Terms and Conditions of Use

Article 01

Definitions

For the purposes of these Terms and Conditions, the following terms have the meanings set out below:

• "Application" or "App": the mobile application named HieroLingo, available for Android and iOS platforms, developed with Kotlin Multiplatform and Compose Multiplatform technology, with package identifier com.shadowings.HieroLingo.
• "Owner": the developer and owner of the HieroLingo application, referred to below as "we", "our" or "us".
• "User": any natural person who downloads, installs or uses the Application.
• "Account": the digital profile created by the User through registration with an email address and password, managed through Firebase Authentication services.
• "Educational Content": all lessons, explanations, quizzes, hieroglyphs, ancient Egyptian vocabulary, chapters and learning materials present in the App.
• "User Data": all information relating to the User's progress, preferences and activities in the App, including stars earned, coins, hearts, daily streaks, completed lessons, favourite hieroglyphs and words, character customisations (Alyn and Nilo), and selected language.
• "Third-Party Services": external services integrated into the Application, including Firebase (Google LLC), Google AdMob, and Google Analytics for Firebase.
• "Virtual Currency": coins and hearts usable exclusively within the Application with no real monetary value.
• "Daily Streak": the counter recording the consecutive days on which the User completed the daily quiz.
• "Compendium": the section of the App containing a navigable catalogue of hieroglyphs and ancient Egyptian words.

Article 02

Acceptance of Terms

By downloading, installing or using the HieroLingo Application, you declare that you:

1. Have fully read and understood these Terms and Conditions.
2. Have read and understood the related Privacy Policy.
3. Agree to be bound by these Terms.
4. Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement or, if you are a minor, have obtained the consent of your parent or legal guardian.

Article 03

Description of the Service

HieroLingo is a gamified educational application dedicated to learning Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. The Service includes the following main features:

3.1 Structured Learning Path

The App offers a curriculum organised in progressive chapters covering:

• Introduction to uniliteral hieroglyphs and their phonetic pronunciation.
• Study of gender and number in the ancient Egyptian language.
• Thematic vocabulary divided into categories (animals, places, food, humans, verbs, miscellaneous).
• Grammar rules including the direct genitive, complements and syntactic constructions.
• Famous names of ancient Egypt and study of determinative signs.
• Phonetic complements and classified Gardiner signs.

3.2 Quiz System

Each lesson is accompanied by an assessment quiz with multiple-choice questions. The system awards stars (0–3) based on the score obtained and penalises errors by deducting hearts. A daily quiz is available to maintain learning continuity.

3.3 Interactive Compendium

A searchable collection of hieroglyphs (including Gardiner list classification) and vocabulary, with the ability to mark items as favourites and apply text search filters.

3.4 Narrative Characters

The App features two interactive characters – Alyn and Nilo – customisable by the User through colour palette selection.

3.5 User Profile and Statistics

The Profile screen displays the User's progress: stars earned, coins, available hearts, daily streak and chapter completion statistics.

Article 04

Registration and Account

4.1 Account Creation

The User may create a registered account by providing a valid email address and choosing a secure password. Registration is carried out via Firebase Authentication (Google LLC). The User agrees to:

• Provide truthful, accurate and complete information at the time of registration.
• Keep their profile information up to date.
• Keep their access credentials strictly confidential.
• Immediately notify the Owner in the event of unauthorised access to the Account.

4.2 Account Security

The User is solely responsible for all activities carried out through their Account. The Owner is not responsible for losses or damages arising from unauthorised use of the User's credentials, except in cases of wilful misconduct or gross negligence on the part of the Owner.

4.3 One Account per Person

Each User may hold only one registered account. Creating multiple accounts with the intention of circumventing any service limitations is expressly prohibited.

4.4 Account Non-Transferability

The Account is strictly personal and may not be transferred to third parties, assigned or sold.

Article 06

Educational Content and Licence

6.1 Educational Purpose

The Educational Content in the Application is intended exclusively for educational and cultural dissemination purposes relating to the civilisation and writing of ancient Egypt. The Owner does not guarantee the completeness or philological accuracy of all content, which is provided for recreational-educational learning purposes.

6.2 Limited Licence

The Owner grants the User a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable and limited licence to access and use the Educational Content solely for personal and non-commercial purposes. The following are expressly prohibited:

• Copying, reproducing, distributing or transmitting any content from the App without written authorisation.
• Modifying, adapting, translating or creating derivative works based on App content.
• Using content for commercial or profit-making purposes.
• Removing or altering copyright notices or other legal notices present in the content.

6.3 Content Updates

The Owner reserves the right to update, modify, correct or remove any educational content at any time, without prior notice, in order to improve the quality of the Service or for editorial reasons.

Article 07

Gamification System

The Application incorporates gamification mechanics designed to encourage continuous learning. The User acknowledges and accepts the following aspects of such mechanics:

7.1 Hearts

Hearts represent the "lives" available for taking quizzes. Each incorrect answer in a quiz results in the loss of one heart. The maximum number of hearts is defined internally by the App (GameConstants.DEFAULT_HEARTS). Hearts can be recovered by:

• Natural replenishment over time (if implemented).
• Watching rewarded advertisements provided by Google AdMob.
• Purchasing hearts using accumulated virtual currency (coins).

7.2 Coins

Coins are virtual currency earned by successfully completing lessons and quizzes. Coins may be used exclusively within the App to purchase additional hearts. Coins have no real monetary value and cannot be converted into money or other assets.

7.3 Stars

The star system (0–3 per quiz) measures the quality of the User's answers. Achieving 3 stars twice consecutively in the same quiz activates the "Perfect" qualification. Stars are used exclusively for progression and monitoring of educational progress.

7.4 Daily Streak

The streak measures the consecutive days on which the User has completed at least one daily quiz. The streak is automatically lost if the User does not complete the quiz before midnight on the current day. The Owner does not guarantee compensation for streak losses due to technical malfunctions, network outages or other exceptional events.

7.5 Character Customisation

The User can customise the visual appearance of the characters Alyn and Nilo by selecting available colour palettes. Such customisations are saved locally via DataStore and synchronised to the cloud via Firebase Firestore.

Article 08

Virtual Currency and In-App Purchases

8.1 Nature of Virtual Currency

Coins and hearts are virtual game elements with no real monetary value. The Owner does not guarantee the permanence or continued availability of virtual currency accumulated by the User.

8.2 No Refunds

To the extent that the Application offers the possibility of purchasing virtual currency or other content through real monetary transactions (in-app purchases managed by Apple's App Store or Google Play Store), such purchases are final and non-refundable, except where required by applicable law and the respective distribution platform policies.

8.3 System Modifications

The Owner reserves the right to modify the values, quantities, earning mechanisms and spending mechanisms of virtual currency at any time, without prior notice. Such modifications do not entitle the User to any refund or compensation.

Article 09

Advertising (Google AdMob)

9.1 Advertising Integration

The Application integrates the Google AdMob advertising service (Google LLC). This service may display advertisements, including rewarded advertisements that the User may choose to watch in order to obtain additional hearts.

9.2 Personalised Advertising

Google AdMob may use data collected through Google services to personalise the advertisements displayed. The User may manage their advertising preferences through their Google account settings or device settings.

9.3 Ad Content

The Owner has no direct control over the specific content of advertisements displayed via AdMob, which is determined by Google LLC. The User acknowledges that the content of advertisements is subject to Google's advertising policies.

9.4 Rewarded Advertisements

Viewing rewarded advertisements is optional. The User may choose whether to watch an advertisement to receive the associated reward (hearts). The availability of advertisements is not guaranteed at all times or in every geographic area.

Article 10

Cloud Synchronisation and Data Storage

10.1 Local Storage

User Data is stored locally on the device via Jetpack DataStore (Preferences DataStore). This storage is managed securely and persistently on the device.

10.2 Cloud Synchronisation

User Data is automatically synchronised with Firebase Firestore (Google LLC) whenever the User is authenticated and has an internet connection. The synchronisation process is bidirectional: local changes are uploaded to the cloud and cloud changes are downloaded to the device.

10.3 Merge Logic

In the event of conflicts between local and cloud data (e.g. when using multiple devices), the App applies a merge logic that always favours the values most beneficial to the User (highest number of coins, stars, hearts, streaks, completed chapters).

10.4 Offline Persistence

Firebase Firestore is configured with persistent cache (persistentCacheSettings), allowing the User to access their data even without an internet connection. Synchronisation will occur automatically when the next available connection is established.

10.5 Cloud Data Deletion

The User has the right to request deletion of their cloud data at any time, using the reset function available in the App or by contacting the Owner. Cloud data deletion is irreversible.

Article 11

User Conduct

The User agrees to use the Application lawfully and in accordance with these Terms. The following are expressly prohibited:

1. Attempting to access, manipulate or compromise the computer systems, databases or servers associated with the Application.
2. Using bots, automated scripts, automation software or any other artificial mechanism to interact with the App or manipulate the gamification system.
3. Attempting to decompile, decode or reverse-engineer the source code of the Application.
4. Circumventing or attempting to circumvent any security mechanism or service limitation.
5. Creating multiple accounts in order to manipulate the progression system.
6. Interfering with the normal operation of the App to the detriment of other users or the Owner.
7. Using the App for unauthorised commercial purposes.
8. Distributing, selling or transferring access credentials or game progress to third parties.

Violation of these conduct rules may result in suspension or permanent deletion of the Account, without entitlement to any refund or compensation.

Article 12

Intellectual Property

12.1 Ownership of Rights

All intellectual property rights in the Application, including but not limited to: source code, graphics, user interface, design, educational texts, characters (Alyn and Nilo), logos, trademarks, icons, sounds and sound effects, are the exclusive property of the Owner or have been licensed to the Owner by third parties.

12.2 Third-Party Content

Gardiner list hieroglyphs form part of humanity's cultural heritage. The App uses standardised representations of such signs for educational purposes. The Owner respects the intellectual property rights of third parties and asks users to do the same.

12.3 User Feedback

Should the User submit feedback, suggestions or bug reports to the Owner, the Owner may freely use these to improve the Service without any obligation to compensate the User.

Article 13

Disclaimer of Warranties

The Application is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Owner expressly disclaims all warranties, including:

• Warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.
• Warranties that the Application will be error-free, bug-free or uninterrupted.
• Warranties that educational content is completely accurate, up to date or free from philological inaccuracies.
• Warranties regarding the continued availability of the Service or integrated Third-Party Services.
• Warranties that cloud synchronisation will occur promptly and without data loss.

Article 14

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Owner shall not be liable for:

• Direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages arising from the use or inability to use the App.
• Loss of user data due to device, network or Firebase service malfunctions.
• Loss of progress, virtual currency or daily streaks caused by technical errors, service interruptions or app deletion.
• Damages arising from unauthorised access to the User's Account for reasons not attributable to the Owner.
• Content and behaviour of third-party advertising services (Google AdMob).
• Interruptions or modifications to Third-Party Services impacting App functionality.
• Damages arising from any inaccuracies in educational content.

Where applicable law does not permit total exclusion of liability, the Owner's liability shall be limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Article 15

Third-Party Services

The Application uses the following third-party services, each subject to their own terms of use and privacy policies:

The Owner is not responsible for the behaviour, policies or content of third-party services. The User is encouraged to read the privacy policy of each provider before using the Application.

Article 16

Minors

The Application is designed for a general audience and may be used by users of all ages. However:

• Users under the age of 13 (or the minimum age required by the legislation of their country of residence) must not create registered accounts without the prior verifiable consent of a parent or legal guardian.
• Parents and legal guardians are responsible for supervising the use of the App by minors in their care.
• The Owner does not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. Should such accounts be detected, they will be promptly deleted.
• In view of the Google AdMob integration, the Owner implements available technical measures to ensure an age-appropriate advertising experience, in compliance with COPPA and GDPR-K policies.

Article 17

Changes to Terms

The Owner reserves the right to modify these Terms and Conditions at any time. In the event of material changes:

• The User will be informed via in-app notification or, where available, by email to the address associated with the Account.
• The "Last updated" date shown at the top of the document will be updated.
• Continued use of the App after publication of changes constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.
• Should the User not accept the changes, they may cease using the App and request deletion of their Account.

Article 18

Termination and Account Deletion

18.1 Voluntary Deletion

The User may request deletion of their Account at any time by contacting the Owner at the addresses indicated in Article 20. Following deletion:

• All User Data associated with the Account will be deleted from the cloud within 30 days.
• Data stored locally on the device will remain until the App is uninstalled.
• It will not be possible to recover deleted progress, virtual currency or customisations.

18.2 Suspension or Deletion by the Owner

The Owner reserves the right to suspend or delete the User's Account, with or without prior notice, in the following cases:

• Violation of these Terms and Conditions.
• Fraudulent or abusive behaviour.
• Use of bots or automated systems to manipulate the Service.
• Request from competent authorities.

18.3 Service Discontinuation

The Owner reserves the right to discontinue the Service, in whole or in part, with reasonable notice. In such case, the Owner shall not be required to provide refunds for accumulated virtual currency or progress.

Article 19

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and Conditions are governed by Italian law. For any dispute arising from the interpretation, performance or termination of these Terms, the parties recognise the exclusive jurisdiction of the court of the Owner's place of residence or domicile, unless applicable law otherwise provides for the protection of consumers.

Users residing in the European Union have the right to bring proceedings before the court of their place of residence for consumer disputes, in accordance with applicable EU legislation.

For online alternative dispute resolution, EU-resident Users may contact the European Commission's ODR (Online Dispute Resolution) platform: ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

Article 20

Contact

For any questions regarding these Terms and Conditions, to exercise your rights or to request information on data processing, the User may contact the Owner at the following: