How To Create The Terms & Conditions Of Your App
Also known as Terms of Service or Terms of Use, the Terms & Conditions of your app act as a contract between you and your users so you can control liability, manage use, protect your intellectual property, and enforce rules.
Create your own
Do not get templates or generators. Your contracts must be drafted and tailored to your particular business. We always suggest getting the help of someone who knows the law.
Be objective
According to this article, the average American would need to set aside almost 250 hours to properly read all the digital contracts they accept while using online services. Avoid long sentences filled with arcane words that can discourage comprehension. Did you know that there is a formula to determine readability? The Flesch Reading-Ease test shows that higher scores indicate material that is easier to read. Here’s is the formula:
The readability score uses two metrics:
1. The numbers of words per sentence
2. The number of syllables per word
Based on this score, a text would correspond to a particular education level. So how do the service agreements in your App’s Terms & Conditions rank in terms of the Flesch Reading-Ease test? Don’t let your users give up their rights.
Privacy policy
Keep in mind that your Terms & Conditions is a great tool for setting expectations. However, if you gather any sort of data from your customers, privacy policies (and cookie policies) are also required by law, so you have to create a separate Privacy Policy. In case you are unsure if you should do it, this is definitely a “better safe than sorry” situation and that is the reason why websites and apps that ask for nothing more than names and birthdates will still maintain a Privacy Policy.
Be clear and transparent when creating your own terms and mention privacy in your Terms & Conditions and maintain consistency with your company’s Privacy Policy.
Changes in your Terms & Conditions
Your Terms & Conditions agreement can (and should) change as you learn more about your market and encounter new issues. Be aware that this is common with all developers and users generally expect it.
Preserve your authority to make these changes by adding a general statement at the end of the agreement indicating that you may change the Terms & Conditions and users will receive a notification. And, obviously, notify them when this is done.
The Terms & Conditions is the best way to protect you from liability, manage user behaviour, show accountability, and create reasonable expectations. As a software development firm, we work with you from development to execution and we will go through all the current industry requirements and best practices to make sure your project succeeds. To learn more about how we work, contact us here.
