Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By downloading, accessing, or using the Yomaru mobile application ("App"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you disagree with any part of these terms, you may not access the service.

2. Description of Service

Yomaru is a mobile application for reading and learning Japanese. The App provides:

• Camera-based text recognition (OCR) for capturing Japanese text from photos
• Text input for pasting Japanese content from any source
• Furigana reading annotations (hiragana and romaji)
• Word-by-word lookup and learning for unknown vocabulary
• A curated kanji learning path from JLPT N5 to N1
• Interactive stroke-order practice
• Vocabulary and sentence exercises with quizzes
• Sharing support — receive images and text from other apps

3. User Content

When you photograph, paste, or share Japanese text into Yomaru, that content ("User Content") is processed and stored locally on your device. You are responsible for ensuring you have the right to use any content you input into the App.

Yomaru does not claim ownership of your User Content. All text and images you input remain yours and are stored only on your device.

4. Camera and Photo Library

The App requests access to your device's camera and photo library for the purpose of capturing or selecting images containing Japanese text. All image processing (OCR) occurs on your device. Images are stored locally and are not uploaded to any external server. You may delete stored images at any time by deleting the associated reading within the App.

5. Intellectual Property

All original content, features, and functionality within Yomaru — including but not limited to the codebase, learning paths, user interface designs, and learning methodology — are the exclusive property of Yomaru and its creators.

Open-source data: Yomaru incorporates data from open-source projects, including KanjiVG for stroke data, KANJIDIC for kanji information, JMdict for dictionary definitions, and JmdictFurigana for reading annotations. This data remains under its respective original licenses (Creative Commons and EDRDG). Derived databases are available for download in compliance with these licenses.

6. User Responsibilities

You agree to use the App solely for personal, non-commercial learning purposes. You agree not to:

• Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the App's source code.
• Extract the pre-compiled SQLite databases for use in competing products.
• Reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, or exploit any portion of the App without express written permission.
• Use the camera or OCR features to process content you do not have the right to use.

7. Advertising & In-App Purchases

The free version of Yomaru displays banner advertisements served by third-party advertising networks (Google AdMob). We strive to place ads unobtrusively so they do not interrupt your learning flow.

Remove Ads Purchase: You may choose to purchase the optional "Remove Ads" feature. This is a one-time, non-consumable in-app purchase that permanently disables all advertisements within the App for your Apple ID or Google Play account.

Payment Processing: All in-app purchases are processed through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You agree to comply with the respective store's terms and conditions governing payments and billing.

Refunds: Because all transactions are managed by Apple or Google, Yomaru cannot issue refunds directly. If you require a refund, you must submit your request to the platform provider from which you made the purchase (Apple or Google), subject to their applicable refund policies.

Restoration: If you reinstall the App or switch to a new device on the same platform, you can restore your purchased ad-free status without paying again by using the "Restore Purchases" feature located in the App's Settings and purchase screens.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

The App is provided on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis. Yomaru makes no warranties, expressed or implied, regarding:

• The accuracy, reliability, or completeness of dictionary definitions, readings, or learning materials. Language is complex, and while we strive for accuracy, errors may occur.
• The accuracy of on-device text recognition (OCR). Results depend on image quality, lighting, and text clarity.

Because Yomaru stores data offline on your device, we are not responsible for the loss of learning progress, readings, or stored images due to device failure, uninstallation, or corruption of local storage.

9. Limitation of Liability

In no event shall Yomaru, nor its developers, be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including without limitation, loss of data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, resulting from your access to or use of or inability to access or use the App.

10. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. Continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

11. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at [email protected].