Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of Beacon — the iOS app and our public website at getbeacon.uk (informational pages and legal documents; the product experience is in the app). Beacon is an on-device workbench for documents and recordings on iPhone. By using Beacon you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the service.

1. The service

Beacon provides:

• A Welcome workbench to import content and run on-device tools (for example OCR, summarise, clean personal data, transcribe, and understand).
• Private Storage on your iPhone to review and export collections.
• A built-in scanner when you choose to capture documents (optional — not required to use the workbench).
• On-device AI (beta features may apply) using models downloaded to your iPhone after sign-in.
• Sign-in with Google or Apple to download model files and use account features. Many workbench flows work without an account.
• Saved notes stored locally on your device in Profile.

Older server features (such as cloud chat or map exploration) are not available in the current release. If we add new server features later, we will update these Terms and our Privacy Policy first.

Beacon is currently offered free of charge. We may introduce optional paid features later with updated Terms and notice in the app.

We may change, suspend, or discontinue features with reasonable notice where possible. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access.

2. Not official advice; AI limitations

• Beacon is a tool, not professional advice

  Beacon helps you read, summarise, redact, transcribe, and understand your own files on iPhone. It is not legal, immigration, tax, medical, or financial advice. For important decisions, read your originals and consult qualified professionals or official sources.

• AI-generated output may be wrong

  On-device AI output may be incorrect, incomplete, misleading, or out of date — especially while features are in beta. Always verify before you rely on it.

• Independent app

  Beacon is operated in the United Kingdom by an independent developer trading as Beacon. Contact: info@getbeacon.uk. We are not a government service and do not speak for any official body.

• Clean personal data (beta)

  PII detection and redaction previews run on your device. They may miss sensitive data or over-redact. Review output carefully before sharing. You remain responsible for what you export.

3. Your use of the service

You agree to:

• Use Beacon only for lawful purposes and in line with these Terms.
• Not harass, abuse, or harm others, or distribute illegal or misleading content through the service.
• Not attempt to break or bypass our security, reverse engineer the app except where law permits, or abuse authenticated APIs (including automated or excessive downloading of model files from our storage).
• Not resell or provide Beacon as a service to others without our written permission.
• Not impersonate another person or submit fraudulent information.

4. Fair use and technical limits

We apply technical limits to protect stability and prevent abuse — including limits on authenticated model download requests and API use. Limits may change over time.

5. Suspension and enforcement

We may suspend or terminate your access if we reasonably believe you breached these Terms, abused download access, or pose a security risk. We will try to give notice where reasonable and lawful.

6. Account and data

Account — Sign in with Google or Apple for model downloads and account features. You are responsible for your device and account access.

Your data — Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect. Workbench content stays on your iPhone for current pipelines; we collect minimal account data on our servers primarily for authentication and abuse control on storage access.

Deletion — Delete your account from Profile to close server-side access. Local app data may remain until you remove the app or clear caches. Contact info@getbeacon.uk for erasure requests under law.

7. Intellectual property

Our rights — Beacon software, UI, and branding we create are protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy them for commercial purposes without permission.

Open-weight models — On-device models (for example Llama, SmolVLM2) are subject to their own licences. See Licences & attribution.

Your content — You keep ownership of files and text you work with on your iPhone. For server-side account features, you grant us the rights needed to operate authentication and download access.

8. Disclaimer of warranties

Beacon is provided “as is” and “as available”. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim warranties including implied merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Nothing here excludes liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law.

9. Limitation of liability

You are responsible for how you use Beacon and any output you share.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or loss of profits, data, goodwill, or business arising from your use of Beacon or reliance on its output.

We do not limit liability where unlawful to do so. Your statutory consumer rights under UK law remain unaffected.

10. Age and eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use Beacon. If you are under 18 you should have a parent or guardian’s permission.

11. Termination

• You may stop using Beacon and delete your account at any time.
• We may suspend or terminate access for breach, abuse, or operational or legal reasons.
• Provisions that should survive (liability, intellectual property) continue to apply.

12. General

Governing law — Laws of England and Wales. Beacon is aimed at users globally for on-device tools; operator is UK-based.

Entire agreement — These Terms and our Privacy Policy are the entire agreement about the service.

Changes — We may update these Terms with a new “Last updated” date. Continued use after changes means you accept the new Terms unless you stop using the service.