Terms of Use
Last updated: July 16, 2026 · Provided by Tai Nguyen and Emily Ramos. By using Hearth you agree to these Terms. Each section starts with a plain-English summary; the full text below it is what counts.
A shared list app for your household — plus optional public features.
The service
Hearth is a shared list app for households and groups — groceries, wishlists, to-dos, event lists, and more. Hearth also includes optional public features ("Social"): public profiles, publishing lists publicly, likes, comments, following, and direct messages between mutual followers. Features may change over time.
Be 13 or older, keep your login yours.
Accounts
If you are under 18, you may only use Social features with the involvement of a parent or guardian. Parents and guardians who set Hearth up for a child are responsible for that child's use of it, including whether they use Social.
You must be at least 13. You are responsible for your account, keeping your credentials secure, and all activity under your account.
What you share, your group sees.
Hearths (groups)
Lists, items, notes, and profile info you add to a hearth are visible to its members. Don't add content to a shared hearth you don't want members to see. A hearth is whoever you share lists with — family, flatmates, friends.
Social is off until you pick a handle. Your lists stay private until you publish them.
Social is opt-in
Choosing a public handle makes your display name, profile photo, and bio visible to other Hearth users. Your lists remain private until you publish them — publishing is a separate, deliberate action you take per list, and you can unpublish at any time. Leaving Social releases your handle, hides your profile, and unpublishes your lists.
Don't wreck it for everyone else.
Acceptable use and objectionable content
There is no tolerance for objectionable content or abusive behaviour on Hearth. Don't post, publish, or send anything that: is unlawful; harasses, bullies, threatens or defames anyone; is hateful toward any group; is sexually explicit or sexualises any person, and in particular any minor; glorifies violence, self-harm or suicide; is spam, a scam, or a harmful lie; infringes anyone's rights; or impersonates someone.
Also don't: use the app unlawfully, reverse-engineer or disrupt the service, harvest other users' data, evade a block or suspension, or misuse the third-party data sources.
On swearing: we don't filter ordinary profanity. Swearing is tone, and plenty of people swear affectionately. Slurs, threats, and attacks on who a person is are a different thing entirely, and they aren't permitted however they're spelled. Some content is refused automatically; some is allowed through and reviewed by a person. Passing a filter doesn't make something acceptable.
Report anything. Block anyone. We read reports and act on them.
Reporting, blocking, and enforcement
Every public list, comment, and profile can be reported from within the app, with a reason. Every user can be blocked, which stops you seeing each other's content and ends any ability to message. Comments and published list names are automatically screened: prohibited terms are refused, and borderline content is published and queued for a person to review.
We review reports and act on them, typically within 24 hours. Where content or behaviour breaches these Terms we may, without notice: hide or remove content; unpublish a list; revoke a handle; suspend or terminate an account; and remove someone from Social permanently. We may act on a single serious breach. To report something outside the app, or to appeal, email hearthfamilyapp@gmail.com.
Only between mutual followers. Stored, and not end-to-end encrypted.
Messages
Direct messages are only possible between people who follow each other ("friends"). Blocking or unfollowing ends it immediately.
Messages are private between the participants — but they are not end-to-end encrypted. We store them so they reach the other person and so you can read them later, which means we are technically able to access them. We only do so where we reasonably need to: to investigate a report, comply with the law, or protect someone's safety. Don't send anything through Hearth you wouldn't want stored on a server.
You own your stuff.
Your content
You own the lists, items, notes, and images you create.
Private and hearth content: you grant us a limited licence to store, process, and display it to operate the app for you and the people you share with.
Content you publish publicly: you additionally grant us a licence to host and display it, and you grant other Hearth users a licence to view, copy, modify, and use it within Hearth — including saving their own copy and editing it freely. This is what makes "Save a copy" possible.
Don't publish anything you aren't willing to have copied and changed. Unpublishing stops new copies, but copies people already made remain theirs. We cannot recall them, and neither can you.
We claim no ownership of your content, won't sell it, and won't use it to train machine-learning models.
We strip names when you publish. Don't publish other people's business anyway.
Publishing and other people
When you publish a list we remove the names of who added or was assigned each item, and reset each item's completed state. What we publish is a snapshot taken at that moment. Even so: don't publish other people's personal information — a shared hearth list may contain details your household didn't agree to make public — and don't publish content you don't have the right to publish.
Double-check the food facts.
Third-party data
Food/product info from USDA, Open Food Facts, and Spoonacular is provided "as is"; we don't guarantee accuracy (including allergens, nutrition, or pricing). Verify important details directly.
The app itself is ours.
Intellectual property
The app, its design, code, and branding are owned by us and protected by law. You get only a limited right to use the app as an end user.
Leave whenever you want.
Termination
You may stop using the app and delete your account anytime. We may suspend access for violations or to protect the service. On termination, your public lists are unpublished and your handle is released.
We do our best — no promises.
Disclaimers & liability
The app is provided "as is" without warranties. We don't create, endorse, or verify content published by other users — you use it at your own risk, including lists relating to food, allergens, health, travel, or safety. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential damages, loss of data, or content posted by other users.
This deal is with us, not Apple.
Apple App Store
These Terms are between you and us, not Apple. Apple is not responsible for the app and has no obligation to provide support for it. Apple is a third-party beneficiary of these Terms and may enforce them against you.
Amazon buttons may earn us a coffee.
Amazon Associates
Hearth participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. "Find on Amazon" buttons open Amazon search results through our affiliate link, and we may earn a commission on qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. We don't choose, sell, or ship the products; your purchase is solely between you and Amazon under Amazon's own terms. Amazon and all related marks are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Terms can evolve; we'll date them.
Changes to these terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. The "Last updated" date above reflects the latest version; continued use after changes means you accept them.