Terms & Conditions

ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS

By creating an account and using SoleMates, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the app.

ELIGIBILITY

You must be 18 or older to use SoleMates.

YOUR ACCOUNT

You are responsible for your account credentials and for providing accurate information. You may not create an account on behalf of another person.

NON-TRANSFERABILITY OF ACCOUNTS & WALK SPOTS

Your SoleMates account, and any walk you have requested to join or been accepted into, are personal to you and may not be transferred, sold, or shared. You may not request to join a walk, or accept a spot, on behalf of a friend, family member, or anyone else who does not hold their own SoleMates account, and you may not send someone in your place to attend a walk without the host's advance approval.

ACCEPTABLE USE

• Treat all companions with respect
• Do not post false or misleading walk listings
• Do not harass, threaten, or harm other users
• Do not use the app for commercial or promotional purposes
• Do not attempt to access other users' accounts or data

HARASSMENT & OFF-PLATFORM CONDUCT

Harassment, unwanted contact, threats, or disrespectful behavior toward another SoleMates user are prohibited regardless of where they occur — including in-app group chat, third-party platforms (such as WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS, or email), and in-person interactions — when they involve a connection made through SoleMates. Conduct that would violate these Terms if it happened in the app is still a violation of these Terms when it happens off-platform but originates from a SoleMates walk match.

ASSUMPTION OF RISK & WAIVER OF LIABILITY

MEETING AND WALKING WITH OTHER USERS, INCLUDING STRANGERS, CARRIES INHERENT RISK OF PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, OR FINANCIAL HARM. BY USING SOLEMATES, YOU VOLUNTARILY ASSUME ALL SUCH RISKS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, YOU WAIVE AND RELEASE SOLEMATES, ITS OPERATORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS FROM ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, DAMAGES, OR LOSSES ARISING FROM YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER USERS OR PARTICIPATION IN ANY WALK.

This waiver does not apply to, and does not attempt to limit, liability for gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct by SoleMates itself, to the extent such a limitation would be unenforceable under New York law (including New York General Obligations Law § 5-326).

NO GUARANTEE OF USER VERIFICATION

SOLEMATES DOES NOT CONDUCT CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS, IDENTITY VERIFICATION, OR ANY OTHER SCREENING OF USERS. You are solely responsible for exercising judgment when deciding whether to meet, walk with, or otherwise interact with any other user.

TECHNICAL & SAFETY BEACON DISCLAIMER

The Safety Beacon shares your approximate location with a contact you choose. Background location tracking and push notifications depend on your device's operating system, hardware, battery, network connectivity, and settings, and their timely or continuous operation IS NOT GUARANTEED — updates may be delayed, interrupted, or stop entirely, including if the app is force-quit or the device loses power or signal.

SAFETY BEACON IS A SECONDARY LOCATION-SHARING CONVENIENCE ONLY. IT IS NOT AN EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM, NOT MONITORED BY SOLEMATES OR ANY EMERGENCY SERVICE, AND IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR CALLING 911 OR LOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES. IN AN EMERGENCY, ALWAYS CALL 911 DIRECTLY FIRST.

EMERGENCY CONTACT & SAFETY FEATURE DATA SHARING CONSENT

When you activate Safety Beacon or otherwise use a safety feature within SoleMates, you consent to your designated trusted contact's name and phone number, and your real-time GPS location while that feature is active, being made accessible to that trusted contact and, where reasonably necessary to respond to an actual or suspected emergency, to emergency responders or law enforcement. This sharing is solely for safety and emergency-coordination purposes.

This sharing stops once you deactivate the relevant safety feature, except where information has already been shared with a trusted contact or emergency responder in connection with an emergency already in progress.

INDEMNIFICATION

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless SoleMates and its operators from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to your use of the app, your conduct during any walk, or your violation of these Terms, whether brought by another user or any third party.

MANDATORY ARBITRATION & CLASS ACTION WAIVER

Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of SoleMates shall be resolved exclusively through final and binding individual arbitration, rather than in court, governed by the laws of the State of New York. YOU AND SOLEMATES EACH WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL AND TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION, CLASS ARBITRATION, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. This section does not prevent either party from bringing an individual claim in small claims court where permitted.

RATINGS AND REVIEWS

Reviews must be honest and based on your real experience. Do not submit false or malicious reviews.

CODE OF CONDUCT & PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE

All users are expected to use the name and pronouns another user has shared with them, and to respect the privacy of information shared on a profile — including not screenshotting, republishing, or using another user's profile information outside the app without their consent.

Except where a violation is severe enough to warrant immediate action, SoleMates generally addresses Code of Conduct violations through a progressive discipline process:

• Warning — a notice explaining the violation and what's expected going forward
• Temporary suspension — of the account, or of the ability to host or join walks, for a defined period
• Permanent ban — removal from the platform

SoleMates reserves the right to skip any of these steps and immediately suspend or permanently ban an account where a violation involves a safety threat, harassment, or other severe misconduct.

TERMINATION

We may suspend or terminate your account for violations. You may delete your account at any time directly within the app under Settings.

DISCLAIMERS

SoleMates is provided "as is." We are not responsible for the actions of any user you meet through the app.

GOVERNING LAW

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York.

CONTACT

Email: [email protected]