Terms & Conditions

1. Eligibility

Pawfile is rated for users aged 9 and above on the Apple App Store. Users under 18 must have permission from a parent or legal guardian to create an account or use the app.

While Pawfile is designed for all ages, we genuinely believe that children and teenagers benefit most from real-world interactions with people and animals. We encourage younger users to prioritise physical experiences — playing with their pets, spending time with family and friends, and exploring nature. Embracing the digital world more gradually as you grow tends to support better long-term wellbeing.

2. User Accounts

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account and for all activities that occur under it. You agree to provide accurate information and to update it as necessary. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms.

3. Community Conduct

Pawfile is a global community for pet lovers. You agree NOT to:

• Post content that is abusive, harassing, hateful, obscene, or discriminatory.
• Share content depicting animal abuse, cruelty, or illegal activity.
• Spam, scam, or mislead other users.
• Impersonate any person or entity.
• Post false or misleading pet adoption listings.
• Artificially manipulate the Paws discovery feed or any gamification feature through automated or deceptive means.

Violations may result in content removal, account suspension, or permanent termination without notice.

4. Content Ownership & License

You retain ownership of all content you upload, including pet photos, diary entries, posts, and event information. By submitting content to Pawfile, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to display, store, and distribute that content solely for the purpose of operating the app and its features. We will never sell your content to third parties.

You confirm that you own or have the necessary rights to all content you submit, and that it does not infringe any third-party intellectual property rights.

User-generated content — including social posts, adoption listings, event descriptions, and location entries — may contain links to external websites provided by other users. Pawfile does not review, endorse, or guarantee the safety or accuracy of any external URLs. Access external links at your own discretion and risk.

5. Pet Profiles & Medical Records

Pawfile allows you to create detailed pet profiles including health records, vaccinations, medications, diary entries, and memories. This information is stored for your personal reference and the users you choose to grant access to. You may invite specific Pawfile users to connect with your pet's profile and assign them a caretaker role with defined permissions — see Section 10 for details.

Important: Pawfile does not provide veterinary advice. Any health-related information stored in the app is user-provided and should not substitute for professional veterinary consultation.

6. Pet Adoption

Pawfile facilitates connections between pet owners and prospective adopters. We are a platform only — we do not participate in, guarantee, or take responsibility for any adoption arrangement.

Adoption listings may be marked as Available, On Trial (currently in a trial period with a prospective adopter), or Adopted. These statuses are self-reported by pet owners and are not verified by Pawfile.

• We do not conduct background checks on users.
• We do not handle financial transactions between users.
• We are not responsible for the health, temperament, or history of any pet listed.

Always exercise due caution: verify information independently, meet in public places, and consult a veterinarian before adopting. Adoption listings may include links to external websites provided by the listing user. Pawfile cannot verify the safety or content of these external links.

7. Paws Feed

The Paws feed is a public discovery feature that displays pet profiles to all users of the app. By creating a pet profile, you agree that your pet's name, photos, species, and public information may appear in the Paws feed. Pet profiles are ranked by recent activity — pets whose owners post diary entries are shown higher in the feed.

Users can interact with pets in the Paws feed via the petting button (pet moments). This interaction is visible as a count on the pet's card. You agree not to use automated tools to inflate pet moment counts.

8. Maps & User-Added Locations

Users may add pet-friendly locations to the map. Pawfile does not verify the accuracy, safety, or current status of any user-submitted location. We are not liable for any incident, injury, or loss arising from visiting a location discovered through the app. Location entries may also include links to external websites — Pawfile cannot verify the content or safety of these URLs.

While Apple devices use Apple Maps, the core Maps feature is powered by Google Maps and Google Places, which may be restricted or unavailable in certain regions including but not limited to: China, North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Syria, and Crimea. Pawfile is not responsible for unavailability of map features due to regional restrictions on third-party services.

9. Events

Events listed on Pawfile are created by users. We do not organize, endorse, or take responsibility for user-created events. Attendance at any event is at your own risk. Always verify event details directly with the organizer. Event listings may also include links to external websites — Pawfile cannot verify the content or safety of these URLs.

10. Pet Profile Sharing & Caretaker Roles

You can invite other Pawfile users to connect with your pet's profile by sharing your app-assigned User ID. The invited user sends a connection request, which you must approve before they gain any access. You may revoke any user's access at any time from the pet's profile settings.

When adding a connected user, you assign them a role that determines their permissions:

• Co-owner — Full access to view and edit the pet profile
• Veterinarian — Can view profile and add or edit medical records
• Groomer — Can view profile and add grooming notes
• Trainer — Can view profile and add training logs
• Caretaker — Can view profile and log care activities
• Adopter — Read-only access to support the adoption process

You are responsible for managing the roles you assign and for controlling who has access to your pet's information.

11. Allergens

The Allergens section contains general information about substances that may be harmful to pets. This information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional veterinary care. Please let us know if any of the contents is incorrect. If your pet is in distress, please contact a licensed veterinarian immediately.

12. World Tour & Gamification

Pawfile includes a World Tour feature that lets your pet “travel” to locations around the world as a fun, gamified experience. Travel actions take time to complete and are subject to cooldown periods. Virtual travel has no real-world effect and does not represent your pet's actual physical location.

Gamification features including World Tour, pet moments, and any future rewards or badges have no monetary value and cannot be exchanged for cash. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any gamification feature at any time without notice.

13. Third-Party Services

Pawfile integrates third-party services including Clerk (authentication), Convex (data storage), Cloudflare R2 (media storage), Google Maps/Places, and PostHog (anonymous usage analytics). Your use of these services is also subject to their respective terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for the practices of these third parties.

14. Disclaimer of Warranties

Pawfile is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We do not guarantee that the app will be error-free, uninterrupted, or free from harmful components. We do not warrant the accuracy or completeness of any user-generated content.

Photos, videos, and other media files you upload are stored on Cloudflare R2, a third-party cloud storage service. While we take reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee against data loss caused by failures of third-party infrastructure. We recommend keeping your own backup copies of any media that is important to you.

15. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Pawfile and its developers shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of data, profits, or goodwill, arising from your use of or inability to use the app.

16. Account Deletion

You may delete your account at any time from Settings. Upon deletion, all your personal data, pet profiles, posts, and associated content will be permanently removed from our systems. This action is irreversible.

17. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes through the app. Continued use of Pawfile after changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

18. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, please use the in-app feedback form or visit our Support page.