Sofouw Terms of Use

Effective date: [EFFECTIVE DATE]

1. About these terms

These Terms of Use ("Terms") are an agreement between you and [COMPANY LEGAL NAME] ("Sofouw", "we", "us", "our"), a company incorporated in [COUNTRY OF INCORPORATION] with registration number [COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER], whose registered address is [REGISTERED ADDRESS].

They apply to your use of the Sofouw mobile app and our related web pages, including the wali page and the account deletion page. By creating an account or using Sofouw, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use Sofouw.

These Terms include our Community Guidelines and Child Safety Standards, which you must also follow. Our Privacy Policy explains how we use your personal data.

2. What Sofouw is — and what it is not

Sofouw is a matchmaking service for Muslims who are looking for marriage. We help you build a profile, introduce you to potential spouses through Khala, our AI matchmaker, and let you talk to people you match with. Sofouw matches men with women only. Sofouw is available in English and Arabic.

Sofouw is not:

• a casual dating service;
• an identity, background or criminal record checking service;
• a provider of religious rulings (fatwa), or of legal, financial, medical, visa or immigration advice;
• an officiant, registrar or organiser of marriages or nikah ceremonies;
• a service that obtains marriage permits, approvals or documents from any government.

We cannot promise that you will find a spouse, or that anyone you meet through Sofouw is who they say they are.

3. Who can use Sofouw

To use Sofouw, you must:

• be at least 18 years old, or the age of legal majority in your country if that is higher [CONFIRM WITH LOCAL COUNSEL];
• be genuinely looking for marriage;
• be honest about your marital status, your marital history, whether you have children and your nationality [POLICY ON USERS WHO ARE CURRENTLY MARRIED — confirm];
• be legally able to enter into this agreement;
• not have been convicted of, or be subject to a court order relating to, a sexual offence or an offence involving violence, and not be required to register as a sex offender;
• not have been banned from Sofouw before;
• live in a country where Sofouw is available: [AVAILABLE COUNTRIES — the 22 member states of the Arab League and the United Kingdom; confirm, including sanctions restrictions and our service providers' supported regions].

You may only have one account, and it must be for you personally. We may ask you to confirm your age or identity, and we may suspend your account until you do.

Local law. You are responsible for following the laws of the country where you live, including any rules about marriage. For example, some countries require their citizens to obtain government permission before marrying a foreign national [CONFIRM WITH LOCAL COUNSEL]. Sofouw does not check or arrange these permissions for you.

4. Your account

You sign in with your phone number (using a code sent by SMS) or your Google account, using Google's Firebase Authentication. Phone numbers are used in international format. You are responsible for keeping your phone and sign-in details secure and for everything that happens on your account. If you think someone else has accessed your account, tell us straight away at [SUPPORT EMAIL]. You may not sell, transfer or share your account.

You must keep your profile information accurate and up to date.

5. Using Sofouw

Your profile. Khala builds your profile with you in a conversation. Your profile shows your first name, age (not your date of birth), nationality, country and town or city, and the details you choose to share. Photos must be recent and of you alone, with your face clearly visible. Modest coverings such as hijab and niqab are welcome.

Introductions, likes and matches. In Marriage, you can browse everyone who fits what you are looking for, based on your answers and preferences, including age, distance (in kilometres), nationality (any, the same as yours, or the nationalities you choose) and whether you are "Open to other countries". With Sofouw Premium, Khala also introduces you to three potential matches every morning (section 12). You decide who to like and who to pass. You can like up to 10 people a day, or up to 50 with Premium. Passing is never limited, and liking someone Khala has introduced to you does not count towards the limit. Your likes are counted from midnight where you live. You can chat with people you match with, whether or not you have Premium.

Location. You choose your country and town or city from a list. We do not use GPS.

Photos. Your photos are blurred for others until you match, unless you choose another visibility level (after match, people I like, or everyone). If you have a wali with photo approval turned on, your clear photo is only revealed once your wali approves.

Pausing and finding someone. You can pause your profile, which hides you from new introductions. If you choose "I found someone, alhamdulillah", your profile is closed to new introductions.

Hide me from my contacts. This optional feature helps avoid showing you to people in your phone's contacts, and them to you. It can only work with the phone numbers saved in your contacts, so we cannot guarantee that no one you know will see your profile.

6. Khala, our AI matchmaker

Khala is an AI persona powered by the Claude API from Anthropic, PBC. Khala is not a person, a scholar or an adviser. Khala's interview, which builds your profile, is free. After it, Khala's introductions, chatting with Khala and Khala's view of the people you are looking at are part of Sofouw Premium (section 12).

Please keep in mind that:

• AI can be wrong. Introductions, summaries, suggestions and answers from Khala are generated automatically. They may be inaccurate, incomplete or out of date, and they rely on what users have told Khala.
• Khala does not decide for you. Khala never makes decisions with legal effect. You decide who to like, who to talk to and whether to marry. Khala's suggestions are not a guarantee of anyone's character, compatibility or suitability.
• Do your own checks. Take your time, involve your family or wali, and seek proper advice from a qualified person (for example an imam, a scholar or a lawyer) before making important decisions.
• Use Khala properly. You must not use Khala to try to obtain other users' personal information, produce harmful or unlawful content, or get around our safety measures.

Khala's icebreakers and suggested openers are written from profile information only, not from your chats. You can turn off Khala's icebreakers, and you can view and delete the facts Khala remembers about you under "What Khala knows about you". Our Privacy Policy explains what information is sent to Anthropic.

7. The wali feature

You can invite one wali (for example your father, brother, uncle or imam) to support you. If you do:

• You choose the wali and their access level — full chats, a weekly AI-written summary, or just who you are talking to and when you matched — and whether they approve photo reveals or can ask Khala about your matches' profiles. Khala's weekly summary, and your wali's questions to Khala, are part of Sofouw Premium.
• The app prepares a text message with a private link, which you send from your own phone. Your mobile operator's normal charges may apply. Your wali opens the link and enters the last four digits of their phone number.
• You must have your wali's agreement before sharing their phone number with us. Your wali must be an adult.
• You are responsible for choosing someone you trust and for keeping the link private.
• Both you and your matches will be shown that a wali is present and what their access level is.
• You can change or remove your wali at any time.

Sofouw's wali feature is there to support adults who choose to involve their family. No one may use it to monitor or control someone against their wishes. If anyone is pressuring you to marry, contact us at [SAFETY EMAIL], the police in your country, or, in the UK, the Forced Marriage Unit (020 7008 0151, or +44 20 7008 0151 from abroad). In an emergency, call your local emergency number (section 10).

If you are a wali: by using the wali page, you agree to use it only to support the person who invited you, to keep everything you see confidential, not to copy, screenshot or share anyone's messages, photos or profile, and to follow our Community Guidelines. We may remove a wali's access if it is misused.

8. Your content

"Your content" means anything you add to Sofouw, including your profile, photos, answers to Khala and messages. You keep ownership of your content.

You give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, copy, process (including making blurred versions of photos and processing with our service providers, such as Anthropic) and display your content in line with your settings, for the purpose of operating, providing, improving and keeping Sofouw safe. This licence ends when your content is deleted, except that:

• if your content has been reported, we keep a copy in a moderation evidence snapshot for [RETENTION PERIOD, e.g. 12 months] after the report is resolved, or longer where needed for safety or legal reasons, as set out in our Privacy Policy;
• copies may remain in backups for a limited time.

When an account is deleted, its matches and conversations are deleted for both people. This means that if the person you are talking to deletes their account, your conversation with them will disappear too.

You promise that you have the right to share your content, that photos are of you, and that your content follows these Terms, our Community Guidelines and the law. We may remove any content that does not.

9. Rules of conduct

You must follow our Community Guidelines. In particular, you must not:

• use Sofouw if you are under 18, or share any content involving the sexual abuse or exploitation of children;
• post or send sexual or explicit content, or make sexual requests;
• harass, threaten, bully, stalk, blackmail or abuse anyone, or use hateful language, including insults based on nationality, tribe, race, sect or background;
• ask for or offer money, gifts, transfers or financial help, negotiate mahr (dowry) or other financial arrangements through chat, or promote investments, cryptocurrency or any business;
• ask for help with visas, sponsorship or residency;
• share other people's photos, messages or personal details without their permission;
• lie about your identity, age, nationality, marital status or intentions, or impersonate anyone;
• use Sofouw to arrange or encourage a forced marriage or the marriage of anyone under 18 — even where local law would allow it. Forced marriage and child marriage are criminal offences in the UK and in many other countries;
• use bots, scrapers or automated tools, copy or reverse-engineer the app, or interfere with its security;
• use Sofouw for anything unlawful in the country where you live or in the country of the person you are talking to.

10. Safety

We work hard to keep Sofouw safe, but we do not carry out criminal record or background checks on users, and we cannot verify everything people tell us [confirm]. You are responsible for your own interactions with other users, both online and offline. Please involve your family or wali, meet in public places, and never send money to someone you have met online.

You can report, block or unmatch anyone. Our moderators review reports and may read the reported conversation. In the UK, we take steps to protect users from illegal and harmful content in line with our duties under the Online Safety Act 2023, and we comply with the online safety and cybercrime laws of the other countries where Sofouw is available [CONFIRM WITH LOCAL COUNSEL].

If you or anyone else is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number. For example:

11. Moderation and enforcement

If you break these Terms or our Community Guidelines, or if we reasonably believe it is necessary to protect users or comply with the law, we may:

• remove content;
• give you a warning;
• limit your access to certain features;
• suspend your account temporarily;
• ban your account permanently;
• report the matter to the police or other competent authorities.

We will normally explain why we have taken action, unless doing so would put someone at risk or break the law. For serious breaches, we may act immediately without warning. If you have been banned, you must not create a new account.

If you disagree with a decision we have made, or want to complain about content or our handling of a report, contact [SUPPORT EMAIL] within [APPEAL WINDOW, e.g. 30 days — confirm]. A member of our team will review your appeal or complaint and tell you the outcome.

12. Sofouw Premium and fees

Sofouw is free to use. Without paying, you can complete your interview with Khala, browse everyone who fits you in Marriage, like up to 10 people a day, and chat with your matches.

Sofouw Premium is an optional paid subscription. At the moment it includes Khala's three introductions every morning, chatting with Khala, Khala's view of the people you are looking at, up to 50 likes a day, and the wali features that use Khala (her weekly summary and your wali's questions to her). We may change what Premium includes. If we remove something important from it, we will tell you in advance [CONFIRM WITH LOCAL COUNSEL: whether removing features entitles subscribers to cancel or to a partial refund].

• Buying. Premium is sold through Google Play [add the Apple App Store before the iOS app is released]. Google Play takes the payment as the seller, and its terms of service also apply. Before you confirm, you are shown the price, how often you will be charged and any free trial or introductory offer, in your local currency where Google Play offers it, including any taxes Google Play charges.
• Automatic renewal. Your subscription renews automatically at the end of each billing period, and Google Play charges the payment method you chose, until you cancel. If the price changes, Google Play will tell you in advance and, where its rules or the law require, ask you to accept the new price. If you do not accept it, your subscription ends at the end of the period you have paid for.
• Free trials and offers. If you start a free trial or a discounted introductory offer, you will be charged the full price when it ends unless you cancel before then.
• Cancelling. You can cancel at any time in Google Play (Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions), or from the app (Me → Premium → Manage in Google Play). You keep Premium until the end of the period you have already paid for. Deleting your Sofouw account, or deleting the app, does not cancel your subscription, so please cancel it in Google Play first.
• Refunds. Payments are made to Google Play, so refund requests are handled under Google Play's refund policy. This does not affect any right you have under the consumer law of the country where you live to cancel and get a refund [CONFIRM WITH LOCAL COUNSEL: for example, the UK cancellation right for digital services and how it applies once Premium has started]. If something has gone wrong, contact us at [SUPPORT EMAIL] and we will help.
• Your account. A subscription belongs to the Sofouw account it was bought with. It cannot be moved to another Sofouw account, including a new account you create after deleting your old one.
• If we suspend or close your account because you have broken these Terms, you will lose access to Premium for that time [CONFIRM WITH LOCAL COUNSEL: whether any refund is owed].

We do not receive or store your card or other payment details. Google Play tells us about your subscription, as explained in our Privacy Policy.

13. Our intellectual property

Sofouw, the Sofouw name and logo, the Khala persona, and the app and its content (other than your content) belong to us or our licensors. We give you a personal, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the app for your own non-commercial purposes in line with these Terms. You must not copy, modify, distribute or sell any part of Sofouw.

14. Other services

Sofouw relies on services provided by others, such as Google Play (including Google Play's billing for Sofouw Premium), Google sign-in and your phone's own messaging app (which you use to send your wali their invitation). Your use of those services is subject to their own terms. [Add Apple App Store terms before the iOS app is released.]

15. Changes to Sofouw and to these Terms

We may change, add or remove features to improve Sofouw, keep it safe or comply with the law. We may also update these Terms. If we make important changes, we will tell you in the app before they take effect. If you do not agree to the new Terms, you can delete your account; if you keep using Sofouw, the new Terms will apply.

16. Ending your use of Sofouw

You can delete your account at any time in the app (Me → Account → Delete account) or at [WEBSITE URL]/delete-account. When you do, your matches and conversations are deleted for both people. What happens to the rest of your information is explained in our Privacy Policy. Deleting your account does not cancel a Sofouw Premium subscription: please cancel it in Google Play (section 12).

We may suspend or close your account if you break these Terms, if we must do so by law, or to protect the safety of others. We may also stop providing Sofouw, or stop providing it in a particular country; if we do, we will give you reasonable notice where we can. Sections 8, 13, 17, 18 and 19 continue to apply after your account ends.

17. Our responsibility to you

We will provide Sofouw with reasonable care and skill. However, we are not responsible for:

• the behaviour of other users, online or offline;
• the accuracy of what other users tell you, or of what they tell Khala;
• errors or omissions in AI-generated content;
• any decision you make about marriage, or its outcome, including whether a marriage is permitted or recognised in any country;
• interruptions or unavailability of the service caused by events outside our reasonable control;
• losses that were not reasonably foreseeable when you started using Sofouw;
• any business losses, as Sofouw is for personal use only.

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for anything else that cannot be limited or excluded by law. Nothing in these Terms affects the mandatory rights you have as a consumer under the law of the country where you live.

Subject to the paragraph above, our total liability to you for anything arising from your use of Sofouw is limited to [LIABILITY CAP, e.g. USD 100 or the local equivalent — confirm].

18. Disputes and governing law

If you have a problem, please contact us first at [SUPPORT EMAIL] so that we can try to resolve it amicably.

These Terms are governed by [GOVERNING LAW]. Any dispute will be resolved by [DISPUTE FORUM]. However, if you are a consumer, you keep the protection of any mandatory laws of the country where you live, and you may be able to bring proceedings in the courts of that country. If you live in the UK, you can bring proceedings in the courts of England and Wales, or in your local courts if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland. [CONFIRM WITH LOCAL COUNSEL how the chosen governing law and forum apply to consumers in each launch country.]

19. General

• Transfer: we may transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms to another organisation. This will not affect your rights. You may not transfer your rights or obligations.
• Severability: if any part of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest will still apply.
• No waiver: if we delay in enforcing these Terms, we can still enforce them later.
• Third parties: no one other than you and us has any right to enforce these Terms.
• Entire agreement: these Terms, together with the documents referred to in them, are the whole agreement between you and us about Sofouw.
• Language: these Terms are published in English and Arabic. If there is any difference between them, the [PREVAILING LANGUAGE — confirm; some jurisdictions may require the Arabic version to prevail] version prevails, except where the law of your country requires otherwise.

20. Contact us

• Support: [SUPPORT EMAIL]
• Safety and child safety concerns: [SAFETY EMAIL]
• Privacy: [PRIVACY EMAIL]
• Post: [COMPANY LEGAL NAME], [REGISTERED ADDRESS]