments, refunds

  • Price: $4.99/month (local currency may vary)
  • Billing and refunds are handled by Apple under StoreKit 2 and Apple’s refund policy
  • Manage or cancel in iOS Settings → Subscriptions
  • If you cancel, you keep access until the end of the paid period

6) What you can and can’t do

You may:

  • Use tonen for your own personal support and practice
  • Create and save custom scripts
  • Give feedback to help us improve

You may not:

  • Use tonen for illegal, harmful, abusive or discriminatory content
  • Harass others or encourage self-harm or violence
  • Copy, scrape, or republish tonen’s script library
  • Reverse engineer the App or bypass subscriptions
  • Spam or overload the AI features
  • Try to access another person’s data

We may suspend or end access if you break these rules. Serious abuse may be reported to authorities.

7) Intellectual property

The App, code, design, brand, and the pre-written scripts are © Gavin Elliott (trading as “tonen”). All rights reserved.

Your custom scripts: you keep ownership. You give us a non-exclusive licence to store and process them to provide the service. We do not share your content with other users.

8) AI and content accuracy

AI can be wrong or generic. It may not fit your situation. Always use your own judgment, and seek professional advice where needed. We are not responsible for decisions you make based on AI outputs.

9) Privacy

We take privacy seriously. See our Privacy Policy for what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights.

10) Availability and changes

  • AI features need an internet connection
  • Outages (e.g., Supabase, OpenAI, Apple) may affect the App
  • We may add, change, or remove features. For important changes to these Terms or to pricing, we’ll give you notice (usually at least 30 days for price changes)

11) Ending your access

  • You can stop using tonen at any time and cancel your subscription in iOS Settings
  • We may suspend or terminate your account if you break these Terms or if we discontinue the service
  • If we end the service, we’ll give reasonable notice and guidance on data export/deletion where available

12) Legal bits

No medical device / no crisis service

tonen is for self-help and education only.

Limitation of liability

We don’t exclude liability where the law says we can’t (for example, for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or fraud). Otherwise, to the maximum extent the law allows, we are not liable for:

  • any indirect or consequential loss
  • loss of data where you haven’t backed up your device
  • things outside our control (e.g., internet outages)
  • actions you take based on AI outputs

Our total liability to you for any claims in a 12-month period is limited to the amount you paid to us for the App in that period (if any).

Third-party services

Apple, OpenAI, and Supabase provide parts of the service. They have their own terms.

Apple-specific terms

Apple is not responsible for support or claims relating to the App. You acknowledge the Apple Media Services Terms apply and Apple may enforce these Terms against you as a third-party beneficiary.

Governing law

These Terms are under the laws of England and Wales. Courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.

13) Contact us

  • Support: support@usetonen.com
  • Privacy / Data Protection: privacy@usetonen.com
  • Postal address: 41 Huntley Crescent, Blaydon on Tyne, NE21 6EX, United Kingdom

Privacy Policy (tonen) — Plain English

Version: 1.1·Last updated: 18 September 2026·Applies to: tonen iOS app (iPhone & iPad)·Reading level: Simple, plain English (~age 12–14)

1) Who we are

  • tonen is run by Gavin Elliott (trading as “tonen”).
  • Address: 41 Huntley Crescent, Blaydon on Tyne, NE21 6EX, United Kingdom
  • Support: support@usetonen.com
  • Privacy: privacy@usetonen.com

We follow UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 (and GDPR for EEA users).

2) What tonen does

tonen helps you prepare for, handle, and reflect on social situations. It is not medical advice and not a crisis service.

3) The short version (what we do with your data)

  • We collect as little as possible.
  • We don’t sell your data and don’t use advertising trackers.
  • Your content stays private to you.
  • We store your data in the EU (via Supabase).
  • We use OpenAI to generate scripts and gentle perspectives.
  • You can delete your account and data.

4) What we collect — and why

We keep this list short and clear.

Account (Apple Sign In)

Pseudonymous Apple user ID. Optional email and name if you choose to share.

Why: to make your account and give you access. Legal reason: contract (we need this to provide the app).

Your saved content

Saved scripts, tone choices, categories and aims. Custom script prompts you write and the AI’s outputs. Perspective Helper prompts and outputs.

Why: to show your content to you and let you practise. Legal reason: contract.

Light usage counts (no message content)

Counts like scripts viewed/saved, Perspective Helper uses, Calm Kit completions.

Why: improve features, prevent abuse, show simple stats on your device. Legal reason: legitimate interests (service quality and security).

Subscription status (from Apple)

Subscription status, purchase and renewal history, transaction identifiers and a pseudonymous account identifier.

RevenueCat is our subscription reporting provider. When reporting is enabled, it receives subscription records supplied by Apple: transaction identifiers, a pseudonymous account identifier where present, product and subscription status, purchase and expiry dates, price, currency and App Store region. These records may include earlier transactions for the same subscription. We can link the account identifier to your tonen account.

We use this information to understand purchases, renewals and cancellations and investigate subscription issues. We do not send your scripts, Helper messages, name or email address to RevenueCat through this integration. Apple handles payment details. StoreKit continues to determine Premium access in the app. We do not use this reporting for advertising tracking.

RevenueCat may process subscription data outside the UK and EU. For information about its processing and safeguards, see RevenueCat’s privacy policy.

You can request deletion of subscription reporting records by contacting privacy@usetonen.com. We retain a minimal pseudonymous suppression record where necessary to prevent deleted reporting records from being recreated. Deleting your tonen account or reporting records does not cancel an Apple subscription; manage cancellation in your Apple subscription settings.

Why: to give you paid features and keep them in sync. Legal reason: contract; legal obligations handled by Apple.

Notifications (optional)

Device push token and your chosen reminder time.

Why: to send reminders if you turn them on. Legal reason: consent (you can switch off any time).

Diagnostics

Crash logs via Apple if you opted in at the system level. Device model and iOS version only.

Why: fix problems and make the app better. Legal reason: legitimate interests.

We do not collect: location, photos, microphone input, contacts, calendar, health data, or advertising IDs.

5) How AI features work

We send your sanitised text (what you type) to OpenAI to create scripts or perspectives.

We don’t send your name, email, or IDs with prompts. We run safety checks before and after to reduce harmful content.

OpenAI keeps request data for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring, then deletes it. We do not allow OpenAI to use your data to train their models.

Legal reason: contract (to provide the feature) and legitimate interests (safety).

6) Where your data is stored

Supabase (EU region) hosts our database.

Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest. Row Level Security means you only ever see your own data.

7) Sending data outside the UK/EU

Some AI and subscription reporting processing may happen outside the UK/EU (for example, in the US). When this happens, we use approved safeguards like the UK IDTA or EU SCCs to protect your data.

8) How long we keep things (retention)

  • Profile: while your account is active
  • Saved content: until you delete it or delete your account
  • Usage counts: 12 months rolling
  • AI logs (OpenAI): up to 30 days, then deleted
  • Crash logs: up to 12 months (Apple)
  • Inactive accounts: after 12 months of no login, we may notify you and then archive/anonymise
  • Deleted accounts: soft delete straight away; full delete within 30 days (except anything we must keep by law—billing sits with Apple)

9) Your choices and rights

You can:

  • See your data
  • Delete your account and data
  • Fix mistakes (e.g., your display name)
  • Export your data (planned)
  • Object to or limit some processing (like analytics)
  • Withdraw consent (e.g., notifications) any time

How to use your rights: email privacy@usetonen.com. We reply within 30 days. You can also complain to the UK regulator (ICO).

10) Security

  • TLS 1.3 for data in transit; encryption at rest; iOS Keychain for secrets
  • Short-lived access tokens and strict access rules
  • Regular checks and reviews

No system is perfect, but we work hard to keep your data safe.

11) If something goes wrong (data breach)

  • act fast to contain it
  • tell you what happened and what you can do
  • tell the ICO within 72 hours if required

12) Who we share data with (we don’t sell your data)

  • Supabase (EU) – database and auth (processor)
  • OpenAI – AI generation and moderation (processor)
  • Apple – Sign In, subscriptions, crash reporting (separate controllers)
  • Trusted service providers when needed for support or security, under contract

We may share data if the law requires it or to protect someone’s safety.

13) Cookies

We don’t use cookies in the iOS app.

14) Automated decisions

We don’t make decisions with legal or similar effects using only automation. AI outputs are suggestions; you stay in control.

15) Children and young people

  • tonen is for ages 13+
  • For under-18s we apply stricter safety checks and avoid profiling
  • No behavioural ads. No dark patterns.

16) Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. If the change is important, we will give 30 days’ notice in-app and/or by email.

17) Contact us

  • Support: support@usetonen.com
  • Privacy: privacy@usetonen.com
  • Address: 41 Huntley Crescent, Blaydon on Tyne, NE21 6EX, United Kingdom
  • UK regulator: Information Commissioner’s Office — https://ico.org.uk
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