Terms of Service
These Terms of Service ("Terms") form a binding agreement between you and the operator of DLM, Dez-Luan Pieterse ("we", "us"). By creating an account or using DLM, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use DLM.
1. What DLM does
DLM is a screen-time blocker that uses Apple's Family Controls framework to restrict access to apps you choose, on your own device, during a time window you choose. You can pair with a second user (a "buddy") whose approval is required to lift the block early.
DLM is a tool for self-control between two consenting adults. It is not a parental monitoring app, not a clinical product, and not a substitute for professional help with addiction, compulsive behaviour, or mental health.
2. Who can use DLM
You must be at least 17 years old to use DLM. By creating an account, you confirm that you are.
You must have an Apple ID, an iPhone or iPad running iOS or iPadOS 17 or later, and you must grant DLM the Family Controls permission when iOS asks.
You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for all activity on your account.
3. The buddy relationship
DLM is designed around a paired relationship. You and your buddy will be able to see:
- Each other's display names.
- Each other's unlock requests, including the reason text you write.
- The history of approvals and denials between you.
You will not be able to see the list of apps your buddy has chosen to block. That information never leaves their device.
You can unpair from your buddy at any time in Settings. Unpairing is immediate. Your shared history is retained until either of you deletes your account.
4. Acceptable use
You agree not to use DLM to:
- Harass, threaten, intimidate, or abuse another person, including via the reason text or buddy notes.
- Send spam, advertising, or any commercial communication.
- Send content that is unlawful, defamatory, obscene, sexually explicit, or violates the rights of others.
- Impersonate another person or misrepresent your relationship to them.
- Attempt to gain unauthorised access to another user's account or to DLM's infrastructure.
- Reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract source code from DLM, except as permitted by applicable law.
- Use DLM in any way that could damage, disable, or impair the service.
We may suspend or terminate your account if we believe in good faith that you have violated these rules, without notice and without refund.
5. User-generated content
DLM allows you to write short text in two places: the reason when requesting an unlock, and the note when approving or denying. Together we refer to these as your "Content".
You retain all rights in your Content. You grant us a limited, non-exclusive licence to store, transmit, and display your Content to your paired buddy as required to operate DLM. We do not claim ownership of your Content and we do not use it for any other purpose.
We do not actively review or moderate Content in advance, but we will review reported Content within 24 hours and remove anything that violates Section 4 above. Reports can be filed from the buddy Inbox in the app.
6. Reporting and blocking
If your buddy sends you Content that violates these Terms, you can:
- Report the Content from the Inbox or Approval screen in the app. Reports are reviewed within 24 hours.
- Unpair and block the user by tapping Unpair after reporting. A blocked user cannot pair with you again via any future pairing code.
We may take any of the following actions on reported accounts: a private warning, a temporary suspension, permanent termination, or removal of specific Content.
7. Subscriptions
DLM v1.0 is free. Future versions may introduce optional paid subscriptions purchased through the App Store. Subscription terms will be presented to you in-app at the time of purchase and are governed by Apple's standard subscription terms.
8. Service availability
DLM relies on Apple's APNs, Apple's Family Controls framework, and Supabase's infrastructure. We do our best to keep the service running but we cannot guarantee uninterrupted availability. We may modify, suspend, or discontinue parts of the service with notice where practical.
9. Disclaimer
DLM is provided as is and as available, without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. We do not warrant that DLM will meet your specific needs, that it will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that the buddy relationship will produce any particular result.
DLM is not a medical device. If you are struggling with addiction, compulsion, or any mental health issue, please consult a qualified professional. DLM is not a substitute for treatment.
10. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill arising from your use of DLM.
Our total liability to you for any claim arising from these Terms or your use of DLM is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you have paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) twenty pounds sterling.
Nothing in these Terms limits liability for death, personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot lawfully be limited.
11. Termination
You can terminate your account at any time in Settings → Delete account. We may terminate or suspend your account if you violate these Terms.
On termination, your right to use DLM ends immediately. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including 9, 10, 11, 13 and 14) will survive.
12. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. If we change them in a material way, we will notify you in-app and update the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of DLM after that date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
13. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of DLM will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.