Terms Of Use

1. About Groom and these Terms

These Terms and Conditions (the “Terms”) form a contract between you and Groom App (“Groom”, “we”, “us” and “our”), a social-discovery service operated from France. These Terms govern your access to and use of our mobile application, our website and all related services (together, the “Service”).
These Terms incorporate by reference our Privacy Policy and our Community Guidelines, which form part of the agreement between us.

2. Acceptance and key information at a glance

By creating an account or otherwise using the Service, you accept these Terms. If you do not accept them, do not use the Service.

Groom is a social-discovery app. You can find places near you, join the chat of a place when you are physically there, message people you meet, and pay for Pro features.
You must be at least 18 to use the Service.
The basic Service is free. Pro is a paid subscription, billed through the App Store or Google Play.
To join a place chat you must actually be at that place — we verify this with your device’s location.
Place-chat messages are deleted after 30 days; direct messages after 90 days.
These Terms are governed by French law. As a consumer you keep the protection of mandatory rules of your country of residence in the European Union.
You can stop using the Service and delete your account at any time.

3. Eligibility and minimum age

To use the Service you must:

be at least 18 years old;
have the legal capacity to enter into a contract under the law of the country where you live;
not have had a Groom account previously suspended or terminated by us, unless we have agreed otherwise in writing;
not be located in, or a resident of, a country subject to comprehensive sanctions under European Union or French law; and
not be on a list of restricted parties maintained by the European Union, the French government, or other applicable authorities.

If you tell us a date of birth that turns out to be false in order to use the Service before you are 18, we will close your account and delete your data when we find out.

4. Your account

You can create an account in any of three ways: email and password (which we verify by sending a one-time code to your email), Sign in with Apple, or Sign in with Google. There is no anonymous sign-up. You may have only one account at a time.
The information you give us when you sign up — your nickname, date of birth, and email address — must be accurate. You are responsible for everything that happens on your account, so keep your password to yourself; if you suspect someone else is using your account, tell us immediately. We may, where we have a reasonable basis to do so, ask you to verify your identity at sign-up or later (for example, if your account is reported for impersonation).

5. The service

Groom lets you:

discover places near your current location, with information about distance, activity and atmosphere;
join the chat room of a place when you are physically there;
create polls and share statuses or intentions with the people in a place chat;
send and receive direct messages with people you meet through place chats, including text and images;
create a profile that other users can see, with a photo, a bio, social-media handles, a status, an intention and a profile theme;
rate places you have been to;
subscribe to Pro for additional features (see § 13).

Voice and video calls are not available. The features available may vary by country, by your age, by your device, and by the local availability of the underlying maps and venue data. We may add, change or remove features over time.

6. Real-presence requirement

Place chats are designed for people who are actually at the place. To join a place chat, your device’s location must be at or near the place. To make this work and to keep it fair, we apply the following checks server-side every time you ask to join:

you must have granted Groom permission to access your location;
the latest GPS reading from your device must be within the place’s perimeter (the perimeter is set per-place and is between 100 metres and 2 kilometres);
the reading’s reported accuracy must be at least 50 metres or better;
the reading must be no older than five minutes;
your operating system must not flag the reading as mocked or simulated;
your account must be in good standing (not suspended or banned) and your tier must allow this place.

If any of those checks fail, we deny entry and tell you why. The check is run again the next time you try.

You may not falsify your location or use any tool, modified device, virtual machine, GPS spoofing application or other means to make the app think you are somewhere you are not. Doing so is a serious breach of these Terms; repeated attempts can result in your account being suspended or terminated.

7. Your content

Anything you upload, post, send, or otherwise make available through the Service — your photos, your profile information, the messages you send, the polls you create, the ratings you leave — is your “Content”.

Ownership

You keep ownership of your Content. We do not claim it.

Licence to us

To run the Service we need a limited permission from you. By making your Content available through the Service, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, copy, transmit and display your Content, and to make the technical adaptations necessary to deliver it (resizing images, transcoding, generating thumbnails). We do not use your Content for advertising, we do not sell it, and we do not use it to train artificial-intelligence models. This licence ends when your Content is removed from our systems, or when your account is deleted. There are three carve-outs: (a) Content that other users have already received we cannot retrieve from their devices; (b) backups are deleted in line with our retention schedule; and (c) anonymised statistical information that can no longer be linked to you is no longer your Content and we may keep it.

Server-side retention of messages

Independently of any action by you or by us, our daily cleanup job hard-deletes place-chat messages after 30 days and direct messages after 90 days. This is automatic and is part of our data-minimisation commitment.

Your responsibility

You are responsible for your Content. By posting Content, you confirm that you have all the rights necessary to do so and that the Content does not infringe anyone else’s rights or break the law.

8. Acceptable use

Groom is a place where adults meet other adults and have a good time. To keep it that way, you must not:

use the Service for anything that is illegal under French or applicable law, including hate speech, harassment, threats, doxxing, blackmail, sextortion, fraud, scams, or terrorist content;
post or send content that is sexually explicit, gratuitously violent, glorifies self-harm, encourages eating disorders, or promotes terrorism or extremism;
post or send any content that involves minors in a sexual context, in any way; this is treated as a zero-tolerance violation, the content is removed without appeal, and the matter is reported to the competent authorities;
share another person’s personal information (their address, phone number, identity documents, intimate images) without their consent;
impersonate another person, run a fake account, or operate multiple accounts to evade enforcement;
use the Service to advertise, promote or sell products or services without our prior written agreement;
attempt to circumvent our safety, age-confirmation, or location-verification mechanisms, including by spoofing your location;
scrape, crawl, or otherwise extract data from the Service by automated means, or use bots to interact with the Service;
reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of the Service, except where French law expressly allows it (Article L. 122-6-1 of the Intellectual Property Code);
interfere with the operation of the Service or with other users’ enjoyment of it.

Our Community Guidelines explain these rules in more detail and give examples. They form part of these Terms.

9. Reporting illegal content

If you encounter content on Groom that you believe is illegal under French or EU law, you can notify us through:

the in-app report function, available on every message and every profile

The in-app form attaches the precise reference of the content automatically. If you wish to provide screenshots, URLs, or additional context, please email us at the address above. To act on your report, we need: (i) a sufficiently precise and adequately substantiated explanation of why you think the content is illegal, (ii) a clear way to find the content (the in-app form handles this for you; for email reports, a screenshot, profile name or place-chat reference), (iii) a statement confirming the good-faith belief of the notifier as to the accuracy and completeness of the information, and (iv) your name and email address so we can confirm receipt — unless the report concerns offences referred to in Articles 3 to 7 of EU Directive 2011/93/EU (offences against children), in which case you can report anonymously.

Where we have your contact details, we acknowledge receipt of your notice without undue delay. We review notices diligently, in a non-arbitrary and objective manner, and we tell you what we decided to do, including any redress route. Submitting a notice in good faith does not, by itself, expose you to any liability.

Notices submitted by trusted flaggers awarded that status by a Digital Services Coordinator under DSA Article 22, acting within their area of expertise, are treated with priority.

10. Moderation and enforcement

If you break these Terms, the Community Guidelines, or the law, we may take any of the following actions, depending on the seriousness of the breach: warn you; remove the content in question; restrict the visibility of your content; suspend specific features for you; suspend your account for a specified period; or terminate your account.

Statement of reasons

Whenever we restrict your content or your account, we send you a clear and specific statement of reasons, on a durable medium that you can keep (typically by email, plus an entry in your account history that you can download). It tells you:

what we did — remove content, restrict visibility, demote, suspend, terminate — and the territorial and time scope of the action;
the facts and circumstances we relied on, including, where relevant, whether the decision was taken following a notice under § 9 above and (where strictly necessary) the identity of the notifier;
whether automated tools were used to make or assist the decision, and if so, what kind;
if the decision concerns content we believe to be illegal: the legal ground we relied on, and an explanation of why we believe the content is illegal on that ground;
if the decision is based on a breach of these Terms or the Community Guidelines: the specific clause we relied on, and an explanation of why we believe the content is in breach;
how to challenge the decision (see §§ 11 and 12).

Where the content concerns manifestly illegal material — in particular child sexual abuse material, content depicting acts of terrorism, or other content whose illegality is obvious on its face — we apply a simplified procedure: we remove the content immediately, inform you of our action and the basis for it, report to the competent authorities where the law requires us to, and the appeal mechanisms in §§ 11 and 12 may not be available for that decision.

11. Internal complaint system

If you disagree with a decision we made — to remove your content, suspend or terminate your account, restrict your visibility, or to act (or not act) on a notice you submitted — you can lodge a complaint through our internal system, free of charge.
To do so, write to us at support@groomapp.fr within six months of our decision. Tell us which decision you are challenging and why you think it was wrong. Attach anything that supports your case.
We review complaints diligently, in a non-arbitrary and non-discriminatory manner, and we make sure that the review is not handled solely by an automated system — a human is always involved. We aim to resolve complaints within 14 days of receipt; complex cases may take longer, in which case we tell you. We let you know the outcome and the reasons for it. If we agree we got it wrong, we reverse the decision and restore your content or your access.

12. Out-of-court dispute settlement

If you are not happy with the outcome of our internal complaint procedure, you can refer the dispute to a body certified to provide out-of-court dispute settlement under Article 21 of the Digital Services Act. The European Commission publishes the list of certified bodies on its website. We will engage with these bodies in good faith. Their decisions are not binding on either of us. This route is in addition to, and does not replace, your right to bring a claim in court. Separately, in line with Article 14 of Regulation (EU) 524/2013, the European Commission also provides a general consumer dispute-resolution platform at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr. You can use it for any consumer dispute relating to a contract you concluded with us online.

13. Pro subscription

13.1 What Pro gives you

Pro is our paid plan. It currently includes: unlimited messaging, invisible-mode browsing, premium profile themes, the verified Pro badge and (where available) a Creator badge, and the ability to pin messages in place chats. The list of features may evolve.

13.2 Pricing

Pro is offered as an automatically-renewing subscription. Prices vary by country and by subscription length. The applicable price, the renewal period, the date of the next charge, and any free-trial duration are shown in the app before you confirm your purchase, in line with the Apple App Store and Google Play disclosure requirements and the EU Consumer Rights Directive.

13.2 Pricing

13.3 How payment works

Payment is processed through the App Store (Apple Inc.) on iOS and through Google Play (Google LLC) on Android. We never see your payment-card details. By subscribing, you authorise the relevant store to charge your chosen payment method at the price and on the schedule shown to you at purchase.

13.4 Auto-renewal

Your subscription renews automatically at the end of each period at the then-current price for the same period, unless you cancel. The relevant store will charge you within 24 hours before the end of each period.

13.5 Free trial

We do not currently offer a free trial for Pro. If we introduce one in the future, its duration will be shown in the app before you start, and the converting-to-paid mechanics described above will apply. The right of withdrawal in § 14 below applies once, at the start of the subscription, and not at the end of any subsequent free trial or renewal — this follows the Court of Justice of the European Union judgment in case C-565/22 (Sofatutor).

13.6 Cancelling

You can cancel your subscription at any time:

on iOS — in Settings → your name → Subscriptions → Groom → Cancel Subscription;
on Android — in the Google Play Store app → menu → Subscriptions → Groom → Cancel Subscription.

Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period; you keep Pro features until then. Deleting the app or your Groom account does not, by itself, cancel your subscription — you must cancel through the relevant store.

13.7 Refunds

Subscriptions are generally non-refundable, except where French or EU consumer law gives you a right of withdrawal (see § 14) or where the App Store or Google Play give you a refund under their own rules. Where the law in your country gives you a stronger refund right than the one described here, that stronger right applies.

14. Right of withdrawal (EU consumers)

If you live in the European Union and you are a consumer, you have 14 days from the day you subscribe to Pro to withdraw, without giving any reason.
Because Pro is digital content delivered immediately, you can choose to start using it during the 14-day period, but in doing so you waive your right of withdrawal for that subscription period. We ask for your express agreement and your express acknowledgement of this waiver before activating Pro, and we send you a written confirmation of both by email.
To exercise the right of withdrawal where it still applies, write to us at support@groomapp.fr stating clearly that you wish to withdraw and giving us your account details. You can also use the model form in Annex I-B of Directive 2011/83/EU. We will refund you within 14 days, using the same payment method you used to pay.
This right of withdrawal arises once, at the start of your subscription. It does not apply afresh at the end of a free trial, when an auto-renewal occurs, or at any subsequent point in the subscription, in line with the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in case C-565/22 (Sofatutor).

15. Account deletion

You can stop using the Service at any time and delete your account from inside the app: Settings → Account → Delete account.
Once you submit a deletion request, our team reviews it (this lets us cancel the deletion if your account was compromised) and a configurable grace period of seven days runs. During the grace period you can cancel the deletion. After the grace period, a daily job at 03:00 UTC permanently deletes your account by calling our authentication provider’s deletion endpoint, and the deletion cascades through every related table — your profile, your devices, your messages, your reports, your blocks, your storage objects.
A small number of records may persist after deletion where the law requires it (for example, billing records that we must keep for accounting purposes for ten years), or where we need to keep a copy to defend ourselves against a legal claim. Anonymised statistics that can no longer be linked to you are not deleted. Your nickname is reserved for a period after deletion to prevent immediate reuse by another person.

16. Termination by us

We can suspend or terminate your access to the Service if you seriously or repeatedly break these Terms. Where the law allows it, we give you reasonable advance notice, except in cases involving illegal content, threats to safety, fraud, or where giving notice would defeat the purpose of the action. We give you a statement of reasons (see § 10) and you can challenge the decision (see §§ 11 and 12).

17. Disclaimers and liability

We provide the Service with reasonable care and skill. We do not guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or always available — internet connections, third-party platforms and the underlying maps and venue data sometimes fail.
Groom is a way to meet other people. We are not responsible for what happens when you meet someone in person, and we cannot verify everything that other users say about themselves. Use your judgement, especially when you are deciding whether and where to meet someone.
Nothing in these Terms limits our liability where French or EU law does not allow it — including for fraud, gross negligence, death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or breaches of mandatory consumer rights. Within the limits the law allows, our total liability for any claim arising out of or in connection with the Service is limited to the higher of (i) the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim and (ii) one hundred euros. We are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, loss of profits, loss of opportunity, or loss of data, except where the law does not allow such an exclusion.

18. Intellectual property

The Groom name, logos, app, website, code, design, text and other materials are owned by us or licensed to us. Nothing in these Terms gives you any right to use them, except for the limited, personal, non-transferable right to use the Service as it is intended to be used.

19. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We tell you in advance — usually through an in-app notification and, where we have your email address, by email — and we give you reasonable time to consider the changes before they take effect (normally 30 days). If you do not agree to the changes, you can stop using the Service and delete your account before the changes take effect; if you keep using the Service after that, you accept the new Terms. The date at the top of these Terms shows when they were last updated. Older versions are available on request.

20. Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by French law, without prejudice to mandatory rules of consumer protection that may apply to you in your country of residence.
If you are a consumer who lives in the European Union, you can bring proceedings against us either in the courts of the country where you live or in the French courts (Articles 17 and 18 of Regulation (EU) 1215/2012, Brussels I bis). We can bring proceedings against you only in the courts of the country where you live. If you are not a consumer, the French courts (and specifically the courts of Paris) have exclusive jurisdiction.

21. Contact and DSA point of contact

You can reach us at:

General support: support@groomapp.fr

Reporting illegal content: support@groomapp.fr

Appeals (internal complaints): support@groomapp.fr

Authorities (DSA point of contact): support@groomapp.fr

Privacy: support@groomapp.fr

Withdrawal: support@groomapp.fr

We accept communications in French and in English.

22. Miscellaneous

Severability

If any part of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest stay in force.

No waiver

If we do not enforce a right under these Terms straight away, that does not mean we have given it up.

Assignment

You may not transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms to anyone else without our written agreement. We may transfer ours to a successor company, on the same terms.

Entire agreement

These Terms (together with the Privacy Policy and the Community Guidelines) are the entire agreement between you and us about the Service. They replace any earlier agreement on the same subject.

Notices

We may send you notices by in-app message, by push notification, or by email at the address linked to your account. You can send us notices at the contact addresses in § 21.

Languages

These Terms are available in French and English. The French version prevails in case of any discrepancy.