Please read these Terms carefully. They include an agreement to resolve most disputes through individual arbitration instead of in court, and a waiver of class actions (Section 13). You can opt out of arbitration within 30 days of creating your account (Section 13.6). If you live in Canada, Section 13.9 explains how this applies to you.
You must be at least 18 to use Tether. Tether is not currently offered in the province of Quebec.
These Terms of Service ("Terms," "Agreement") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "you," or "your") and Tether, LLC ("Tether," "we," "us," or "our") governing your access to and use of the Tether mobile application, website, and related services (collectively, the "Service").
BY ACCESSING OR USING THE SERVICE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS AND OUR PRIVACY POLICY, INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, YOU MUST NOT ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICE.
To use the Service, you must:
Tether may run a limited-release period during which new accounts are limited to invited phone numbers. When that restriction is active, you can request access at tetherup.app/request-access.
Using Tether for an organization. If you use the Service on behalf of an organization, you confirm that you have authority to accept these Terms for it, and "you" includes that organization.
We may update these Terms from time to time. We will post the updated Terms in the app and on our website and update the "Last Updated" date. If a change is material, we will notify you in the app or by email at least 30 days before it takes effect, unless the change is required by law or relates only to a new feature. Changes do not apply to disputes that arose before the change took effect. If you do not agree to a change, you can stop using the Service and delete your account; continuing to use the Service after a change takes effect means you accept it.
Your use of certain features may be subject to supplemental terms or our Community Guidelines, available at tetherup.app/guidelines, incorporated by reference. In the event of a conflict between these Terms and supplemental terms, the supplemental terms govern for that feature.
To use Tether, you must create an account by providing a valid phone number. Authentication is performed by one-time password ("OTP"):
We do not offer password-based authentication or social sign-in (OAuth/SSO). You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information and to update it as necessary.
By selecting the unchecked SMS consent box when you provide or change your phone number, you expressly consent to receive SMS text messages from Tether and our SMS service provider (Telnyx), including:
You understand that:
Tether is not responsible for delayed or undelivered messages. Carrier and network conditions affect delivery. Review the SMS Terms and Privacy Policy.
Signing in to Tether depends on things Tether does not control: your phone number and SIM, your email account, your device, and the companies that provide them. To help keep your account safe, please:
You are responsible for activity in your account that you authorize, including activity by people you let use your device. Section 10.5 explains the limits of our responsibility when someone else compromises your phone number, email, or device. Nothing in this Section limits Tether's responsibility for its own failure to use reasonable security measures or to give notices required by law.
Each user may maintain only one personal Tether account. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent subscription limits, bans, or features is prohibited and may result in termination of all accounts.
When you sign in on a device, we create a user-scoped device identifier by combining a randomly-generated, per-installation device identifier (stored securely on your device, not a hardware identifier) with your user ID. This ensures your data syncs only to your authenticated devices. You can sign out all of your other signed-in devices at once from Settings > Privacy & sharing > Your devices ("Log out all other devices").
By creating an account, you consent to receive all communications from Tether electronically, and agree that:
You can use Tether with just a phone number, but we strongly recommend adding and verifying an email address from your Profile tab. Verification sends a one-time code to that address, which you enter in the app before it expires (currently 15 minutes).
A verified, current email address is how you can:
Without one, we may be unable to restore your access if you lose your phone number, and you could lose access to your account, data, and subscription benefits. Please keep your recovery email current, re-verify it if it changes, and let us know at [email protected] if it is compromised.
To change the phone number on your account, you verify the new number with a one-time code. We then send a security notice, on a best-effort basis, to your previous phone number, your verified email address, and your other signed-in devices, each with a link to undo the change within 24 hours, and we sign you out on every device. After 24 hours the change is final and can be reversed only by contacting [email protected]. Undoing a change restores your previous number, locks the account until you verify your identity with us, and signs out every device. We limit how often phone numbers can be changed and allow only one pending change at a time. Notice delivery depends on carriers, email providers, and devices, so a missed notice does not extend the 24-hour window.
To change your email address, you must be signed in with your phone number (not an email code) and verify the new address with a one-time code. We send security notices to your previous and new email addresses, your verified phone number where applicable, and your other signed-in devices, each with a 24-hour undo link, and we sign out your other devices. The same undo, lock, and limit rules as Section 2.8 apply.
The app checks at launch whether a device has been jailbroken or rooted and, if so, won't run on it. Please don't try to get around this check. It can occasionally flag a device by mistake; if that keeps you from using a paid subscription, you can ask Apple or Google for a refund of the unused period, and [email protected] can help.
Besides the undo procedure above, we may lock or restrict an account if we suspect fraud, abuse, or account takeover; after repeated failed sign-in attempts; if a phone number appears to have been reassigned; or where the law requires. Lockouts exist to stop unauthorized people from doing further damage, so they can happen even when you did nothing wrong.
Lockout evasion. You agree not to try to get around an account lock or sign-out, including by creating a new account.
Recovery. To recover a locked account, email [email protected] from the verified email on your account (or another address you can show you control). We may ask you to confirm details of recent account activity or, where necessary, provide other reasonable proof of identity, and we may decline to unlock an account if we cannot reasonably confirm you are the rightful owner. We will work with you to restore access as quickly as we reasonably can.
Free: Live sync, realtime updates, Activity Feed, device/Google/Microsoft contact import, contacts, custom circles, shared circles and directories, events, network health, privacy controls, full data export, and duplicate detection — at no cost, within the current limits shown in the app.
Tether+ (US$2.99/month or US$24.99/year): Everything in Free, with higher limits for contacts, circles, directories, events, custom fields, notes, and relationship history; a longer availability window for scheduling; and CardDAV contact sync, which lets iOS and macOS read your Tether contacts as an address-book source (read-only, and requires installing a configuration profile). Current limits are shown in the app.
Lifetime Plan (US$99.99 one-time): All Tether+ features for as long as Tether operates the Service, with no recurring charges. Limited Founders Edition: offered until 10,000 production store purchases have been completed. Deleting an account, transferring access, or refunding or revoking a purchase does not reopen a sold place. We honor valid purchases completed while availability is changing; the cap does not cause an automatic refund or revocation.
If Tether stops operating the Service, or transfers it to another company that will not honor Lifetime Plans, we will give Lifetime Plan holders at least 90 days' notice.
Prices above are in U.S. dollars. Your app store shows the price in your local currency, including in Canada, before you buy. Plan features, limits, and prices may change; current details are in the app's subscription settings.
Subscriptions are purchased through the Apple App Store or Google Play, which process your payment; we use RevenueCat to keep track of your subscription status. Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the period ends. If a renewal payment fails and your app store ends the subscription, your account returns to the Free tier. If we change a subscription price, you will be notified as your app store's rules and applicable law require, and the new price applies only from a later billing period.
Subscriptions are purchased through the App Store or Google Play, and those stores — not Tether — are the merchant of record. You cancel through the store, not through Tether: in the app, Settings > Subscription > Manage Subscription opens your store subscription settings. You retain access to paid features until the end of the current billing period. Refunds are issued by Apple or Google under their own policies; Tether cannot grant, deny, or pro-rate a refund for a store purchase. Apple's process is at reportaproblem.apple.com. If you believe you were charged in error, contact us at [email protected] and we will help you raise it with the store.
Downgrade: If your subscription expires or a limit is lowered, your existing data is retained. You can continue to view, remove, and export it, and make changes that do not increase an already over-limit resource. Creating or increasing data beyond your current limits may require reducing usage or upgrading. Privacy controls, account deletion, and data export are never gated. A subscription change does not sign out your devices; you can manage and revoke device sessions in Settings.
An eligible signup receives one 180-day promotional Tether+ trial at no charge. It does not require a payment method and does not convert to a paid subscription — when it ends, your account returns to the Free tier unless you choose to subscribe. The trial cannot be restarted on the same account, and trials are limited to one per phone number in any 12-month period. We may revoke trial access if we detect abuse or violation of these Terms.
Subscription fees exclude applicable taxes. You are responsible for any sales, use, VAT, GST, or other taxes imposed by governmental authorities. We will add applicable taxes to your invoice where required by law.
Your conduct on the Service is governed by our Community Guidelines, which are incorporated into these Terms by reference. They set out how you may use the Service, what you may store and share about other people, and what is prohibited, including rules on content, contact data, location sharing, shared directories and events, automation, and security. A violation of the Community Guidelines is a breach of these Terms.
Tether has zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive behavior. You can report a connected person from their contact card, a post from your feed, or an event from its page, and you can block anyone you are connected to or who sends you a connection request. You can report anything else to [email protected]. Reports go to a moderation queue that a human reviews, and we remove content and suspend or terminate accounts that violate this standard. Enforcement is described in the Community Guidelines and Section 12.3.
The Service is for your personal use and your own internal contact management, including at work. Unless we agree in writing, you may not resell, sublicense, rent, or otherwise commercially exploit the Service, or use the Service or data from it to build a competing product, service, or dataset.
You may not copy, modify, or create derivative works of the app; reverse engineer, decompile, or try to extract its source code, except where the law allows this despite this restriction; access the Service through automated means we have not permitted; or interfere with its security features. The Community Guidelines describe these and related rules in more detail.
Nothing in these Terms restricts your right to review, rate, or comment on Tether, or to make any other lawful statement about Tether or the Service.
Tether allows users to create and join Shared Directories (e.g., school directories, neighborhood groups, professional associations) and Shared Circles (collaborative contact groups), enabling groups to maintain shared contact information.
The number of shared circles or directories you can create depends on your plan; current limits are shown in the app. As a directory administrator, you are responsible for: setting directory guidelines; moderating membership and content; responding to member complaints; complying with applicable laws; and ensuring the directory's purpose is legitimate and lawful. The Community Guidelines govern how directory member data may be used.
When you join a directory, your directory profile is visible to all directory members per your privacy settings. You agree to provide accurate information and to follow the directory's own guidelines and our Community Guidelines.
Tether may set general practices and limits for the Service, such as how long data is retained and how much storage is available, and may change them over time. Our retention practices are described in the Privacy Policy, and we will give notice before closing an account for inactivity (see Section 12.3).
You retain ownership of information you contribute. You grant directory members a limited, non-exclusive license to view your shared information for directory purposes. You can remove your information by leaving the directory, though members may retain locally saved copies.
You retain all rights to contact information and content you create, upload, or store in Tether ("Your Content"). By using Tether, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to store and process Your Content to provide the Service, transmit it between your devices for synchronization, create backups for disaster recovery, and display it to other users according to your privacy settings. This license terminates when you delete Your Content or close your account (subject to backup retention of up to 90 days).
You represent and warrant that: (a) you own or have the necessary rights to Your Content; (b) Your Content does not violate any third party's rights; (c) Your Content complies with applicable laws; (d) you have obtained any consents required by applicable law to store and share personal information about your contacts; and (e) where required, you have obtained necessary consents before inviting a contact to a co-hosted event where co-hosts may view and save guest information. You are solely responsible for Your Content and the consequences of sharing it.
You grant Tether and its affiliates, successors, assigns, and service providers a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, fully paid-up, sublicensable (solely to service providers acting on Tether's behalf) license to host, store, copy, cache, transmit, sync between your devices, reformat, resize, re-encode, back up, and display Your Content solely as necessary to operate, secure, maintain, and improve the Service and to provide it to you and to the other Users with whom you have chosen to share, in accordance with your privacy-tier and circle settings. This license does not permit Tether to sell Your Content, to use Your Content or your contacts' personal information for advertising or marketing to any person, or to disclose Your Content except as described in the Privacy Policy. This license terminates when you delete the applicable item of Your Content or close your account, subject only to (a) commercially reasonable backup-retention of up to ninety (90) days and (b) copies other Users have lawfully saved to their own address books before deletion, over which Tether has no control. You separately authorize Tether and its service providers to derive aggregated, de-identified statistical and usage data relating to your use of the Service ("Usage Data"), which Tether may use to operate and improve the Service in accordance with applicable law and the Privacy Policy; Usage Data does not include the content of your contacts, notes, photos, or health fields.
Any questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, feedback, reviews, or other information about the Service ("Submissions") you provide to Tether are non-confidential. Tether is entitled to the unrestricted use and dissemination of Submissions for any purpose, commercial or otherwise, without acknowledgment, attribution, or compensation to you.
The Service and its content (excluding Your Content) are owned by Tether and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. This includes: Tether software, code, and algorithms; user interface design and graphics; the TETHER name, logo, and branding, which we use as trademarks (a U.S. application to register TETHER, Serial No. 99740187, is pending with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office); documentation; and database structure and organization.
"Tether Trademarks" means Tether's names, logos, and other marks, whether or not registered. You may not use Tether Trademarks without prior written consent, including in any domain name, product name, social media handle, advertising, or promotional materials that could suggest affiliation with or endorsement by Tether. All goodwill generated from any use of Tether Trademarks will inure to our exclusive benefit. Nominative referential use (e.g., "I use Tether") does not constitute trademark infringement.
Subject to these Terms, Tether grants you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to: (a) install the Tether app on your mobile device(s); and (b) use the app for your own personal use solely to access the Service. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved by Tether.
Tether may contain links to or integrations with third-party websites, services, or content. Tether is not responsible for such third-party content or practices. Under no circumstances will Tether be liable in any way for any third-party content, including for any errors or omissions in any content, or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of use of third-party content. You must evaluate and bear all risks associated with use of such content.
All rights not expressly granted in these Terms are reserved by Tether. Using the Service does not give you ownership of it or any right to use Tether Trademarks, and does not make you Tether's partner, sponsor, or endorser.
Our collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy, incorporated by reference. By using the Service, you consent to our privacy practices.
By syncing your device contacts with Tether, you consent to our comparing the phone numbers in your contacts against other Tether users' verified phone numbers. When two users have each other's verified phone number saved, Tether may show a mutual-contact suggestion. Discovery never creates or accepts a connection. One user must send an explicit connection request and the other must explicitly accept it before shared profile information becomes visible under their respective circle and sharing-tier settings. You may remove any connection at any time and adjust sharing preferences in Settings > Privacy & sharing > What new people see.
By using contact management features, you represent and warrant that:
You acknowledge that contacts whose information you store may have privacy rights and agree to cooperate in fulfilling valid data subject requests.
Tether offers two optional health-related fields: allergies (including a "no known allergies" option) and dietary preferences. They are meant for everyday purposes such as hosting a meal or choosing a gift.
Health information is sensitive, and some state laws give it extra protection. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle it. Tether is not a medical record system; see Section 10.8.
When you upload photos or images, we automatically strip EXIF metadata (including GPS location coordinates, device information, and timestamps) from those images prior to storage. You should not rely on Tether to preserve image metadata.
Tether does not use machine learning or artificial intelligence on your data. It uses fixed rules to make two kinds of suggestions:
Suggestions never change anything until you act on them. We do not use your contact data to train AI models.
If someone whose information you stored in Tether asks us to access or delete it, we will respond to them directly as the law requires, and we will not tell you who made the request. We may ask you to help, and we may restrict or delete the information where the law requires.
You are responsible for your interactions with other users, including disputes about content in shared directories, events, or connections. Tether may, but is not required to, help resolve disputes between users. To the extent the law allows, you release Tether from claims arising out of disputes between you and other users, except claims arising from Tether's own negligence, misconduct, breach of these Terms, or violation of law.
Tether respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects users to do the same. It is our policy to respond promptly to claims of intellectual property infringement that comply with applicable law.
If you believe content on the Service infringes your copyright, submit a written notice to:
Tether, LLC — Copyright Agent Email: [email protected] (Subject: "DMCA Takedown Notice") Postal: Tether, LLC, Attn: Legal/Copyright, 5900 Balcones Dr Ste 100, Austin, TX 78731, USA
Your notice must include:
Please be advised that under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material is infringing may be subject to liability.
If you believe removed content was taken down by mistake or misidentification, submit a counter-notice to our Copyright Agent containing:
Upon receipt of a valid counter-notice, we will forward it to the original complainant and reinstate content within 10–14 business days unless we receive notice of a legal action.
In accordance with the DMCA and other applicable law, Tether has adopted a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances and at Tether's sole discretion, the accounts of users who are deemed to be repeat infringers. Tether may also limit access to the Service and/or terminate the accounts of any users who infringe any intellectual property rights of others, whether or not there is repeat infringement.
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, ERROR-FREE, OR THAT DATA SYNCHRONIZATION WILL ALWAYS BE INSTANTANEOUS OR CONFLICT-FREE.
WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT:
We are not responsible for the availability, reliability, or accuracy of third-party services (Google Contacts, Microsoft Contacts, payment processors), changes to third-party APIs or terms, or privacy practices of third-party services. We are not responsible for third-party content accessed via the Service.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, TETHER SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, OR CONTACT INFORMATION; COST OF SUBSTITUTE SERVICES; REPUTATIONAL HARM; OR EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO TETHER IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) $100 USD.
These limitations do not apply to: our gross negligence or willful misconduct; death or personal injury caused by our negligence; fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or liabilities that cannot be excluded under applicable law.
Some states and provinces do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation of certain damages, so some of the exclusions and limits in this Section 10 may not apply to you. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any right or remedy that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law, or Tether's liability for its own failure to maintain reasonable security or to give notices required by law.
We shall not be liable for failure or delay due to: acts of God; war, terrorism, civil unrest; government actions; internet or telecommunications failures; third-party service outages; cyberattacks; pandemics; or other circumstances beyond our reasonable control.
Tether's sign-in relies on your phone number, email account, and device, which Tether does not control. Subject to Section 10.3 and to the extent the law allows, Tether is not responsible for losses caused when someone else compromises those channels — for example through SIM-swap or number-porting fraud, email account takeover, malware, or use of your unlocked device — or for actions taken in your account as a result. This does not apply to losses caused by Tether's own failure to use reasonable security measures.
Tether's notifications — including OTPs, security alerts, revocation links, event invitations, push notifications, and other transactional and non-transactional messages — are sent on a best-effort basis through third-party service providers (currently Telnyx for SMS, Resend for email, and Expo Push for push notifications, each subject to change without notice). Tether does not warrant that any notification will be delivered, will be delivered to the intended channel, will be delivered within any particular time, will be delivered to the exclusion of any spam or junk folder, or will be free from interception or modification in transit. Each notification stands alone; the failure of one notification does not entitle you to a re-send of any other.
The Service is an interactive mobile application that performs background synchronization when operating-system conditions permit. Tether does not warrant that data will sync, that pending writes will be flushed, or that the application will receive push notifications when the user has force-quit the application, has revoked background-execution privileges, has put the device in a low-power state, has cleared the application from memory, or has disabled cellular or Wi-Fi. You acknowledge that synchronization, while designed to be eventually consistent, is not guaranteed to be instantaneous, complete, or conflict-free under all conditions.
The Service permits you to store two health-related fields about your contacts: allergies (including a "no known allergies" flag) and dietary preferences (the "Health Fields"). It does not store blood type, medical conditions, medications, prescriptions, treating-physician details, or emergency contact designations. The Health Fields are provided as a personal-record-keeping convenience and are not a clinical, diagnostic, or medical record-keeping system. The Service is not HIPAA-compliant. Tether is not a covered entity, a business associate, or a healthcare provider, and the Service is not intended for use in emergency medical decision-making. You must not rely on the Health Fields, or the absence of information in them, for any medical, emergency, or healthcare decision. Section 7.4 governs your obligations with respect to the storage of health information about third parties.
The Service propagates "live" contact-card updates between connected users on a best-effort basis. Tether does not warrant that any live update will be received by, applied to, or visible to any particular connection, or that any live update will be timely or accurate. Live updates are subject to network conditions, the recipient's privacy-tier settings (which may filter or block fields), the recipient's connection status (active or stale), and the recipient's device state. Do not rely on a live update to convey time-sensitive information; use a direct communication channel for any communication that must be received.
We may offer features that are still in "beta," "pilot," "limited release," or similar pre-release form ("Beta Features"). You may choose to try Beta Features at your sole discretion. BETA FEATURES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. Subject to Section 10.3 and to the extent the law allows, Tether is not responsible for problems caused by Beta Features. Beta Features may contain bugs, errors, and other problems. YOU ASSUME ALL RISKS AND ALL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR USE OF BETA FEATURES. We are not obligated to provide maintenance, technical, or other support for Beta Features, and may discontinue them at any time without notice.
To the extent the law allows, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Tether, its affiliates, and their officers, directors, employees, and agents from third-party claims, and related losses and reasonable legal fees, to the extent they arise from: (a) your breach of these Terms or the Community Guidelines; (b) your violation of any law or of someone else's rights; or (c) content you upload, store, or share through the Service, including information about other people that you store or share without any consent the law requires. This does not apply to the extent a claim results from Tether's own negligence, misconduct, or violation of law.
We will let you know promptly about any claim covered by Section 11.1. We may choose to control the defense of the claim, and you agree to cooperate reasonably. You may not settle a claim in a way that imposes obligations on Tether without our written consent.
These Terms commence when you create your Tether account and continue until terminated by you or us.
Delete your account through Settings > Danger zone > Delete account, or email [email protected]. Your data will be deleted per our Privacy Policy. Deleting your account does not cancel an App Store or Google Play subscription; cancel it in your app store's subscription settings.
We may suspend or terminate your account immediately, with or without notice, for: breach of these Terms; legal or safety concerns; extended inactivity (12 months, with notice); payment issues; fraudulent activity; or violation of the Community Guidelines.
Where we take enforcement action, we will let you know and explain any options for review, unless doing so would expose us to legal liability, harm our user community, compromise the integrity of our systems, or is prohibited for legal or technical reasons.
Upon termination: your right to access the Service ceases immediately; your content will be deleted per our retention schedule (Privacy Policy Section 6); and you remain liable for obligations incurred before termination. Refunds for app store purchases are handled by Apple or Google under their policies (see Section 3.3).
Provisions that by their nature should continue after termination survive it, including Sections 6 (Content and Intellectual Property), 7.3 and 7.4 (Data Obligations), 8 (User Disputes), 9 (DMCA), 10 (Disclaimers and Limitations of Liability), 11 (Indemnification), 13 (Dispute Resolution), and 14 (General Provisions), along with any obligations incurred before termination.
Before filing a formal claim, you agree to contact us at [email protected] to attempt informal resolution in good faith. If we are unable to resolve the dispute informally, either party may proceed to arbitration as described below.
If informal resolution fails, the party intending to pursue arbitration must send written notice ("Notice of Dispute") to the other party (for Tether: [email protected]; for you: the address on your account) describing the nature and basis of the claim and the relief sought. If the parties are unable to resolve the dispute within 60 days after receipt of a complete Notice of Dispute, either party may commence arbitration. Neither party may commence arbitration during this 60-day period.
Please read this Section carefully. It affects your legal rights, including your right to file a lawsuit in court.
You and Tether agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service ("Disputes") will be resolved by binding individual arbitration rather than in court, except as described in Section 13.4. The American Arbitration Association (AAA) will administer the arbitration under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The arbitrator's decision is final and binding, and judgment may be entered in any court with jurisdiction. Any hearing will take place in the county where you live, or by video or phone if you prefer. For claims of $10,000 or less, the arbitration will be decided on written submissions unless you ask for a hearing. Tether will pay all AAA filing, administration, and arbitrator fees except the consumer filing fee set by the AAA's Consumer Arbitration Rules.
Either you or Tether may:
YOU AND TETHER AGREE THAT DISPUTES WILL BE RESOLVED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS ONLY. YOU WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION, COLLECTIVE ACTION, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. IF THIS WAIVER IS FOUND UNENFORCEABLE, THE ARBITRATION AGREEMENT WILL BE NULL AND VOID WITH RESPECT TO THAT DISPUTE, AND THE PARTIES AGREE THAT COURTS, NOT ARBITRATORS, SHALL DETERMINE THE ENFORCEABILITY OF THE CLASS ACTION WAIVER.
If a claim seeks public injunctive relief (relief that primarily benefits the general public), that request will be decided by a court after the individual claims are arbitrated, and the rest of this Section still applies.
If 25 or more similar demands for arbitration are filed against Tether by or with the help of the same or coordinated counsel, the AAA's supplementary rules for mass arbitrations then in effect will apply to them, and Tether will pay the fees those rules assign to businesses.
You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by sending written notice to [email protected] within 30 days of creating your account, including your name, phone number, and a clear statement opting out. Opting out of arbitration does not affect any other provision of these Terms.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except that this choice does not take away any protection you have under the mandatory consumer laws of the place where you live. If a Dispute is not subject to arbitration (including because you opted out), you may bring it in the state or federal courts for the county where you live or in Travis County, Texas, and Tether will bring any such Dispute against you in the courts for the county where you live.
Notwithstanding Section 1.3, if Tether makes a material change to Sections 13.1 through 13.7 while you are a user (other than a change to a notice address or contact email), you may reject that change by writing to [email protected] within 30 days after it takes effect, including your name, the phone number on your account, and a clear statement that you reject the change. If you do, the version of those Sections in effect just before the change will continue to govern Disputes between you and Tether, and your rejection will not affect the rest of these Terms or your use of the Service. This right is in addition to the 30-day opt-out in Section 13.6.
If you live in Canada and use the Service for personal, family, or household purposes: Sections 13.2 through 13.6 and 13.8 do not apply to you; you may bring claims in the courts of your province or territory, individually or as part of a class action where the law of your province or territory allows; and the laws of your province or territory and applicable Canadian federal law apply to the extent they cannot be excluded by contract. Sections 10 and 11 apply to you only to the extent your provincial or territorial consumer protection law permits.
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, the Community Guidelines, and any supplemental terms, constitute the entire agreement between you and Tether regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements.
If any provision is found invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force. The invalid provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable.
Our failure to enforce any right does not constitute a waiver. Any waiver must be in writing and signed by an authorized Tether representative.
You may not assign these Terms or your account without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, and our past, present, and future affiliates and agents may invoke our rights under this agreement in the event they become involved in a dispute.
We may send notices via email, in-app notification, push notification, or posting on our website. You consent to receive electronic communications and agree they satisfy any legal requirement for written notice. Legal notices to Tether must be sent to: [email protected], or Tether, LLC, Attn: Legal Department, 5900 Balcones Dr Ste 100, Austin, TX 78731, USA.
You agree to comply with all applicable U.S. and international export and import control laws. You represent that you are not located in, under the control of, or a national or resident of any country subject to U.S. embargo or export restrictions, and that you are not on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties. Software available in connection with the Service is subject to U.S. export controls and may not be downloaded or used in violation of U.S. export laws.
If you are a U.S. government entity, or accessing the Service on behalf of a government entity, the Service constitutes "Commercial Computer Software" and "Commercial Computer Software Documentation" as defined in FAR 12.212 and DFARS 227.7202. Use, reproduction, and disclosure are governed by these Terms.
If you download Tether from the Apple App Store, the following also applies:
(a) Parties. These Terms are between you and Tether, not Apple. Tether, not Apple, is solely responsible for the app and its content.
(b) License. Your license to use the app is limited to a non-transferable license to use it on Apple-branded products that you own or control, as permitted by the Usage Rules in the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions, except that the app may be accessed by other accounts associated with you through Family Sharing or volume purchasing.
(c) Maintenance and support. Tether is solely responsible for providing any maintenance and support for the app. Apple has no obligation to provide any maintenance or support.
(d) Warranty. Tether is responsible for any product warranties, whether express or implied by law, to the extent not effectively disclaimed. If the app fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price for the app to you. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation with respect to the app, and any other claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, or expenses attributable to any failure to conform to a warranty are Tether's responsibility.
(e) Product claims. Tether, not Apple, is responsible for addressing any claims by you or any third party relating to the app or your possession or use of it, including product-liability claims, claims that the app fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement, and claims arising under consumer-protection, privacy, or similar laws.
(f) Intellectual property. If a third party claims that the app or your possession and use of it infringes that third party's intellectual property rights, Tether, not Apple, is solely responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement, and discharge of that claim.
(g) Legal compliance. You represent that you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. Government embargo or designated as a "terrorist supporting" country, and that you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
(h) Developer contact. Questions, complaints, or claims about the app can be sent to Tether, LLC, 5900 Balcones Dr Ste 100, Austin, TX 78731, USA, or [email protected].
(i) Third-party terms. You must comply with applicable third-party terms when using the app, such as your wireless data service agreement.
(j) Third-party beneficiary. Apple and Apple's subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and, once you accept them, Apple will have the right to enforce these Terms against you as a third-party beneficiary.
If you download Tether from Google Play: (a) these Terms are between you and Tether, not Google; (b) your use of Google-Sourced Software must comply with Google's then-current Google Play Terms of Service; (c) Google is only a provider of the distribution channel; (d) Tether, not Google, is solely responsible for the app; (e) Google has no obligation or liability to you; and (f) Google is a third-party beneficiary of these Terms as it relates to Google-Sourced Software.
Tether may include open source software components subject to their respective licenses, available upon request. Such licenses govern those components to the extent they conflict with these Terms.
These Terms do not create third-party beneficiary rights except for Tether's affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents (who may enforce limitation of liability and indemnification provisions), and as expressly provided for Apple and Google in Sections 14.8–14.9.
| Purpose | Contact |
|---|---|
| General support | [email protected] |
| Legal matters | [email protected] |
| Billing | [email protected] |
| Privacy | [email protected] |
| Abuse reports | [email protected] |
| Security | [email protected] |
| DMCA/Copyright | [email protected] (Subject: DMCA) |
We want Tether to work well for everyone. The app supports screen readers, Dynamic Type, dark mode, and a high-contrast option, and we welcome accessibility feedback at [email protected].
Under California Civil Code Section 1789.3, California users are entitled to the following notice. The Service is provided by Tether, LLC, 5900 Balcones Dr Ste 100, Austin, TX 78731, USA. For questions or complaints about the Service, contact [email protected]. You may also contact the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs in writing at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, CA 95834, or by telephone at (916) 445-1254 or (800) 952-5210.
By creating an account or using the Service, you confirm that you are at least 18, that you have read and agree to these Terms and the Community Guidelines, and that you have read the Privacy Policy. This includes the arbitration agreement and class-action waiver in Section 13, which you can opt out of within 30 days (Section 13.6), subject to Section 13.9 if you live in Canada. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.
Account: Your Tether user account accessed via phone number OTP authentication.
Mutual-Contact Discovery: A suggestion, based on the phone numbers saved in two users' address books, that they may know each other. It never creates or accepts a connection; explicit request and acceptance are required.
Beta Features: Features offered in a pre-release form (beta, pilot, limited release, etc.) before general availability.
Community Guidelines: The conduct rules for using the Service, available at tetherup.app/guidelines and incorporated into these Terms by Section 4.1.
Contact: A person whose information you store in Tether.
Contact-card email: Sending your current contact card, through Tether, to people you choose.
Contact Data / Your Content: Information about contacts that you create, import, upload, or store in Tether.
Custom Circle: A user-created organizational group for contacts.
Device: Any mobile device, tablet, or computer capable of running the Tether application.
Directory / Shared Directory: A collaborative space where multiple Tether users share contact information based on common affiliation.
Free Tier: The basic Tether subscription at no monthly fee.
Health Information: Allergies (including a "no known allergies" flag) and dietary preferences. Tether stores no other health-related data.
Lifetime Plan: The one-time-purchase subscription providing Tether+ features.
Mass Arbitration: 25 or more similar arbitration demands, as described in Section 13.5A.
Notice of Dispute: Has the meaning given in Section 13.2.
Personal Information: Information that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked with you or your contacts.
Phone OTP: One-time password delivered via SMS; Tether's primary sign-in method.
Revocation Window: The 24-hour period after a phone-number or email-address change during which it can be undone; see Sections 2.8 and 2.9.
Privacy Circle / Sharing Tier: One of three type categories (Community, Professional, Close) controlling information sharing.
Sensitive Personal Information (SPI): Personal information including health data, biometric data, precise geolocation, and other categories defined under CCPA/CPRA and similar laws.
Service: The Tether mobile application, website, and all related services.
Tether+ Tier: The paid subscription with expanded features.
Usage Data: Aggregated, statistical data derived from your use of the Service.
User / You: The individual or entity using Tether.
We / Us / Our / Tether: Tether, LLC, the company providing the Service.
These Terms are effective as of May 13, 2026.