Terms of Service

1. About My Virtual Pastor

My Virtual Pastor is an AI-powered mobile app offering faith-based spiritual encouragement, Scripture, devotionals and reading plans for people of the Christian faith. It is operated by My Virtual Pastor, 58 avenue de Wagram, 75017 Paris, France ("we," "us," "our").

The app is available on iOS devices through the Apple App Store, in English, French and Spanish.

2. Not a Substitute for Professional Care

Nobody monitors your conversations as they happen, and we cannot contact emergency services for you. If you are in crisis, having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, experiencing abuse, or facing any emergency, contact emergency services or a qualified professional immediately:

• United States: call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). Emergency: 911.
• Canada: call or text 988 (Suicide Crisis Helpline, English and French). Emergency: 911.
• France: call 3114 (national suicide prevention line, free, 24/7). Emergency: 112.
• Belgium: call 0800 32 123 (Centre de Prévention du Suicide, free, 24/7). Emergency: 112.
• Switzerland: call 143 (La Main Tendue, 24/7). Emergency: 112.
• Spain: call 024 (suicide prevention line, free, 24/7). Emergency: 112.
• Mexico: call 800 911 2000 (Línea de la Vida, free, 24/7). Emergency: 911.
• Anywhere else: call your local emergency number, and find a free crisis line for your country at findahelpline.com.

The app does not replace the guidance of your local church, pastor, or a licensed professional. Please do not delay seeking professional help because of anything you read in the app.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use My Virtual Pastor. If you live in the European Union, the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you must be at least 16, or the lower minimum age set by your country (for example 15 in France and 14 in Spain), unless a parent or guardian has given consent. If you are under 18, please use the app with the knowledge and consent of a parent or guardian.

By using the app, you confirm that you meet these requirements.

4. Your Account

You can use My Virtual Pastor as a guest or sign in with Apple, Google, Facebook or an email address.

• You are responsible for keeping access to your account secure, and for activity that happens under it.
• Please give accurate information when you sign up.
• Guest accounts exist only on the device where they were created. If you delete the app or lose your device, a guest account and its data cannot be recovered. Guest accounts unused for 12 months are deleted automatically.
• You can delete your account at any time in the app (Profile → Delete Account). Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Deleting your account does not cancel a subscription; see section 5.

5. Subscriptions, Free Trials and Payment

Some features require a paid subscription. Subscriptions are sold and billed by Apple through your Apple ID, under Apple's terms.

• Automatic renewal: subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each period, at the price then in effect, unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the current period ends.
• Free trials: if you start a free trial, you will be charged when it ends unless you cancel at least 24 hours before. Any unused part of a free trial ends when you buy a subscription.
• Cancelling: manage or cancel your subscription in your iPhone's Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions. After cancelling, you keep access until the end of the period you already paid for.
• Refunds: refunds are handled by Apple under its policies. We cannot issue refunds for App Store purchases. You can request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.
• Price changes: if the price of your subscription changes, you will be told in advance as Apple's rules require, and, where the law requires it, asked to agree before the new price applies.
• Right of withdrawal (EU and UK): by starting to use a subscription straight away, you ask for the digital service to begin immediately. Any right you have to withdraw and get a refund is exercised through Apple, under Apple's terms and the law of your country.

6. AI-Generated Content

Your pastor's replies, devotionals and memory notes are generated by artificial intelligence (Anthropic's Claude). While we have designed the AI to be grounded in Scripture and pastoral care:

• AI-generated content can be inaccurate, incomplete, out of date, or not suited to your situation.
• The AI reflects a broad, historic Christian perspective and may not perfectly represent any single denomination or tradition.
• AI responses are not Scripture and are not an infallible spiritual authority.
• The AI does not know you the way a person does. It can misunderstand what you say or misremember past conversations.
• We do not guarantee any particular spiritual, emotional or other outcome from using the app.

7. Personalization and Your Pastor's Memory

If you turn on Personalization, the app keeps short AI-written notes about your conversations, and uses your mood check-ins, so your pastor can remember you. How this works, and your choices, are explained in our Privacy Policy.

• Memory notes are written by AI and may be incomplete or wrong. You can view, correct or delete them, or switch Personalization off, in Profile at any time.
• Memory is a convenience, not a record. Please don't rely on the app to keep anything you need; save it in your journal or elsewhere.

8. Your Content

What you write belongs to you. This includes your messages, journal entries, notes and answers. You give us a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free permission to store, process and transmit your content only as needed to run the app for you and as described in our Privacy Policy. That includes sending it to our service providers, such as the AI that writes your pastor's replies. This permission ends when you delete the content or your account, except for anonymous feedback, which cannot be linked back to you.

When you share information about other people, such as family members, please share only what you have the right to share and are comfortable sharing.

AI-generated replies are provided for your personal use. Subject to these Terms, you may use them for personal, non-commercial purposes.

9. Acceptable Use

When using My Virtual Pastor, you agree not to:

• use the app for anything unlawful, or in violation of anyone's rights
• try to reverse-engineer, hack, overload or disrupt the app or its systems, or get around its limits or security
• deliberately try to make the AI produce harmful, abusive, hateful, sexual or deceptive content, or to bypass its safeguards
• impersonate anyone, or misrepresent your connection with anyone
• use bots, scrapers or other automated means to access the app or extract its content
• resell or commercially exploit the app or its content without our written permission
• use the app to harass, threaten or harm anyone

We may limit, suspend or end access for anyone who breaks these rules.

10. Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect and use your information, and forms part of these Terms. In summary:

• Your messages are sent to Anthropic's AI to generate replies, and we do not store your conversations.
• If you turn on Personalization, we keep short notes about them so your pastor can remember you. You can view, delete or switch these off at any time.
• We do not sell your personal data.

11. Intellectual Property and Scripture

The app and its content (including its design, branding, logo, devotionals, reading plans, text, audio and system prompts) belong to My Virtual Pastor or its licensors and are protected by intellectual property laws. We give you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the app on Apple devices you own or control, for your personal, non-commercial use, in line with these Terms and Apple's rules. You may not copy, modify, distribute or create derivative works from the app or its content without our written permission, except as the law allows.

Scripture. The app uses only Bible translations that are in the public domain or published under open licences. These include:

• the King James Version
• the World English Bible
• the Berean Standard Bible
• Reina-Valera 1909
• Louis Segond 1910
• Sainte Bible néo-Crampon Libre (© 2022 Fraternité de Tibériade, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted in places, for example in how the divine name is rendered)

Scripture text remains subject to the terms of its own licence.

12. Third-Party Services

The app relies on third-party services, including:

• Anthropic (AI)
• OpenAI (Bible audio)
• Supabase (database and sign-in)
• Apple (App Store, payment and Sign in with Apple)
• Google and Meta (optional sign-in)

Your use of those services may also be subject to their own terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for services we do not control, but we choose our providers carefully and describe how they handle your data in our Privacy Policy.

13. Apple App Store Terms

If you downloaded the app from the Apple App Store:

• These Terms are between you and My Virtual Pastor only, not Apple. We, not Apple, are solely responsible for the app and its content.
• Apple has no obligation to provide any maintenance or support for the app.
• If the app fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price (if any) for the app. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation for the app.
• We, not Apple, are responsible for addressing any claims relating to the app or your use of it. These include product liability claims, claims that the app fails to meet legal or regulatory requirements, and consumer protection or privacy claims.
• If a third party claims that the app or your use of it infringes their intellectual property rights, we, not Apple, are responsible for investigating, defending, settling and discharging that claim.
• You confirm that you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. government embargo or designated as "terrorist supporting," and are not on any U.S. government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
• You must also comply with any applicable third-party terms, such as your mobile carrier's, when using the app.
• Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms. Once you accept these Terms, Apple has the right, and is deemed to have accepted the right, to enforce them against you as a third-party beneficiary.

If these Terms conflict with Apple's Media Services Terms and Conditions on these points, Apple's terms apply to the extent of the conflict.

14. Changes, Suspension and Termination

We are continually improving the app, so features may change, be added or be removed. We may suspend or stop the app, or any part of it, temporarily or permanently. If we permanently stop offering a paid feature you have subscribed to, we will tell you in advance where we can.

We may suspend or close your account if you seriously or repeatedly break these Terms, if the law requires it, or to protect other users or the service. Where appropriate, we will tell you why and give you the chance to respond.

You can stop using the app and delete your account at any time. Sections that by their nature should continue after these Terms end will continue, including sections 8, 11, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 20.

15. Disclaimers

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the app is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. These include warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy and non-infringement. We do not warrant that:

• the app will be uninterrupted, secure or error-free
• AI-generated content will be accurate, complete or suitable for your needs
• the app will meet your spiritual, emotional or other expectations
• data will never be lost

Nothing in these Terms removes rights you have as a consumer that cannot be removed by contract. In the EU and UK, for example, this includes your legal guarantee that digital content and services conform to the contract.

16. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

• We will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, profits or goodwill, arising from or related to your use of, or inability to use, the app. This includes any reliance on AI-generated spiritual guidance.
• Our total liability to you for all claims relating to the app will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid for the app in the 12 months before the claim arose, and (b) 50 euros (or the equivalent in your local currency).

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability that cannot be limited or excluded by law. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or, in the EU, for gross negligence or wilful misconduct. If you are a consumer in the EU or UK, we are responsible for foreseeable loss or damage caused by our breach of these Terms or our failure to use reasonable care and skill.

17. Indemnity

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to compensate us for claims, losses and reasonable costs (including legal fees) that arise from your breach of these Terms or your misuse of the app. This section does not apply where the law does not allow it, including where it would be unfair to you as a consumer.

18. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms, for example to reflect new features or changes in the law. When we do, we will update the effective date at the top. For important changes, we will tell you in the app before they take effect. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, you can stop using the app and delete your account. If you keep using the app after the changes take effect, you accept the updated Terms.

19. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of France.

• If you are a consumer, you also keep the protection of the mandatory laws of the country where you live.
• You may bring proceedings in the courts of France or of the country where you live.

Before starting any formal dispute, please contact us at hello@myvirtualpastor.com. Most concerns can be resolved quickly and informally, and we will try in good faith to do so within 30 days.

20. General

• Entire agreement: these Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, are the whole agreement between you and us about the app.
• Severability: if any part of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.
• No waiver: if we do not enforce a right straight away, we have not given it up.
• Transfer: we may transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms, for example if the business is reorganised or sold, as long as your rights are not reduced. You may not transfer yours without our consent.
• Events beyond our control: we are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control, such as outages at our providers.
• Language: these Terms are available in English, French and Spanish. If the versions differ, the English version applies, unless the law where you live requires otherwise.

21. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us: