1. Acceptance of Terms
Welcome to BLTN News. By downloading, installing, or using the BLTN News mobile application ("App"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the App.
2. Description of Service
BLTN News is a news aggregation and summarization mobile application that provides:
- Curated news articles from various sources
- AI-powered article summaries and bias analysis
- Personalized news feeds based on preferences
- Article saving and offline reading capabilities
- Push notifications for breaking news
- Premium subscription features
3. User Accounts
3.1 Account Creation
To use certain features of BLTN News, you must create an account using:
- Email address and password
- Google Sign-In
- Sign in with Apple
3.2 Account Security
You are responsible for:
- Maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials
- All activities that occur under your account
- Notifying us immediately of any unauthorized access
3.3 Account Eligibility
- You must be at least 13 years old to use BLTN News
- You must provide accurate and complete information
- You may not create multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions
4. Free and Premium Services
4.1 Free Tier
Free users have access to:
- Basic news articles and summaries
- Limited article saves (up to 5 articles)
- Standard categories (World, Politics, Business, Technology, Science, Health, Climate)
- Ad-supported experience
4.2 Premium Subscription
Premium subscribers receive:
- Ad-free experience
- Save up to 100 articles
- Access to premium categories (Sports, Entertainment, Education)
- Enhanced AI analysis
- Customized breaking news alerts
- Offline reading capability
4.3 Subscription Terms
- Billing: Subscriptions are billed monthly or annually through Apple App Store or Google Play Store
- Auto-Renewal: Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period
- Cancellation: You can cancel anytime in your device's subscription settings
- Refunds: Managed by Apple or Google according to their refund policies
- Changes: We reserve the right to change subscription pricing with 30 days notice
4.4 Free Trial
If we offer a free trial:
- You will be charged when the trial ends unless you cancel
- Limited to one trial per user
- We reserve the right to determine trial eligibility
5. Acceptable Use
5.1 You Agree NOT to:
- Use the App for any illegal purpose
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
- Scrape, copy, or redistribute content from the App
- Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the App
- Use automated systems (bots) to access the App
- Interfere with or disrupt the App's functionality
- Impersonate another person or entity
- Share your account credentials with others
- Use the App to spread misinformation or harmful content
5.2 Content Guidelines
When using features like saved articles or preferences:
- You may not use the service to store or distribute illegal content
- We reserve the right to remove content that violates our policies
6. Intellectual Property
6.1 Our Content
- The App, including its design, code, and features, is owned by BLTN News
- News articles are sourced from third-party publishers and remain their property
- AI-generated summaries and analysis are created by our service
- You may not copy, modify, or distribute our content without permission
6.2 Third-Party Content
- News articles are provided by third-party sources via NewsAPI
- We do not claim ownership of third-party content
- Third-party content is subject to their respective copyrights
6.3 Your License to Use
We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to:
- Access and use the App for personal, non-commercial purposes
- Save articles for offline reading (within subscription limits)
- Share articles using the built-in share feature
7. Disclaimers and Limitations
7.1 Content Accuracy
7.2 AI-Generated Content
- AI summaries and bias analysis are generated automatically
- AI-generated content may contain errors or inaccuracies
- Do not rely solely on AI summaries for critical decisions
7.3 Service Availability
- We strive for 24/7 availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted service
- The App may be unavailable due to maintenance, updates, or technical issues
- We may modify or discontinue features without notice
7.4 No Warranty
THE APP IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
- Merchantability
- Fitness for a particular purpose
- Non-infringement
- Accuracy or reliability of content
8. Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW:
- BLTN News shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages
- Our total liability shall not exceed the amount you paid for subscriptions in the last 12 months
- We are not responsible for damages caused by third-party content or services
9. Third-Party Services
BLTN News integrates with third-party services including:
- Google Sign-In and Apple Sign-In (authentication)
- Supabase (backend database)
- RevenueCat (subscription management)
- OneSignal (push notifications)
- Google AdMob (advertising)
- OpenAI (AI summarization)
- NewsAPI (news content)
These services have their own terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for third-party services.
10. Advertising
- Free users will see advertisements served by Google AdMob
- Ads may be personalized based on your interests
- You can opt-out of personalized ads in device settings
- Premium subscribers enjoy an ad-free experience
11. Push Notifications
- You may opt-in to receive push notifications for breaking news
- You can manage notification preferences in Settings
- You can disable notifications entirely in device settings
- We will not spam you with excessive notifications
12. Privacy
Your use of BLTN News is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.
13. Termination
13.1 Termination by You
- You may delete your account at any time in Settings
- Deleting your account will remove all your data
- Active subscriptions will remain until the end of the billing period
13.2 Termination by Us
We may suspend or terminate your account if:
- You violate these Terms
- You engage in fraudulent activity
- You abuse the service or other users
- Required by law
13.3 Effect of Termination
- Your access to the App will be revoked
- Your data will be deleted according to our Privacy Policy
- You will not be entitled to a refund for unused subscription time (unless required by law)
14. Changes to Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. Changes will be effective when:
- Posted in the App with an updated "Last Updated" date
- You continue to use the App after changes take effect
For material changes, we will provide notice through:
- Push notification
- Email (if provided)
- In-app banner
15. Geographic Restrictions
- BLTN News is available worldwide where permitted by law
- Some content may be restricted based on your location
- You are responsible for complying with local laws when using the App
16. Dispute Resolution
16.1 Governing Law
These Terms shall be governed by the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to conflict of law provisions.
16.2 Informal Resolution
Before filing a legal claim, please contact us at support@bltnnews.com to attempt informal resolution.
16.3 Arbitration
Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be resolved through binding arbitration, except where prohibited by law.
16.4 Class Action Waiver
You agree to resolve disputes individually and waive the right to participate in class action lawsuits.
17. Miscellaneous
17.1 Entire Agreement
These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and BLTN News.
17.2 Severability
If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in effect.
17.3 No Waiver
Our failure to enforce any provision does not constitute a waiver of that provision.
17.4 Assignment
You may not assign these Terms. We may assign our rights and obligations to another entity.
17.5 Force Majeure
We are not liable for delays or failures caused by circumstances beyond our control.
18. Contact Information
For questions about these Terms, please contact us:
- Email: support@bltnnews.com
- App: Settings → Contact Support
19. Acknowledgment
By using BLTN News, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service.