These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the STAY OR PAY mobile application, website, and related services (collectively, the "Service"). By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy.
If you do not agree, do not use the Service. Please read these Terms carefully — especially the sections on focus sessions, paid commitments, and limitations of liability.
1. What STAY OR PAY Is
STAY OR PAY helps you run timed focus sessions and hold yourself accountable to personal commitments. Depending on how you use the Service, a session may be:
- Practice — a focus session with no financial stake ("Challenge Myself").
- Personal commitment — a focus session tied to a written promise you make to a connected contact, with no payment processed through the Service.
- Platform commitment — a focus session where you put money at risk with STAY OR PAY if you fail, subject to payment availability (see Section 6).
The Service provides tools and rules for tracking sessions. It does not guarantee that you will stay focused, meet your goals, or avoid financial loss.
2. Eligibility
You must be old enough to enter a binding agreement and to consent to the processing of your personal data under the laws that apply to you. The Service is not directed at children.
You may use the Service only if you can comply with these Terms and all applicable laws. You are responsible for ensuring that your use of the Service is lawful in your jurisdiction.
3. Your Account
Sign-in and verification
You sign in with Google. We do not receive your Google password. Before using core features, you must verify a phone number via one-time SMS code and complete onboarding (including choosing a display name).
You are responsible for your account credentials and for activity under your account. Keep your Google account secure. Notify us promptly if you believe your account has been compromised at support@stayorpay.app.
Accurate information
You agree to provide accurate information and to keep your profile information reasonably up to date. You may not impersonate another person or use a phone number you do not control.
4. Focus Sessions and Session Rules
When you start a focus session, you choose a duration and session type. While a session is active, the Service applies rules you configure and rules built into the Service. A session may be marked failed if, among other things:
- You leave the app and do not return within the allowed grace period (currently 5 seconds).
- You end the session manually before it completes.
- An incoming phone call is answered, if your incoming-call setting is set to fail the session on answered calls (the default).
- You choose to allow calls to pause the session but do not return within the post-call return window.
- The Service loses contact with the app for longer than allowed (heartbeat timeout).
- A payment step required for a platform commitment cannot be completed.
Session outcomes are determined using a combination of app behavior, device signals (such as call state on supported Android devices), and server-side checks. We do not guarantee perfect detection in every environment.
Incoming calls (Android)
On supported Android devices, paid sessions require permission to detect phone call state so session rules can be enforced. The Service monitors call state only — it does not access call audio, call content, or call logs. Practice sessions may run without this permission, but call-related rules will not apply.
No financial advice
Amounts you choose for platform commitments are your decision. We do not provide financial, legal, or therapeutic advice.
5. Connections and Contacts
To run a personal commitment session with another user, you must have an accepted connection with that user. Connections require a verified phone number on both sides where applicable.
If you use the contact picker, the Service accesses only the contact you select — not your entire address book. We use contact details you provide to help find other STAY OR PAY users or send invites. You must have the right to share any contact information you submit.
You can remove a connection from the app. Removing a connection does not delete your account or past session history.
6. Payments and Platform Commitments
Platform commitments involve putting money at risk if you fail a session. Payment processing is handled by third-party payment providers — not by storing your full card number on our servers.
Availability. Paid platform sessions may not be available in all versions, regions, or at all times. The Service may require a saved payment method and successful payment authorization before a paid session starts. If payments are disabled or unavailable in your build, you will not be able to start a platform commitment session.
Authorization and charges. For platform sessions, the Service may authorize funds when a session starts and charge or release those funds depending on the session outcome, in line with the payment provider's rules and our in-app flow. Failed payment steps may prevent a session from starting or may fail an active session.
Fees. Where applicable, a platform fee may apply to platform commitments. Applicable amounts are shown in the app before you confirm a session.
Payment provider terms and privacy policies apply to payment processing. We are not responsible for payment provider outages or errors outside our reasonable control.
7. Notifications and Alerts
The Service may show in-app alerts to you or to connected users about session events (for example, when a partner starts or fails a session). These alerts are delivered through the Service while it is active or reachable — we do not guarantee delivery via device push notifications unless and until such features are offered in your version of the app.
8. Acceptable Use
You agree not to:
- Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of these Terms.
- Attempt to bypass session rules, payment checks, or security controls.
- Interfere with or disrupt the Service or other users' use of it.
- Reverse engineer, scrape, or misuse the Service except as permitted by law.
- Harass, abuse, or harm other users.
- Submit false session data or impersonate others.
We may investigate violations and suspend or terminate access where we reasonably believe these Terms have been breached.
9. Intellectual Property
The Service, including its design, branding, software, and content we provide, is owned by us or our licensors and is protected by intellectual property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Service for personal, non-commercial purposes in accordance with these Terms.
You retain ownership of content you submit (such as commitment text). You grant us a license to use, store, and display that content as needed to operate the Service.
10. Third-Party Services
The Service integrates with third parties such as Google (sign-in), Supabase (authentication and data infrastructure), SMS providers (phone verification), and payment processors. Your use of those services may be subject to their terms. We are not responsible for third-party services we do not control.
11. Disclaimers
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.
We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that session detection will be accurate in every case. You use focus sessions and any financial commitments at your own risk.
12. Limitation of Liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, STAY OR PAY AND ITS OPERATORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.
OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED US DOLLARS (USD $100), EXCEPT WHERE LIABILITY CANNOT BE LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.
Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations; in those cases, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.
13. Suspension and Termination
You may stop using the Service at any time and sign out of your account. To request deletion of your account and personal data, see our Data Deletion Policy.
We may suspend or terminate your access if you violate these Terms, if required by law, or if we discontinue the Service. Termination does not eliminate payment obligations that already accrued or legal retention requirements.
14. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide notice through the Service or by other reasonable means. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the latest revision. Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
15. Contact
Questions about these Terms: support@stayorpay.app
16. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws applicable to the operation of STAY OR PAY, except where mandatory consumer protection or other laws in your country require otherwise.
If a dispute arises, we encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve it informally.