Terms of Service
Effective date: September 14, 2026
These are the terms for using Chum ("the app") — the iOS app today, any web or other version of it we offer, and related products and services that work with your account. They're short and we mean them plainly.
Your account
You must be at least 13 years old to use the app. You need an account (Sign in with Apple) to use the app; it's what backs up and syncs your catch log. You're responsible for what happens under your account. You can delete it — and everything we store for it — anytime from Settings.
Your content
Your catch photos and records are yours. You give us a worldwide, royalty-free license to store, process, analyze, adapt, and use them to operate, improve, and promote the app — including training and improving the models behind the app's identification and insights, and building aggregate and de-identified data and insights — as described in the Privacy Policy. Content you add must be yours to add: by adding a photo, you confirm you have the right to share it. Your catch records, locations, and spots are never shown to anyone else without a sharing feature you explicitly use — Send Catch today; any sharing feature we add later will be your choice the same way. Catch photos have one exception, described next.
Aggregate and de-identified data, and models trained on your content, are ours to keep and use even after you delete a catch or your account. They never identify you or your spots.
Catch photos in the species guide
The app's species guide is illustrated in part by real catch photos taken by anglers using the app. By saving a catch photo, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt (crop, resize, and adjust), and display that photo in the species guide, in the app in all its forms and related products, and in materials that promote them, in print and online, including through the service providers that host and deliver the app's content. Using your photo to promote a third party's products would need your separate consent. This license covers the photo only — never your name (unless you ask for a credit line), your location, or any other detail of your catch. You keep ownership of your photo and can use it anywhere you like.
Whether a photo appears in the guide, and which ones, is entirely our choice. You can keep your photos out of consideration with the “My photos in the species guide” switch in Settings. Because the guide is a lasting reference, a photo already published there may remain even if you later delete the catch, delete your account, or turn the switch off — the guide's copy is separate from your catch log. If a published photo is a problem for you, contact us and we will take a reasonable removal request seriously.
The regulations, the species ID, and your responsibility
The app's fishing regulations are gathered from official sources, dated, and monitored for changes. The species identifier is a camera-based aid. Both are conveniences to help you — they are not legal advice, and they can be wrong or out of date.
You are responsible for complying with the fishing laws that apply to you. Always confirm rules with the official source before keeping a fish. If the app's information and the official regulations ever differ, the official regulations govern — on the water and in these terms.
Acceptable use
Don't use the app to break the law, don't probe or abuse the service, and don't try to access anyone else's data.
Termination
You can stop using the app or delete your account anytime. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms or abuse the service.
Disclaimers and limitation of liability
THE APP IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND ACCURACY OF INFORMATION. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT REGULATIONS, SEASONS, LIMITS, OR SPECIES IDENTIFICATIONS SHOWN IN THE APP ARE ACCURATE, COMPLETE, OR CURRENT.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR FOR FINES, PENALTIES, CITATIONS, OR OTHER REGULATORY OUTCOMES ARISING FROM RELIANCE ON INFORMATION IN THE APP. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM RELATING TO THE APP WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US FOR IT IN THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM (OR US $50 IF YOU PAID NOTHING).
Some jurisdictions don't allow certain limitations; where that's you, these apply to the fullest extent permitted.
Changes
If these terms change materially, the app will tell you before the changes apply. Continuing to use the app after that means you accept them.
Governing law and general terms
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, and any dispute relating to the app will be brought in the state or federal courts located in North Carolina. If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest stands. These terms plus the Privacy Policy are the whole agreement between us about the app. If Chum is ever acquired, merged, or its assets sold, we may assign these terms to the new owner, who takes them on as written; you can't assign them without our consent.