# Shemanu — Terms of Service
Effective date: June 25, 2026
Last updated: June 25, 2026
These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you and VNV Hospitality LLC ("Shemanu," "we," "us," or "our"), the provider of the Shemanu mobile application and related services (the "App"). Please read them carefully.
By creating an account or using the App, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the App.
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## 1. Eligibility and accounts
- You must be at least 13 years old (or the age of digital consent in your jurisdiction) to use the App.
- You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide and for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.
- You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us promptly of any unauthorized use.
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## 2. License to use the App
Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to download and use the App for your personal, non-commercial use. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, lease, reverse engineer, or attempt to extract the source code of the App except as permitted by law.
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## 3. Subscriptions (Shemanu Pro)
The App offers optional paid features through a Shemanu Pro subscription.
- Free tier. Certain features are available for free, subject to usage limits (for example, a limited amount of daily Pronunciation Tutor time). These limits may change.
- Billing. Subscription prices, billing periods, and renewal terms are shown in the App at the point of purchase. Subscriptions are processed and billed through the applicable app store (e.g., Apple App Store) or payment processor in accordance with their terms.
- Auto-renewal. Paid subscriptions automatically renew for the selected period unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period.
- Managing and canceling. You can manage or cancel your subscription through your app-store account settings. Deleting the App does not cancel your subscription.
- Refunds. Except where required by law or by the applicable app store's policies, payments are non-refundable, and partial-period subscriptions are not refunded.
- Price changes. We may change subscription prices. Changes apply to future billing periods and, where required, we will provide notice and/or obtain consent.
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## 4. Religious and educational content — important disclaimers
- Shemanu provides prayers, transliteration, translations, learning tools, and AI-generated features for educational and spiritual-enrichment purposes only.
- No guarantee of accuracy. Prayer texts and translations are sourced from third parties (including Sefaria) and may reflect particular traditions. Customs and rulings vary among communities and authorities. We do not warrant the religious, halachic, linguistic, or historical accuracy or completeness of any content. The App is not a substitute for guidance from a qualified rabbi, teacher, or religious authority, and nothing in the App constitutes a halachic ruling or religious, legal, financial, medical, or other professional advice.
- Times are estimates. Candle-lighting, Shabbat, holiday, and other calculated times are estimates generated using third-party data and your approximate location, may be inaccurate, and should be independently verified with a reliable local source or authority before you rely on them for religious observance.
- AI-generated content (including pronunciation scoring and feedback, gematria analysis, and coaching notes) is generated automatically, may be inaccurate or incomplete, and should not be relied upon as authoritative. Use your own judgment and consult appropriate authorities.
- Use at your own risk. You assume all responsibility and risk for your use of the App and any reliance on its content.
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## 5. Health, wellbeing, and crisis disclaimer
The App may include journaling, reflection, and character-development (mussar) features intended for personal spiritual enrichment. The App is not a medical device and does not provide medical, psychological, psychiatric, therapeutic, counseling, or crisis services, and is not a substitute for care from a qualified professional. Do not use the App for emergencies.
If you are experiencing a crisis, having thoughts of self-harm, or need urgent help, contact your local emergency number immediately. In the United States, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or dial 911. We are not responsible for any decision, action, or outcome based on your use of these features.
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## 6. Voice recordings and biometric notice
Some features record your voice to provide pronunciation feedback and, where you choose, voice journaling. We use voice recordings only to provide these features (including processing by our AI provider as described in our Privacy Policy). We do not use your voice to create a biometric identifier or "voiceprint," and we do not use voice recordings to identify you. By using these features, you consent to the recording and processing of your audio as described in these Terms and our Privacy Policy. You can disable microphone access at any time in your device settings.
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## 7. Your content
- Your content. You retain ownership of the journal entries, reflections, recordings, and other content you create in the App ("Your Content").
- License to us. You grant us a limited license to host, store, process, and display Your Content solely to operate and provide the App to you (for example, to save your journal entries and provide pronunciation feedback).
- Responsibility. You are responsible for Your Content and represent that you have the rights necessary to provide it.
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## 8. Feedback
If you send us suggestions, ideas, or other feedback about the App ("Feedback"), you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to use and incorporate the Feedback for any purpose without any obligation or compensation to you. Feedback is provided voluntarily and is not confidential.
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## 9. Acceptable use
You agree not to:
- Use the App for any unlawful purpose or in violation of these Terms;
- Interfere with or disrupt the App or its servers or networks;
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the App or other users' accounts;
- Use automated means to access or scrape the App except as expressly permitted;
- Upload malicious code or content that is unlawful, infringing, or abusive.
We may suspend or terminate access for violations.
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## 10. Intellectual property
The App, including its design, software, branding, and original content, is owned by VNV Hospitality LLC and protected by intellectual-property laws. Third-party content (such as texts provided by Sefaria) remains the property of its respective owners and is subject to its own terms and licenses. Except for the license granted above, we reserve all rights.
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## 11. Copyright and content complaints
We respect intellectual-property rights. If you believe content in the App infringes your copyright, send a notice to sarah@shemanu.com that includes: (1) your contact information; (2) identification of the copyrighted work; (3) identification of the allegedly infringing material and where it is located in the App; (4) a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorized; (5) a statement, under penalty of perjury, that your notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the rights holder; and (6) your physical or electronic signature. We may remove allegedly infringing content and may terminate the accounts of repeat infringers.
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## 12. Third-party services
The App relies on third-party services, including Google Firebase, Google Gemini, Sefaria, Hebcal, Apple, and Google. Your use of those services may be subject to their own terms and policies. We are not responsible for third-party services and do not guarantee their availability or accuracy.
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## 13. Disclaimers
THE APP IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE APP WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE, OR THAT CONTENT (INCLUDING TRANSLATIONS, TIMES, AND AI OUTPUT) WILL BE ACCURATE OR COMPLETE.
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## 14. Limitation of liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, VNV HOSPITALITY LLC AND ITS OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF THE APP. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM RELATING TO THE APP WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM OR (B) USD $50. THESE LIMITATIONS ARE AN ESSENTIAL BASIS OF THE BARGAIN BETWEEN YOU AND US. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN LIMITATIONS, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
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## 15. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless VNV Hospitality LLC from any claims, liabilities, damages, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your misuse of the App, Your Content, or your violation of these Terms or applicable law.
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## 16. Termination
You may stop using the App and delete your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access if you violate these Terms or if necessary to protect the App or its users. Sections that by their nature should survive termination — including the disclaimers (Sections 4, 5, and 6), Your Content, Feedback, Intellectual Property, Disclaimers, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, Governing Law and Arbitration, and Miscellaneous — will survive.
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## 17. Governing law, dispute resolution, and class-action waiver
(a) Governing law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas and, where applicable, the Federal Arbitration Act ("FAA") and other applicable U.S. federal law, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.
(b) Informal resolution first. Before bringing a formal claim, you agree to first try to resolve the dispute informally by contacting us at sarah@shemanu.com and giving us 30 days to address it. Most concerns can be resolved this way.
(c) Binding arbitration. If we cannot resolve a dispute informally, you and VNV Hospitality LLC agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the App will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, rather than in court, except as provided in subsections (e) and (f) below. The arbitration may be conducted in Texas or, at your election, by telephone, video, or written submissions. The arbitrator's award is final and may be entered as a judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction. The FAA governs the interpretation and enforcement of this provision.
(d) Class-action waiver and jury-trial waiver. To the maximum extent permitted by law, you and VNV Hospitality LLC agree that each may bring claims against the other only in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, consolidated, or representative proceeding. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims or preside over any form of class or representative proceeding. You and VNV Hospitality LLC each waive any right to a jury trial. If this class-action waiver is found unenforceable as to a particular claim, that claim (and only that claim) shall be severed and proceed in court, while all remaining claims proceed in arbitration.
(e) 30-day right to opt out. You may opt out of this arbitration agreement and class-action waiver by emailing sarah@shemanu.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms, stating your name and your intent to opt out. If you opt out, the court-venue terms in subsection (g) apply to you, and the remainder of these Terms still apply.
(f) Small-claims and intellectual-property carve-out. Either party may bring an individual claim in small-claims court if it qualifies, instead of arbitration. Either party may also seek relief in court to protect its intellectual-property rights.
(g) Court venue (where arbitration does not apply). For any dispute not subject to arbitration (including if you opt out), you agree it will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in the State of Texas, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts, except where applicable law provides otherwise.
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## 18. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. We will update the "Last updated" date and, where appropriate, provide notice in the App. Your continued use of the App after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
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## 19. Miscellaneous
- Severability. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be limited or severed to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
- Entire agreement. These Terms and our Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the App and supersede all prior agreements on that subject.
- No waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of our right to enforce it later.
- Assignment. You may not assign these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms, including to an affiliate or in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets.
- Force majeure. We are not liable for any delay or failure to perform due to causes beyond our reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disasters, outages, third-party service failures, labor disputes, or governmental actions.
- Notices. We may provide notices to you through the App or the email address associated with your account. You may contact us at sarah@shemanu.com.
- Headings. Section headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.
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## 20. Apple App Store — additional terms
These additional terms apply when you obtain the App through the Apple App Store:
- These Terms are between you and VNV Hospitality LLC only, not with Apple. Apple is not responsible for the App or its content.
- Your license to use the App is limited to a non-transferable license to use the App on Apple-branded devices you own or control, as permitted by the App Store Terms of Service.
- Apple has no obligation to provide maintenance or support for the App.
- To the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no warranty obligation with respect to the App, and any claims relating to failure to conform to a warranty are our responsibility, not Apple's.
- Apple is not responsible for addressing any claims relating to the App, including product-liability claims, claims that the App fails to conform to legal or regulatory requirements, and claims under consumer-protection or similar laws.
- In the event of any third-party claim that the App infringes intellectual-property rights, we (not Apple) are responsible for investigation, defense, settlement, and discharge of such claim.
- You represent that you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. Government embargo or designated as "terrorist supporting," and that you are not on any U.S. Government restricted-party list.
- Apple and Apple's subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and, upon your acceptance, will have the right to enforce them against you.
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## 21. Contact us
VNV Hospitality LLC
Email: sarah@shemanu.com
United States