Terms of Use — WalkTalk

1. Acceptance of Terms

The WalkTalk Service is operated by WalkTalk Creative Technologies Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 17246918), whose registered office is at 590 Green Lanes, London, N13 5RY, United Kingdom ("WalkTalk", "we", "us", or "our").

By downloading, installing, or using the WalkTalk mobile application (the "App") or accessing our website at appwalktalk.com (the "Website"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use ("Terms"). If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

You must be at least 18 years old to use WalkTalk. By using the Service, you represent that you are 18 or older.

2. Description of Service

WalkTalk is an audio walking tour platform that allows users to:

Discover and follow curated audio walking routes
Experience proximity-triggered audio playback as they walk
Explore nearby audio stops in Free Walk mode
Create, record, and publish their own audio walking tours
Purchase premium routes created by accredited creators
Earn WalkCoins and TalkCoins through the in-app economy system

The App is available on iOS and Android. Some features may vary by platform. The Service includes both free and premium content.

3. User Accounts

WalkTalk supports the following account types:

Guest (anonymous): Limited access without registration. Guest accounts are created automatically.
Registered user: Sign up with email/password or Google Sign-In to access full features.
Creator: Registered users who complete the accreditation process to publish content.
Business: Accredited business accounts for publishing independent audio stops.

You are responsible for:

Maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials
All activities that occur under your account
Providing accurate and current information in your profile
Notifying us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account

4. User-Generated Content

Ownership: You retain ownership of any content you create and upload to WalkTalk, including audio recordings, photos, text descriptions, and route data ("Your Content").

License grant: By publishing content on WalkTalk, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, display, distribute, and make available Your Content through the Service for the purpose of operating and promoting the platform.

Content standards: You agree that Your Content will not:

Infringe on any third party's intellectual property rights
Contain hate speech, harassment, threats, or discrimination
Include explicit sexual content or graphic violence
Promote illegal activities or dangerous behavior
Contain misleading information presented as fact
Include personal information of others without consent

Approval process: Published routes and independent stops are subject to an approval process. We reserve the right to review, reject, or remove any content that violates these Terms or our content standards. Approved content will display an "approved" status and become visible to all users.

5. Creator Accreditation

Eligibility: Any registered user may apply for creator accreditation. Business accounts may apply for business accreditation to publish independent audio stops.

Required information: The accreditation process requires your legal full name, date of birth, residential address, and the last 4 digits of a payment card for identity verification.

Approval and revocation: We review accreditation applications and may approve or deny them at our discretion. We reserve the right to revoke accreditation at any time if a creator violates these Terms or our content standards.

Revenue share: Accredited creators who publish premium (paid) routes receive a revenue share from purchases, subject to our payment procedures and applicable thresholds.

TalkCoins: Accredited creators earn TalkCoins when listeners complete audio playback at their stops (1 TalkCoin per stop, subject to anti-farming cooldowns).

6. In-App Purchases

WalkTalk offers premium routes for purchase within the App:

Prices range from €0.99 to €4.99 per route, set by the creator
All purchases are one-time payments — there are no subscriptions
Purchases are processed by the Apple App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android)
Purchased routes are permanently associated with your account and can be restored on any device using the "Restore Purchases" feature

Refunds: Refund requests are handled by Apple or Google according to their respective refund policies. We do not directly process refunds.

7. Economy System

WalkTalk features an in-app economy with two types of virtual currency:

7.1 WalkCoins

Earned by walking: 1 WalkCoin per 1,000 meters walked
Distance is tracked using GPS during active route playback or Free Walk mode
Speed-gated: Walking speeds above 2.2 m/s (approximately 8 km/h) are excluded to prevent earning coins while driving or cycling
WalkCoins are for in-app use only and have no real-world monetary value

7.2 TalkCoins

Earned by accredited creators when listeners complete audio playback at their stops
1 TalkCoin per stop per unique listener per 24-hour period
Anti-farming measures are enforced to prevent artificial inflation
TalkCoins are for in-app use only and have no real-world monetary value

Anti-fraud: We employ automated fraud detection including speed gating, time-based cooldowns, and session deduplication. Attempts to manipulate the economy system (including GPS spoofing, automated playback, or coordinated farming) will result in account suspension or termination.

8. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the App
Use GPS spoofing, mock locations, or any method to falsify your position
Use automated tools, bots, or scripts to interact with the Service
Engage in coin farming or any scheme to artificially inflate WalkCoins or TalkCoins
Harass, bully, or threaten other users
Scrape, crawl, or otherwise extract data from the Service
Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other users' accounts or our systems
Impersonate another person or entity
Use the Service for any illegal purpose
Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Service

9. Intellectual Property

The App is built using open-source technologies and third-party libraries, each subject to their respective licenses. The Service as a whole, including its design, architecture, and original content, is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws.

Nothing in these Terms grants you a right to use the WalkTalk brand, trademarks, or logos without our prior written consent.

10. Privacy

Your privacy is important to us. Our collection and use of personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

By using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our Privacy Policy.

11. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

We do not warrant that:

The Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free
Routes and audio content will be accurate, complete, or up to date
The Service will meet your specific requirements

Walking safety: WalkTalk is designed to be used while walking outdoors. You are solely responsible for your personal safety while using the App. Always be aware of your surroundings, obey traffic signals, stay on designated paths, and do not use the App in hazardous conditions. WalkTalk is not responsible for any injury or harm that occurs while using the Service.

Content opinions: Routes and audio content are created by third-party users and creators. The views, opinions, and information expressed in user-generated content do not necessarily represent those of WalkTalk or WalkTalk.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, WalkTalk and its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, use, or goodwill, arising from:

Your use of or inability to use the Service
Any content obtained from the Service
Unauthorized access to or alteration of your data
Actions or statements of any third party on the Service

Our total liability for any claims arising from the Service shall not exceed the total amount you have paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or €100, whichever is greater.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless WalkTalk, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

Your use of the Service
Your violation of these Terms
Your Content or any content you make available through the Service
Your violation of any rights of another person or entity

14. Termination

By WalkTalk: We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms. In cases of serious or repeated violations, termination may be immediate and permanent.

By you: You may delete your account at any time through the App's Settings page. Upon deletion, your account and associated data will be processed for removal as described in our Privacy Policy.

Effects of termination:

Your access to the Service will be revoked
Any unpublished content and draft routes will be deleted
Accumulated WalkCoins and TalkCoins will be forfeited
Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive (e.g., limitation of liability, indemnification) will continue to apply

15. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any disputes arising from these Terms or the Service shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, unless otherwise required by applicable consumer protection laws in your country of residence.

16. Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we make changes:

The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will be revised
For material changes, we will notify you through the App
Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms

If you do not agree with the updated Terms, you should stop using the Service and delete your account.

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

18. Contact Us

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

Legal inquiries: officialwalktalk@gmail.com
General support: officialwalktalk@gmail.com
Postal address: WalkTalk Creative Technologies Limited, 590 Green Lanes, London, N13 5RY, United Kingdom