Terms of Service

Effective July 16, 2026

1. Definitions

"Howl," "we," "us," or "the Service" means the Howl desktop application, the accounts, servers, channels, messages, voice calls, uploads, and related infrastructure and websites (including howl.rip) operated by the developer of Howl, an individual (referred to in these Terms as "the Developer").

"You" or "User" means any person who creates an account on, or otherwise accesses or uses, Howl.

"Content" means any text, image, file, avatar, banner, server icon, voice transmission, or other material sent, uploaded, or otherwise made available through Howl by a User.

"Server" means a community space within Howl created and administered by a User, containing one or more channels. "Channel" means a text or voice space within a Server, or a direct message (DM) or group DM between Users.

"Howl Plus" means the optional paid subscription described in Section 9.

2. Acceptance of These Terms

By creating an account, downloading, installing, or using Howl in any way, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms") and by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. If you are using Howl on behalf of a Server you administer or a community you represent, you are still individually bound by these Terms.

We may update these Terms from time to time as described in Section 15. Continuing to use Howl after an update means you accept the revised Terms.

3. Eligibility

You may only use Howl if you meet all of the following:

• You are at least 13 years old. If the law in your country requires a higher minimum age for using online communication services without parental consent, you must meet that higher age instead.
• You are not barred from using Howl under the laws of your country of residence or any other applicable jurisdiction (for example, because of export control or sanctions laws).
• You have not been previously banned from Howl for a violation of these Terms, unless the Developer has expressly reinstated your access.
• You are creating and using the account for yourself, not on behalf of a person who does not meet the above requirements.

We do not knowingly allow anyone under 13 to use Howl. If we learn that an account belongs to someone under 13, we will disable it. See our Privacy Policy for more on children's privacy.

4. The Service

Howl is a chat application that lets you create and join Servers, send messages, make voice calls, upload images and files, and communicate with friends and communities. Howl is under active, ongoing development by a solo developer. Features described on our website, in-app, or elsewhere (including Howl Plus perks) are provided on a best-effort basis and are not guaranteed to be available at any given time, to remain available in the future, or to work identically across updates. We may add, change, limit, or remove any feature of Howl, in whole or in part, at any time, with or without notice, and without liability to you for doing so.

Howl is currently in an early beta stage. You should expect bugs, downtime, data loss, and breaking changes as normal parts of using early-stage software, and you use Howl with that understanding.

5. Accounts

5.1 Registration

To use most of Howl, you must register an account with a username, a valid email address, and a password. You agree to provide accurate information and to keep your email address current, since it's used for account verification, security, and important notices (including notices about enforcement action on your account).

5.2 One account, no impersonation

Each person may hold one Howl account, except where the Developer has explicitly permitted otherwise (for example, testing or moderation accounts). You may not create additional accounts to evade a suspension or ban ("ban evasion" — see Section 7.4), to manipulate any feature of Howl, or to impersonate another person, brand, or Howl staff member.

5.3 Account security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and for all activity that occurs on your account, whether or not you authorized it. Notify us immediately at support@howl.rip if you believe your account has been compromised. We are not liable for any loss arising from unauthorized use of your account that results from your failure to keep your credentials secure.

5.4 Account deletion

You may request deletion of your account at any time by contacting support@howl.rip or using in-app account deletion tools where available. See our Privacy Policy for what happens to your data after deletion.

6. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use Howl, and not to allow Content you post on Howl, to do any of the following. This list is illustrative, not exhaustive — conduct that is clearly harmful, illegal, or abusive is prohibited even if it isn't specifically listed below, and moderators and the Developer retain discretion to act on conduct not explicitly named here (see Section 7).

6.1 Illegal and harmful content

• Content that is illegal under the laws applicable to you or to the Developer, including but not limited to child sexual abuse material (CSAM), which we have zero tolerance for — any account found to be involved with CSAM will be immediately and permanently banned and reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and/or relevant law enforcement, without exception and without prior warning.
• Content that promotes, threatens, glorifies, or incites violence, terrorism, or serious physical harm against any person or group.
• Content that sexualizes minors in any way, real or fictional.
• Non-consensual intimate imagery, or threats to share such imagery.
• Content or conduct that facilitates human trafficking, or the sale of illegal drugs, weapons, or other unlawful goods or services.
• Content promoting or providing instructions for serious harm, including self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders, in a manner intended to encourage others to engage in these behaviors (this does not cover good-faith recovery, support, or awareness discussion).

6.2 Harassment and abuse

• Targeted harassment, bullying, or sustained abuse of another User.
• Hate speech: attacking or demeaning a person or group based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or veteran status.
• Doxxing — sharing another person's private information (home address, workplace, phone number, non-public legal name, etc.) without their consent.
• Threats of violence or serious harm against any person.
• Encouraging others to harass, brigade, or raid another User, Server, or platform.

6.3 Platform abuse

• Attempting to gain unauthorized access to any account, Server, or system, or to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of Howl's infrastructure without authorization.
• Reverse-engineering, decompiling, or disassembling the Howl client, except to the extent applicable law expressly permits despite this restriction.
• Scraping, bulk-collecting, or automatedly extracting data from Howl.
• Using bots, self-bots, automated scripts, or unauthorized third-party clients to interact with Howl outside of any officially sanctioned integration.
• Uploading viruses, malware, or any code designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to any system.
• Circumventing, disabling, or interfering with any rate limit, security feature, or access control of Howl.
• Exploiting bugs or unintended behavior for personal advantage, to disrupt the Service, or to harm other Users, rather than reporting them to support@howl.rip.
• Ban evasion — creating a new account, or using someone else's account, to continue using Howl after being suspended or banned.

6.4 Spam and deception

• Unsolicited advertising, spam, phishing links, or scams.
• Impersonating another person, organization, or a Howl staff member.
• Sharing malicious links or files disguised as something else.

6.5 Other platforms and copyright

• Content that infringes another party's copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights — see Section 8.3 for our copyright process.
• Sharing content you don't have the right to share (leaked material, stolen content, etc.).

7. Moderation and Enforcement

7.1 Server-level moderation

Server owners and the roles/moderators they appoint are responsible for moderating their own Servers and may set additional rules for their Server, kick, ban, or mute members from that Server, and manage their Server's channels and roles, subject to these Terms. The Developer is not responsible for moderation decisions made by individual Server owners or moderators within their own Servers, though platform-wide enforcement (Section 7.2) always applies regardless of Server-level rules.

7.2 Platform-level moderation

Separately from Server-level moderation, the Developer and any staff or moderators the Developer designates ("Moderators") may take enforcement action against any account or Content, platform-wide, for violating these Terms. Enforcement action may include, without limitation:

• Removing or hiding Content.
• Issuing a warning that must be acknowledged before you can continue using Howl.
• Muting an account, restricting its ability to send messages or otherwise participate, for a set or indefinite period.
• Suspending an account for a set or indefinite period.
• Permanently banning an account from Howl.
• Disabling specific features or badges for an account.
• Any combination of the above.

Moderation decisions are made at the sole discretion of the Developer and Moderators. We try to be fair and consistent, but we do not promise identical outcomes for superficially similar situations, and we are not required to publicly explain, justify, or disclose the specific reasoning behind any individual enforcement decision beyond what's shown to the affected account. Enforcement action may be taken without prior warning where we believe it's warranted (for example, for the categories of content in Section 6.1).

7.3 Appeals

If your account is suspended or banned, you may request review of that decision using the appeal option shown on the relevant in-app screen, or by emailing support@howl.rip. Submitting an appeal does not guarantee that the decision will be reversed, and appeal decisions are final.

7.4 No right to service

We reserve the right to refuse, suspend, or terminate access to Howl, to any person, for any reason or no reason, at our sole discretion, including but not limited to violations of these Terms. Nothing in these Terms creates an obligation for us to continue providing you with access to Howl.

8. User Content

8.1 You own your Content

You retain ownership of any Content you create and share on Howl. We don't claim ownership over your messages, images, or files.

8.2 License you grant us

To operate Howl, you grant the Developer a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, cache, reproduce, transmit, display, and distribute your Content solely as necessary to provide, maintain, secure, and improve the Service (for example, delivering your messages to other Users, generating thumbnails, or backing up data). This license ends when your Content is deleted from Howl, except to the extent copies persist in routine backups for a limited period, or where retention is required by law or necessary to enforce these Terms (for example, retaining evidence of a Terms violation).

You are solely responsible for the Content you post and for having the rights necessary to post it. You represent that your Content does not violate any third party's rights and complies with Section 6.

8.3 Copyright (DMCA-style) complaints

If you believe Content on Howl infringes your copyright, email support@howl.rip with: (1) a description of the copyrighted work, (2) the location of the allegedly infringing Content within Howl (a message link, server, or channel), (3) your contact information, and (4) a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is unauthorized and that the information in your notice is accurate, under penalty of perjury. We will review and, where appropriate, remove or disable access to the Content. We may terminate accounts that are repeat infringers.

8.4 Our right to remove Content

We may remove, hide, or refuse to transmit any Content at any time, for any reason, including Content that violates these Terms, that we're required to remove by law, or that we determine — in our sole discretion — is harmful to Howl, its Users, or third parties. We are not obligated to store, back up, or return your Content once it's removed or once your account is closed.

9. Howl Plus

Howl Plus is an optional paid monthly subscription that unlocks cosmetic and convenience perks (such as animated avatars/banners and other features described in the app at the time of purchase). Howl Plus is primarily a way to directly support the Developer's work on Howl; it is not a purchase of a fixed, permanent feature set.

9.1 Billing

Howl Plus is billed on a recurring monthly basis through our payment processor, Stripe, at the price shown at the time of purchase. Your subscription automatically renews each month at the then-current price unless you cancel before the renewal date. We may change the price of Howl Plus going forward with reasonable notice; continuing your subscription after a price change means you accept the new price at the next renewal.

9.2 Cancellation

You may cancel Howl Plus at any time; your access continues until the end of the billing period you already paid for, and you will not be charged again after cancellation.

9.3 Refunds

All payments for Howl Plus are non-refundable, and we reserve the right to refuse any refund request, at our sole discretion, except where a refund is required by applicable law. We may, at our discretion, choose to issue a refund or credit in a particular case (for example, a billing error) without that decision creating any obligation to do so in other cases.

9.4 Feature changes

Perks associated with Howl Plus may change, be added, be removed, or be temporarily unavailable, at our discretion, without entitling you to a refund, credit, or compensation, except as required by applicable law. If your Howl Plus badge or subscription-linked feature (like animated avatars/banners) is lost because your subscription lapses or is revoked, your related Content (such as an animated avatar) simply reverts to its non-animated form — it isn't deleted.

9.5 Loss of Howl Plus for Terms violations

If your account is suspended or banned for violating these Terms, any active Howl Plus subscription is not automatically refunded, and continuing to be charged (if the subscription isn't separately canceled) does not entitle you to restored access.

10. Intellectual Property

The Howl name, logo, application, and underlying software (excluding User Content) are the property of the Developer and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws. Except for the limited rights expressly granted to you to use Howl for its intended purpose, no other rights are granted to you by implication or otherwise. You may not use Howl's name, logo, or branding to imply endorsement without our written permission.

11. Third-Party Services

Howl relies on third-party infrastructure and service providers to operate, including payment processing (Stripe), hosting and network infrastructure (Cloudflare), transactional email (Resend), and GIF search (Klipy). Your use of features backed by these providers is also subject to their own terms where applicable. We are not responsible for the availability or conduct of third-party services outside our control. See our Privacy Policy for more on how these providers handle data.

12. Disclaimers

Howl is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, to the maximum extent permitted by law. We do not warrant that Howl will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or free of harmful components, that any Content will be preserved or backed up, or that Howl will meet your requirements. You use Howl at your own risk. We disclaim all implied warranties, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

We are not responsible for Content posted by Users, including Content in Servers we do not own or moderate directly. Views expressed by Users on Howl are their own and do not represent the Developer.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, in no event will the Developer be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, revenue, profits, or goodwill, arising out of or related to your use of Howl, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Developer's total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or Howl will not exceed the greater of (a) the total amount you paid the Developer for Howl Plus in the twelve (12) months before the claim arose, or (b) fifty US dollars ($50).

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages or warranties, so some of the above limitations may not apply to you in full.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Developer from any claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your Content, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.

15. Termination

You may stop using Howl and delete your account at any time (Section 5.4). We may suspend or terminate your access to Howl at any time, for any reason, as described in Section 7. Upon termination, your right to use Howl ends immediately. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (including Sections 8.2 (to the extent described), 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 17) will survive.

16. Changes to the Service and These Terms

We may modify, suspend, or discontinue Howl, in whole or in part, at any time, with or without notice, and without liability to you. We may also update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we'll make a reasonable effort to notify active Users (for example, via an in-app notice or email) before the change takes effect. Continuing to use Howl after a change to these Terms becomes effective means you accept the updated Terms; if you don't agree, you should stop using Howl and may delete your account.

17. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles, to the extent permitted by the mandatory laws of your own jurisdiction. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or Howl will be resolved on an individual basis, and you agree not to bring any claim as a class action, class arbitration, or other representative proceeding, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

18. Miscellaneous

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full effect, and the unenforceable provision will be modified only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of our right to enforce it later. You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your account without our consent; we may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Developer regarding Howl.

19. Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent to support@howl.rip.