Terms of Service

Terms of Service, plain language

Using Cleft after the effective date means you accept these terms. If you have any questions, we’re here to answer them at hello@cleftnotes.com.

Who can use Cleft

You must be 16 or older to use Cleft. We recommend Apple’s built-in parental controls (Screen Time) to manage app availability for family accounts. See our Privacy Policy for details on children’s privacy protections.

Your account

• Keep your account secure and don’t share your login details.
• You’re responsible for activity under your account.
• Provide accurate information.

Your content is yours

You own your notes, recordings, and everything you create. Cleft and its features, trademarks, and branding belong to Cleft AI Limited.

Privacy

Our Privacy Policy is part of these terms and explains how we handle your data: on-device transcription, EU hosting, AES-256-GCM encryption, and no AI training on your content.

Payments and refunds

• Some features require a paid subscription. Since December 2024, new subscriptions are managed through the Apple App Store and auto-renew under Apple’s terms.
• Manage or cancel anytime: Cleft > Account > Manage Subscription (iOS), or Settings > Account > Manage Subscription (macOS).
• Apple handles refunds for App Store purchases through Apple’s refund support page. Legacy Stripe subscribers (pre-December 2024) can contact support@cleftnotes.com.
• EU consumers have a 14-day right of withdrawal for digital subscriptions. Contact support@cleftnotes.com within 14 days of purchase.

Communications

When you sign up, you opt in to emails about features and updates. Unsubscribe from any email. Essential service messages (security, account notifications, Terms/Privacy updates) continue until you delete your account.

The legal basics

• The service is provided “as is”, and our liability is limited as far as the law allows. Nothing here affects your statutory rights as a consumer under Irish or EU law.
• We may suspend or terminate accounts for material violations, usually with at least 14 days’ notice and a chance to export your data.
• These terms are governed by the laws of Ireland.
• We’ll notify you of material changes at least 30 days before they take effect.

Contact

General: hello@cleftnotes.com. Support: support@cleftnotes.com.

1. Acceptance of terms

By using Cleft, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you don’t agree, please don’t use our service. In these Terms, “Cleft,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Cleft AI Limited, a company registered in Ireland.

2. Eligibility

You must be 16 or older to use Cleft. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. Parents and guardians are responsible for managing their children’s device access. We recommend using Apple’s built-in parental controls (Screen Time) to manage app availability for family accounts. See our Privacy Policy for details on children’s privacy protections.

3. Account responsibilities

• Keep your account secure. Don’t share your login details.
• You’re responsible for all activity under your account.
• Provide accurate information.

4. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Violate any laws or regulations.
• Infringe on intellectual property rights.
• Harm or attempt to harm Cleft or other users.
• Use Cleft for any illegal or unauthorized purpose.

5. Intellectual property rights

Your content: you retain all rights to your notes, recordings, and other content you create.

Our service: Cleft and its original content, features, and functionality are owned by Cleft AI Limited and protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws.

6. Privacy

Your use of Cleft is governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes:

• How we collect, use, and protect your data.
• Your rights under GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, PIPEDA, and additional jurisdictions.
• Our vendors: see our vendor disclosure for the full list.
• Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) with key processors including OpenAI and Groq.
• On-device AI processing for voice transcription (your audio never leaves your device).
• EU hosting with AES-256-GCM encryption.

By using Cleft, you acknowledge and consent to the data practices described in our Privacy Policy.

7. Payments and billing

• Some features require a paid subscription.
• Since December 2024, all new subscriptions are managed through the Apple App Store and auto-renew according to Apple’s terms.
• Some legacy accounts (prior to December 2024) are billed through Stripe. Legacy Stripe subscribers can contact support@cleftnotes.com for billing enquiries.
• Prices may change with advance notice.

Managing your subscription. You can view your current plan and manage your subscription directly in Cleft: on iOS/iPadOS, open Cleft > tap your profile > Account > Manage Subscription; on macOS, open Cleft > Settings > Account tab > Manage Subscription. This opens Apple’s subscription management, where you can change or cancel your plan.

Cancellation. To cancel your App Store subscription, use Manage Subscription in Cleft (see above), or go to Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions on your Apple device, select Cleft, and tap Cancel Subscription. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You keep access to Plus features until then. Legacy Stripe subscribers (accounts prior to December 2024) can cancel by contacting support@cleftnotes.com.

Refunds, App Store purchases (all accounts since December 2024): Cleft cannot issue refunds for App Store purchases. This is an Apple policy that applies to all apps on the App Store. To request a refund from Apple, follow Apple’s refund support page: sign in with your Apple Account, find your Cleft purchase, select Report a Problem, then choose your reason and submit. Apple reviews and decides all refund requests.

Legacy Stripe subscriptions (accounts prior to December 2024): if you’re on a legacy Stripe subscription, contact support@cleftnotes.com and we’ll process your refund request directly.

After a refund: if a refund is granted (by Apple or by us for Stripe accounts), your paid subscription ends and your account reverts to the free (Basic) tier. Your notes and data remain accessible. Only premium features are affected.

EU right of withdrawal. EU consumers have a 14-day right of withdrawal for digital subscriptions under the Consumer Rights Directive. To exercise this right, contact us at support@cleftnotes.com within 14 days of purchase. Upon withdrawal, we will process your refund within 14 days and your subscription will revert to the free (Basic) tier. Your account and data remain active on the Basic tier. Withdrawal is a subscription change, not an account deletion.

8. Communications

By signing up, you opt in to receive emails about features and updates. You can unsubscribe at the end of any email, and may reach out to privacy@cleftnotes.com to request removal.

Essential service messages (security alerts, account notifications, Terms/Privacy updates) will continue until account deletion.

9. Disclaimers

The service is provided “as is” without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer under Irish or EU law.

10. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Cleft shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, regardless of the cause of action or the theory of liability. Nothing in this section limits liability for: death or personal injury caused by negligence; fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law (including Irish and EU consumer protection law).

11. Responsibility for your use

You are responsible for your use of the service in accordance with these Terms. If you deliberately misuse the service in a way that causes a third-party claim against us, we may seek contribution from you for reasonable costs directly resulting from such misuse. This does not affect your statutory rights as a consumer under EU or Irish law, and nothing in this section requires you to indemnify Cleft for our own negligence or breach.

12. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your account for material violations of these Terms. Material violations include: illegal use of the service; harassment of other users; repeated violations after written warning. Except in cases of illegal activity, we will provide at least 14 days’ notice before termination and give you the opportunity to export your data. You may cancel your subscription at any time (see Section 7). Upon termination:

• Your data will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
• You may request data export before account deletion.
• Deleted data is permanently removed immediately upon request.

13. Data processing & processor relationships

Cleft acts as the Data Controller for your personal data. Our service providers act as Data Processors under written Data Processing Agreements (DPAs). Key processor relationships:

• AWS: cloud hosting and storage (EU, Ireland).
• OpenAI: text summarization (DPA effective Feb 3, 2026; no training on your data).
• Groq: backup LLM provider (DPA effective Oct 15, 2025; no training on your data).
• RevenueCat: subscription management.
• TelemetryDeck: privacy-focused analytics (Germany).

When you use AI-powered features (summarisation, formatting), your note text, not your audio recordings, is sent to our AI providers for processing. Neither OpenAI nor Groq trains on your data, as specified in our DPAs. All processors are contractually required to protect your data and use it only for the purposes we specify. For the full vendor list and DPA details, see our Privacy Policy and vendor disclosure.

14. Governing law & dispute resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of Ireland.

Informal resolution: before bringing a formal claim, we encourage you to contact us at hello@cleftnotes.com so we can try to resolve your concern directly.

Jurisdiction: any disputes shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the Irish courts. If you are an EU consumer, you also retain any mandatory consumer protections afforded by the laws of your country of residence, and you may bring claims in the courts of your home country.

EU online dispute resolution: the European Commission now points consumers to its consumer-redress information page at consumer-redress.ec.europa.eu.

15. Changes to terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We’ll notify users of material changes via email or in-app notification at least 30 days before changes take effect. Continued use of Cleft after changes constitutes acceptance. If you disagree, you may delete your account. (See the change history at the foot of this page for the version timeline.)

16. App Store terms

This agreement is between you and Cleft AI Limited only, not Apple Inc. Apple has no obligation to furnish maintenance or support services for Cleft. Apple is not responsible for any product warranties, whether express or implied by law, to the extent not effectively disclaimed. Apple is not responsible for addressing any claims relating to Cleft or your use of Cleft, including but not limited to product liability claims, any claim that Cleft fails to conform to applicable legal or regulatory requirements, and claims arising under consumer protection or similar legislation. Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and, upon your acceptance, may enforce them against you.

17. Content & account appeals

If your content is removed or your account is suspended, you may appeal by emailing support@cleftnotes.com within 30 days of the decision. We will acknowledge your appeal within 5 business days and provide a final response within 14 business days. If you disagree with the outcome, you may use the dispute resolution process in Section 14.

18. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

19. Force majeure

Cleft shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations where such failure or delay results from circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, pandemics, government actions, power failures, internet outages, or third-party service disruptions.

20. Entire agreement

These Terms, along with our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and Accessibility Statement, constitute the entire agreement between you and Cleft AI Limited.

21. Contact information

General: hello@cleftnotes.com. Support: support@cleftnotes.com. Privacy: privacy@cleftnotes.com.

Data Protection Officer: Jonathan Cosgrove, dpo@cleftnotes.com. Responsibilities: GDPR/CCPA compliance, data subject requests, security incidents.

Company information: Cleft AI Limited, 3 Ard na Greine, Eaton Brae, Dublin D14 YN25, Ireland. Website: cleftnotes.com. Related: Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Accessibility Statement, vendor disclosure.

Related documents

• Privacy Policy: how we handle your data.
• Vendor transparency: who we work with.
• Trust overview: our security approach.