Terms of Service

Last updated: November 5, 2026

These terms apply to your use of Understory, a journaling web app made by SP Digital Labs, the name under which Joseph Suzuki-Parker, an independent developer based in Japan, publishes apps ("we", "us"). By creating an account or using Understory, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use it.

Who can use Understory

You must be at least 13 years old to use Understory. If you are under the age of majority where you live, you need a parent or guardian's permission, including to buy Premium.

Your account and your key

• You sign in with an email address and password, or with Google. Keep your sign-in details secure; you are responsible for activity on your account.
• Your journal is encrypted with a key protected by your passphrase and by a recovery code shown to you once. Keep both safe. If you lose both, your encrypted entries can't be recovered, by you or by us.
• Tell us right away if you think someone else has used your account.
• You can delete your account at any time in Preferences > Account > Delete account. This can't be undone and cancels any Premium subscription.

Not therapy or medical care

Understory is a place to write and reflect. The companion, mood readings and reflections are not therapy, counselling, or medical or mental health advice, and they are not a substitute for care from a qualified professional. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, contact local emergency services or a crisis line straight away; the app links to findahelpline.com.

Premium

• Journaling is free. Premium is an optional subscription that adds the companion and its memory, mood readings and growth rings, voice-to-text and spelling check.
• Premium costs US$9.99 a month or US$89 a year. Prices are shown in the app before you buy, and your card issuer may convert them to your currency. Any taxes are shown at checkout.
• New subscribers get a 14-day free trial. You won't be charged if you cancel before it ends.
• Payment is handled by Stripe. Your subscription renews automatically at the end of each period until you cancel. Cancel any time in Preferences > Account; you keep Premium until the end of the period you've paid for.
• To ask for a refund, email us from the address on your account. Refunds are paid through Stripe to the card you paid with and usually appear within 5 to 10 business days, depending on your bank.
• We may change Premium's features or prices. A price change won't affect a period you have already paid for, and we will tell you before a higher price applies to your renewal.

AI features

• Premium's AI features are produced by Google's Gemini models from the text sent to them, as described in our Privacy Policy.
• AI replies can be incomplete, inaccurate or unsuitable. Use your own judgement about them.
• AI features have a monthly limit, currently 300 requests a month, or 100 during the free trial. Spelling check and voice-to-text don't count toward it. We may change these limits to keep the service sustainable.

Sharing links

If you share entries with a link, anyone who has the link can read them until it expires or you revoke it. You are responsible for who you share it with and for what you share.

Your writing

Everything you write in Understory belongs to you. You give us permission to store, sync and process it only as needed to run the app for you, as described in our Privacy Policy.

Acceptable use

Please don't:

• use Understory for anything unlawful;
• try to get around Premium checks, AI limits or other restrictions;
• access other people's data without permission, or interfere with the app or its servers;
• copy, resell or reverse engineer Understory, except where the law allows it.

We may suspend or close an account that breaks these terms. Where reasonable, we will tell you first and give you a chance to fix the problem.

Changes and availability

We work to keep Understory running, but we can't promise it will always be available or free of errors. We may update, change or stop parts of it. If we stop offering Understory or Premium, we will give reasonable notice where we can, so you can save your entries.

Disclaimer and limit of liability

To the extent the law allows, Understory is provided "as is", and we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, or for lost entries you can no longer decrypt. Our total liability to you is limited to the amount you paid for Premium in the 12 months before the claim. Nothing in these terms limits liability for our intentional misconduct or gross negligence, or any rights you have under consumer protection laws that can't be waived.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of Japan. If you are a consumer, you also keep the protection of any mandatory laws of the country where you live.

Changes to these terms

If we change these terms, we will update the date at the top. For significant changes, we will also tell you in the app. If you keep using Understory after a change, the new terms apply.

Contact

Questions about these terms: support [at] spdigitallabs [dot] app