Elseway Terms of Use

Effective date: July 27, 2026

These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern your use of the Elseway mobile app (the "App"). By downloading, installing, or using the App, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the App.

The App is operated by Anthony Hou, a sole trader based in New South Wales, Australia ("Elseway", "we", "us", "our"). You can reach us at feedback@elseway.app.

What Elseway is

Elseway is a self-control aid. It intercepts launches of social apps you choose to watch and redirects you into a short feed of your own photos, to interrupt habitual scrolling. Elseway runs on your device and collects no personal data about you; see the Privacy Policy for exactly what the App accesses and the limited anonymous usage analytics it uses.

Elseway is a nudge, not a guaranteed blocker. Interception is intentionally probabilistic and can always be bypassed. You can continue into the watched app, adjust the settings, or turn off the permission it relies on (Accessibility on Android, Screen Time on iOS) at any time. Elseway is not a parental-control, security, or content-filtering product, and must not be relied on as one.

Not medical or professional advice

Elseway is a general wellbeing and productivity tool. It is not a medical device and does not provide medical, psychological, therapeutic, or other professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is not a treatment for, and makes no claim to treat, any addiction, compulsion, mental-health condition, or other health condition. We do not promise that using Elseway will change your habits, reduce your screen time, or achieve any particular outcome. If you have concerns about your wellbeing, screen use, or mental health, please speak with a qualified professional. Never disregard or delay professional advice because of anything in the App.

Who can use Elseway

You must be at least 13 years old to use the App, or older if the law where you live sets a higher minimum age for using a service like this. If you are under 18 (or the age of majority where you live), you may use the App only with the involvement and consent of a parent or guardian, who agrees to these Terms on your behalf. Elseway is intended for personal use by individuals and is not directed at children under 13.

Licence to use the App

Subject to these Terms, you are granted a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the App for your own personal, non-commercial use. You may not copy, modify, reverse-engineer, resell, or redistribute the App or any part of it, except where that restriction is prohibited by law.

Your photos and content

If you grant photo access, Elseway builds its feed from your own camera-roll photos, shown to you on your device. Your photos remain yours. We claim no ownership of them and take no licence to them, and, as described in the Privacy Policy, they are never uploaded, copied, or transmitted anywhere. You are responsible for the photos on your own device.

Our intellectual property

The App itself, including its software, design, "Elseway" name, logo, and related branding, is owned by us or our licensors and is protected by intellectual-property laws. These Terms give you a licence to use the App; they do not transfer any ownership of it to you. You may not use our name or branding without our permission, except as allowed by law.

Elseway Pro: subscriptions and billing

Some features require Elseway Pro, offered as an auto-renewing subscription (monthly or annual) or a one-time lifetime purchase. All purchases are processed by the app store you bought through (Google Play or the Apple App Store), not by Elseway. We never see or store your payment details.

• Fulfilment. Elseway Pro is a digital subscription, not a physical good, and there is nothing to ship. Access unlocks automatically and immediately once the app store confirms your purchase, and is revoked automatically if a payment fails or a subscription lapses or is refunded. If a purchase doesn't unlock Pro within a few minutes, contact feedback@elseway.app.
• Auto-renewal. Subscriptions renew automatically for the same period at the then-current price unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends.
• Managing and cancelling. You manage or cancel your subscription in your Google Play or Apple App Store account settings. Cancelling stops future renewals; you keep Pro access until the end of the paid period.
• Refunds. Purchases are handled under the terms and refund policy of the app store you bought through, and refund requests are made through that store. Nothing here limits any non-excludable refund or cancellation right you have under the Australian Consumer Law or the consumer law of your country of residence (for example, the statutory withdrawal or cooling-off rights available to some consumers in the EU and UK).
• Price changes. We may change prices; changes do not affect the period you have already paid for, and any increase to a renewing subscription is subject to the app store's notice and consent rules.

App stores

You download the App from an app store, and your use is also subject to that store's own terms.

If you download the App from the Apple App Store, the following also apply. This section is Elseway's end-user licence agreement (EULA) for the App on Apple platforms, and is written to meet Apple's Instructions for Minimum Terms of Developer's End-User License Agreement.

• Acknowledgement. These Terms are concluded between you and us only, and not with Apple. We, not Apple, are solely responsible for the App and its content. Nothing in these Terms sets usage rules for the App that conflict with the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions.
• Scope of licence. Your licence to use the App is a non-transferable licence to use it on any Apple-branded product that you own or control, as permitted by the Usage Rules set out in the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions, except that the App may also be accessed and used by other accounts associated with you as the purchaser, via Family Sharing or volume purchasing.
• Maintenance and support. We are solely responsible for providing any maintenance and support for the App, to the extent stated in these Terms or required by law. You and we acknowledge that Apple has no obligation whatsoever to provide any maintenance or support for the App.
• Warranty. We are solely responsible for any product warranties, whether express or implied by law, to the extent they are not effectively disclaimed. If the App fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price of the App (if any) to you. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation whatsoever for the App, and any other claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, or expenses arising from a failure to conform to a warranty are our sole responsibility.
• Product claims. We, not Apple, are responsible for addressing any claim by you or a third party relating to the App or your possession or use of it, including product-liability claims, any claim that the App fails to meet a legal or regulatory requirement, and claims arising under consumer-protection, privacy, or similar laws. Nothing in these Terms limits our liability to you beyond what is permitted by applicable law.
• Intellectual property. If a third party claims that the App, or your possession and use of it, infringes their intellectual-property rights, we, not Apple, are solely responsible for the investigation, defence, settlement, and discharge of that claim.
• Legal compliance. You represent and warrant that you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. Government embargo or that has been designated by the U.S. Government as a "terrorist supporting" country, and that you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
• Our details. The App is provided by Anthony Hou, 7 Eden Park Drive, Unit 5 Suite #1037, Macquarie Park NSW 2113, Australia. Direct any questions, complaints, or claims about the App to feedback@elseway.app or +61 422 162 404.
• Third-party terms. You must comply with any applicable third-party terms of agreement when using the App, including the terms of your device's operating system and of the app store you bought through.
• Third-party beneficiary. You and we acknowledge and agree that Apple and Apple's subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms, and that on your acceptance of these Terms Apple has the right (and is deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms against you as a third-party beneficiary.

Acceptable use

You agree not to use the App in any unlawful way, to interfere with its operation, or to attempt to circumvent its licensing or purchase controls.

Device permissions

To detect when a watched app opens, Elseway asks you to turn on an Android accessibility service, or, on iOS, to authorize Apple's Screen Time (Family Controls) and to set up a Shortcuts automation. You grant these permissions voluntarily, you understand what they are used for (as explained in the App and the Privacy Policy), and you can turn them off at any time in your device settings. Elseway uses this access only to recognize that a watched app or screen is in the foreground, never to read the content of your screen.

Availability and changes

We may update, change, or discontinue the App or any feature at any time. The App depends on your device and its operating system; features such as interception rely on Android permissions that you control and that the operating system may change.

Third-party services

The App relies on services we do not control, including your device's operating system, Google Play, and the Apple App Store. We are not responsible for those third-party services or for changes they make that affect the App, and your use of them is governed by their own terms.

Disclaimer of warranties

Except for any guarantees, rights, or remedies that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law or other applicable law (see below), the App is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose. We do not warrant that the App will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that it will change your habits or achieve any particular result.

Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law

Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts, or modifies any right, remedy, guarantee, warranty, or other term or condition that applies to you under the Australian Consumer Law or any other law that cannot lawfully be excluded. Where we are permitted to limit our liability for a failure to comply with a consumer guarantee, our liability is limited, at our option, to supplying the services again or paying the cost of having them supplied again.

Limitation of liability

Subject to the section above, and to the fullest extent permitted by law, Elseway and its developer will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages, or for any loss arising from your use of, or inability to use, the App. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded by law.

Indemnity

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to compensate us for any claims, losses, liabilities, and reasonable expenses (including legal costs) that arise from your misuse of the App, your breach of these Terms, or your breach of any law or of another person's rights. This does not apply to the extent a claim arises from our own breach, or to any right you have under the Australian Consumer Law or other consumer law that cannot be excluded.

Termination

You may stop using the App and uninstall it at any time; uninstalling deletes the data Elseway stores on your device. We may suspend or end your licence if you materially breach these Terms.

Governing law and resolving disputes

Talk to us first. Before starting any formal proceeding, please contact us at feedback@elseway.app and give us 30 days to try to resolve the issue. Most problems can be sorted out this way.

Australia and most other countries. These Terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, and you and we submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales. "Non-exclusive" means you may still bring a claim in your home country where the law gives you that right. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, and the mandatory consumer protections of your country of residence, still apply.

Users in the United States. If you are a U.S. resident, and to the extent permitted by law, any dispute that cannot be resolved informally will be settled by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, rather than in court, except that either party may bring an individual claim in small-claims court. You and we waive any right to a jury trial, and agree that claims may be brought only in an individual capacity and not as part of any class or representative action (the class-action waiver). You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing feedback@elseway.app within 30 days of first accepting these Terms; opting out does not affect the rest of these Terms. If the class-action waiver is found unenforceable, this arbitration provision will not apply to that dispute.

Users in the EU and UK. Nothing in this section requires you to arbitrate or to give up any mandatory legal right. You keep the consumer protections of your country of residence and may bring proceedings in your local courts where the law allows.

General

• Severability. If any part of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest stays in force.
• Entire agreement. These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the whole agreement between you and us about the App and replace any earlier understanding.
• Assignment. You may not transfer your rights under these Terms. We may transfer ours (for example, if the App or business is sold), and your rights will not be reduced as a result.
• No waiver. If we do not enforce a part of these Terms, that is not a waiver of our right to enforce it later.

Changes to these Terms

If these Terms change, the updated version will be posted at this URL with a new effective date. Continued use of the App after changes take effect means you accept the revised Terms. Where the law requires your renewed consent to a material change, we will ask for it.

Contact

Questions about these Terms: feedback@elseway.app, or +61 422 162 404. Postal address: 7 Eden Park Drive, Unit 5 Suite #1037, Macquarie Park NSW 2113.