the agreement, in plain english

Terms of Service

Last updated: May 9, 2026

These are the terms for using Subtext, a macOS application. By installing or using the app, you agree to these terms.

What Subtext is

Subtext is an app that reads your iMessage history with a contact you choose and produces an analytical “Wrapped”-style summary. It is provided free of charge.

Eligibility

You must be at least 17 years old to use Subtext. By using the app, you confirm that you meet this requirement.

Your responsibilities

When you use Subtext, you agree that:

You have the right to access the messages you are analyzing. You should only run Subtext on your own iMessage data on devices you own or are authorized to use.
You will think carefully before sharing.Subtext lets you export images that include excerpts of your conversations. The other person in the conversation has not consented to having that content shared. You are responsible for what you do with exported content. Don't share things the other person would not want shared.
You won't use Subtext to harm anyone.This includes harassment, surveillance, blackmail, exposing private content without consent, or any use that violates someone else's reasonable expectation of privacy.
You won't abuse the service. No scripting against our endpoints, no attempting to extract API keys, no reverse engineering for purposes other than personal interoperability or security research, no circumventing rate limits.
You won't use Subtext where it's prohibited.Some jurisdictions restrict reading or analyzing electronic communications even when they are stored on your own device. You're responsible for knowing and following the laws that apply to you.

What we provide

We provide Subtext “as is,” without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We don't promise:

That the app will be free of bugs or errors
That analysis output will be accurate, meaningful, or appropriate
That the cloud AI providers we use will be available at all times
That PII redaction in Hybrid mode will catch every identifier (see Privacy Policy)
That your data will not be exposed by failures outside our control

Don't make important life decisions based on Subtext's output. It's an entertainment and reflection tool, not a relationship counselor, fact-checker, or advisor.

Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or exemplary damages arising from your use of Subtext, including but not limited to: damaged relationships, emotional distress, loss of data, exposure of private content, errors in analysis, or any consequence of how you choose to use the app's output.

Our total liability for any claim related to Subtext is limited to $0 (zero dollars), reflecting the fact that the app is free.

Service availability

The app talks to our server backend to perform analysis. This service may be modified, suspended, rate-limited, or discontinued at any time, with or without notice. We may revoke individual install tokens for abuse or any reason. If the backend is unavailable, the app may not function until it returns.

Cloud AI providers

When you use Subtext, the cloud AI providers we route requests to (currently Anthropic; potentially others later) have their own terms that effectively apply to your use. We will use providers that offer reasonable privacy practices, but we are not responsible for actions of those providers. See the Privacy Policy for current providers and links to their policies.

Open source

Some or all of Subtext's code may be made available under an open-source license. The license file in the repository governs use of the source code separately from these Terms, which govern use of the hosted service and distributed binary.

Changes

We may update these terms. Material changes will be announced in-app and the “Last updated” date will change. Continuing to use Subtext after a change means you accept the updated terms.

Termination

You can stop using Subtext at any time by uninstalling it. We can revoke your access to our backend at any time by invalidating your install token, with or without notice, for any reason — most commonly: abuse, excessive requests, or violations of these terms.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, USA, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in San Francisco County, California.

Contact

Questions, concerns, takedown requests, or token revocation: hello@subtext.st