Effective date: June 18, 2026
These Terms of Use govern your access to and use of the mobile application Instead, provided by ALI OGULCAN DULGER, a sole proprietorship based in Turkey.
By downloading, accessing, or using Instead, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the app.
1. Who provides the app
Instead is provided by ALI OGULCAN DULGER. References to "Instead", "we", "us", and "our" mean ALI OGULCAN DULGER.
Contact email: ogulcan.dulger@gmail.com
2. What the app does
Instead is a mobile app that turns a user's screen time into suggestions of things the user could have done instead, based on interests the user selects.
Activity suggestion content is currently bundled locally in the app. Some features may depend on device permissions, operating system capabilities, and platform restrictions.
3. Eligibility and age
The current version of Instead is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older. You may not use the app if you are under 18.
If we later decide to support younger users, we may update these Terms and add any age-appropriate notice, parental consent, or other legal flow that may be required.
4. No account required
The current version of Instead does not require account creation or login to use its main functionality.
If you choose to submit the waitlist form, you are responsible for providing accurate information.
In the current version, after a waitlist submission the app may keep a local on-device record of the submitted goals and duration fields so the app can show your submission history on that same device. That local record is separate from the remote waitlist submission and generally remains until local app data is cleared, the app is uninstalled, or the app removes or replaces it through normal operation.
5. Permissions and platform limitations
Some features depend on permissions or platform approvals.
On Android, usage-based features may depend on the system's usage access controls associated with PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS, which users grant through system settings.
On iOS, screen-time-related functionality may depend on Apple Family Controls authorization, entitlement approval, device settings, regional availability, and other Apple platform limitations.
Some or all functionality may therefore be unavailable, reduced, delayed, inaccurate, or different across devices, operating systems, app versions, or regions.
6. Manual entry fallback
If automatic screen-time access is unavailable or declined, the app may allow manual screen-time entry.
Manual entry is a user-provided approximation, may differ from actual operating system statistics, and is temporary in the current implementation.
7. App functionality disclaimer
Instead is intended as a productivity, reflection, and motivational tool. It provides suggestion content and estimates based on the information available to the app.
We do not guarantee that any suggestion is appropriate, complete, accurate, effective, personalized to your circumstances, or available in your location.
We do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation, and we may change, suspend, or discontinue features at any time.
8. Non-medical and non-treatment disclaimer
Instead is not a medical device, healthcare service, therapy service, psychiatric service, crisis service, or mental health treatment provider.
The app does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, counseling, psychotherapy, or treatment. It is not a substitute for qualified professional advice or care.
If you are experiencing a health crisis, mental health crisis, or emergency, do not rely on the app. Contact an appropriate qualified professional or emergency service in your area.
9. Acceptable use
You agree not to:
• Use the app in violation of applicable law;
• Interfere with or disrupt the app or related infrastructure;
• Attempt unauthorized access to systems or data;
• Use bots, scripts, or automated methods to abuse the waitlist or submission limits;
• Submit false, misleading, or third-party personal information without authorization;
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the app except to the extent such restriction is prohibited by applicable law;
• Use the app in a way that misrepresents its capabilities or your identity.
10. Waitlist and communications
If you submit the waitlist form, you authorize us to use the submitted contact information to send you waitlist, launch, product, and related service communications for Instead.
Where permitted by applicable law, such communications may occasionally include promotional content relating to Instead.
Where applicable law requires separate consent for promotional electronic marketing, we may seek that consent separately or limit what we send until that consent is obtained.
You can opt out of non-essential emails at any time by using the unsubscribe mechanism provided in the message, if available, or by contacting us at ogulcan.dulger@gmail.com.
11. Intellectual property
The app, including its software, design, trademarks, branding, text, graphics, and bundled activity suggestion content, is owned by or licensed to us and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws.
Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the app for personal, non-commercial use.
12. Feedback
If you send us ideas, suggestions, or feedback about the app, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, and otherwise exploit that feedback without compensation or restriction, unless applicable law does not allow that result.
13. Third-party platforms
If you download the app through Apple's App Store, Google Play, or another distribution platform, your use may also be subject to that platform's applicable terms, rules, and device requirements.
Those third parties are not parties to these Terms except to the extent mandatory platform terms require otherwise.
14. Suspension and termination
We may suspend or terminate your access to the app, the waitlist, or related communications if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms, created legal or security risk, abused the app, or where we need to do so to protect the app, users, service providers, or comply with law.
You may stop using the app at any time.
15. Disclaimer of warranties
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the app is provided "as is" and "as available".
We disclaim all warranties, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and that the app will meet your requirements, be accurate, or be available without interruption or error.
16. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, we will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenues, data, goodwill, or business opportunity, arising out of or relating to your use of or inability to use the app.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total aggregate liability for all claims arising out of or relating to the app or these Terms will not exceed the greater of:
• The amount you paid us, if any, for the app in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim; or
• USD 50.
Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.
17. Indemnity
To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless ALI OGULCAN DULGER from claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses arising out of your misuse of the app, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of applicable law or the rights of another person.
18. Changes to the app or these Terms
We may modify the app or these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we may provide notice by updating the effective date, through the app, or by other reasonable means.
If you continue using the app after the updated Terms take effect, you agree to the updated Terms to the extent permitted by law.
19. Governing law and disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Turkey, excluding its conflict-of-laws rules.
If you are a consumer, nothing in these Terms is intended to limit any mandatory consumer protection rights you may have under the law of your country of residence.
Before filing a formal claim, you agree to first contact us at ogulcan.dulger@gmail.com and try in good faith to resolve the dispute informally.
If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, it will be brought before the competent courts of Turkey, unless mandatory consumer law requires another forum.
20. Contact details
Questions about these Terms can be sent to:
ALI OGULCAN DULGER — Email: ogulcan.dulger@gmail.com