MATE App - Terms and Conditions

Table of Contents

1. Welcome to MATE
2. What Is MATE?
3. User Eligibility & Age Requirements
4. Subscription Plans & Payment Terms
5. Data Processing & Privacy Compliance
6. AI Infrastructure & Service Architecture
7. Intellectual Property & Content Ownership
8. Disclaimer & Limitation of Liability
9. Termination & Account Deletion
10. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
11. Changes to These Terms
12. Severability & Entire Agreement
13. Contact Information

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1. Welcome to MATE

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of the MATE mobile app for iOS, iPadOS, and Android devices, the web app as well as desktop application (the "App"), developed by Swisswise GmbH (collectively, "we," "us," or "our"). By downloading, installing, or using the App, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use this App.

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2. What Is MATE?

MATE is a privacy-first AI solution that offers:

• Local On-device Processing (offline mode): Run open-source based language models directly on your iOS or macOS device using Apple's MLX runtime or Android device using Google AI Edge LiteRT-LM runtime
• Swiss-Hosted MATE Cloud Backend: Connect to our secure backend infrastructure hosted entirely within Switzerland for advanced features when needed
• Private Web Search: A web search operated by MATE where no search request can be linked to your identity
• Subscription Management: Free and paid tier with monthly limits; premium tiers offer unlimited access

Our Core Promise: MATE is a truly private AI. User authentication and user content are completely separated. We have no technical ability to link your identity to your prompts or behavior — this is a deliberate design choice for maximum privacy protection.

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3. User Eligibility & Age Requirements

3.1 Minimum Age

You must be at least 16 years old to use MATE, in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). By using the App, you confirm that you meet this requirement.

3.2 Account Information

When creating an account via sign-in with Apple, Google or with email/password:

• Provide accurate information for billing and subscription management purposes only
• Maintain confidentiality of your credentials
• Notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorized access to your account

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4. Subscription Plans & Payment Terms

4.1 Available Tiers

4.2 iOS/macOS app Payment Requirements (Apple In-App Purchase)

All paid subscriptions within the MATE iOS app must be processed through Apple's In-App Purchase system, in compliance with App Store Review Guidelines Section 3.1.1:

What This Means:

• Subscriptions are billed monthly via your Apple ID account
• Subscription management, cancellation, and billing information is handled exclusively through your device settings: Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions
• We do NOT process payments directly within the iOS app or accept external payment methods (including Stripe) for digital subscriptions in the App Store ecosystem
• Refund requests must be submitted to Apple Support per Apple's refund policy

4.3 Google Play Store Payment Requirements (Google In-App Purchase)

All paid subscriptions within the MATE Android app must be processed through Google Play Billing.

What This Means:

• Subscriptions are billed monthly via your Google Play Store account
• Subscription management, cancellation, and billing information is handled exclusively via Google Play Store app: Profile Icon > Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions
• We do NOT process payments directly within the Android app or accept external payment methods (including Stripe) for digital subscriptions in the Google Play Store ecosystem
• Refund requests must be submitted to Google Support per Google's refund policy

4.4 Web-Based Subscription Management (Browser Only)

Users who sign up via email/password through our website or web browser may optionally use Stripe as a payment processor:

Important: Stripe is ONLY permitted when accessing MATE through a web browser, NOT within the iOS or android application. This complies with Apple's and Google's policy that external payments are only allowed for content/services delivered outside the App or Play Store ecosystem.

4.5 Automatic Renewal & Cancellation

• All paid subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current billing period ends
• You may cancel your subscription at any time through:
  • iOS/macOS device settings (Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions)
  • Android device settings Profile Icon > Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions
  • Website account dashboard (for web-based Stripe subscribers)
• Upon cancellation, you retain access until the end of the current billing cycle
• Premium features are disabled immediately after the billing period expires

4.6 Price Changes

We reserve the right to modify pricing for future subscription periods with 30 days' advance notice via:

• In-app notification
• Email (if contact information is available)
• Updated terms page on our website

Continued use after price changes constitutes acceptance of new terms.

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5. Data Processing & Privacy Compliance

5.1 What We Collect — And What We Don't

By Design, MATE Separates Identity from Content:

What We Do NOT Collect:

• We do not collect, store or analyze your chats or search queries in any form
• Your AI prompts and search queries are processed entirely separately from user authentication data
• Payment card details (Apple/Google/Stripe process this independently; we never see them)
• We do not collect data used for advertising, tracking across apps, or selling to data brokers
• We do not track individual user behavior — we only track platform-level metrics, not individual usage patterns

Our Anonymity Guarantee: Because authentication and content systems are architecturally separated, we have no technical ability to identify which user generated which prompts. This is intentional by design for maximum privacy protection.

5.2 Legal Basis for Processing (Swiss FADP / GDPR)

We process your personal data based on:

5.3 User Data Rights (GDPR / FADP)

If you are located in Switzerland or the European Economic Area, you have the following rights:

• Right to Access: Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you
• Right to Correction: Update inaccurate information via app settings
• Right to Deletion ("Right to be Forgotten"): Delete your account and associated authentication data (see Section 9)
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in machine-readable format
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interest grounds
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Revoke previously granted consent at any time

To exercise these rights, contact us at swissmate.ai/contact or via the app settings menu. We will respond within 30 days.

5.4 Data Retention & Deletion

Upon account deletion request, all authentication data is removed within 30 days. Anonymized platform-level statistics may be retained indefinitely. Important: Because authentication and content systems are architecturally separate, deleting your account does NOT erase content stored on your device. Deleting the app will delete your content on device.

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6. AI Infrastructure & Service Architecture

6.1 Our Self-Hosted Model

Unlike many competitors that rely on third-party AI providers, MATE runs AI processing on fully self-managed infrastructure:

Technical Implementation:

• Backend Processing: All MATE Cloud text generation and image computation runs in our own Swiss datacenters with dedicated GPU resources
• Search Infrastructure: Private web search operated by MATE; search requests carry no account or identity data
• Local Inference: On-device LLMs for offline mode with downloaded, curated open-source models

This Architecture Ensures:

• Our services are provided from Swiss jurisdiction for MATE Cloud inference processing
• No third-party AI API calls
• Full control over how our models operate and process information
• Open-source model licenses govern all AI-generated outputs

6.2 Prohibited Uses

You must NOT use the MATE app for:

• Generating illegal, harmful, or unethical content
• Hate speech, harassment, discrimination, or violence promotion
• Copyright infringement, plagiarism, or intellectual property violations
• Misrepresenting AI-generated content as human-created work (especially in professional contexts)
• Attempting to extract model internals, reverse-engineer our systems, or bypass safety measures
• Using the app for spam, fraud, automated abuse, or unauthorized data scraping

Violations may result in immediate account termination without refund.

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7. Intellectual Property & Content Ownership

7.1 User Inputs

You retain full ownership of your original prompts and inputs submitted through MATE. We do not claim ownership over user-generated content.

7.2 AI-Generated Outputs

AI-generated outputs are owned by the User who created them, subject to applicable open-source model licenses (e.g., Apache 2.0, MIT, or specific model license terms). You may use AI-generated outputs for personal and commercial purposes within the scope of these Terms and applicable law.

7.3 App Intellectual Property

All trademarks, source code, design elements, UI/UX features, and proprietary technology within MATE remain the exclusive property of Swisswise GmbH. Unauthorized copying, modification, reverse engineering, or distribution is strictly prohibited.

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8. Disclaimer & Limitation of Liability

8.1 Service Availability

We strive to ensure continuous app functionality but do not guarantee uninterrupted service. The App may be temporarily unavailable for:

• Scheduled maintenance and updates
• Unforeseen technical issues
• Infrastructure upgrades as needed

We will provide advance notice where possible for planned downtime exceeding 4 hours.

8.2 Accuracy Disclaimers

AI-generated content is provided "as-is" without warranty of:

• Accuracy, completeness, or fitness for purpose
• Suitability for professional, legal, medical, or financial advice
• Freedom from errors or omissions

Users should verify critical information independently before relying on outputs, especially in high-stakes contexts. MATE does not provide professional advice and users assume all risks associated with AI-generated content use.

8.3 Liability Limitation

To the maximum extent permitted by Swiss law:

• Our total liability shall not exceed CHF 100 or fees paid in the last six months, whichever is less
• We are NOT liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from App use
• This includes (without limitation) loss of profits, data, business opportunities, or goodwill

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9. Termination & Account Deletion

9.1 By User

You may terminate your account at any time by:

• Opening the app → Settings → Delete Account button (in-app initiation per Apple Guideline 5.1.1(v))
• Using our website contact form (swissmate.ai/contact)

All personal authentication data will be deleted within 30 days in accordance with Section 5.4. Active subscriptions must be canceled first to avoid billing disputes. User content stored on the device can only be deleted by the user. This can be achieved by deleting the app.

9.2 By Service Provider

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts for:

• Violation of these Terms or Prohibited Uses (Section 6)
• Fraudulent, abusive, or unauthorized activity
• Non-payment of subscription fees
• Legal compliance requirements or court orders

If we terminate your account, you will be notified where possible.

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10. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

These Terms and any disputes arising from them shall be governed by the laws of Switzerland, without regard to conflict of law principles. Users agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Bern, Switzerland, unless local consumer protection law requires otherwise.

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11. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms periodically to reflect changes in law, technology, or business practices. We will notify you of significant changes via:

• In-app notification (push notification within the App)
• Email (if contact information is available)
• Updated terms page on our website at swissmate.ai/gtc

Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of new Terms. Material changes take effect 30 days after posting.

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12. Severability & Entire Agreement

12.1 Severability

If any provision is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. Invalid clauses will be replaced with valid language that reflects our original intent as closely as possible while maintaining compliance with applicable law.

12.2 Entire Agreement

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Swisswise GmbH regarding MATE and supersede all prior agreements, representations, or understandings (written or oral).

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13. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms, to exercise data rights, or for general inquiries:

For GDPR-specific concerns, contact our Data Protection Officer using the website contact form.

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By using MATE, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms and the accompanying Privacy Policy.