Tala App Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of these Terms

These Terms of Use (the “Terms”) form a binding agreement between you and Borstphoto LLC dba The Odd Stack (“we,” “us,” or “our”), the company that owns and operates the Tala mobile app (the “App”). By downloading, installing, or signing in to the App, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the App.

2. About the App

Tala is the official mobile companion for Grace & Grit, a faith-based nonprofit ministry that organizes mission trips. The App helps three kinds of users:

• Travelers — manage their own profile, passport details, and trip documents, and optionally share their location with their assigned guide during a trip.
• Guides — manage their active trip roster, view a live map, run tasks, and post announcements in the field.
• Administrators — manage trips, contacts, partners, and documents from the back office.

3. Eligibility and invite-only access

The App is invite-only. You may use it only if a Grace & Grit administrator has provisioned an account for your email address. You must be at least 18 years old to create or use a Tala account. If you are not at least 18, do not use the App.

By using the App, you represent that:

• You are at least 18 years old;
• You have been authorized by Grace & Grit to use the App;
• You are not barred from using the App under the laws of the United States or your country of residence;
• You will provide accurate information when you set up your profile.

4. Your account

The App uses an email-based one-time-passcode sign-in. We do not use passwords. You are responsible for keeping the email account associated with your Tala login secure. If you lose control of that email account, contact us immediately at gracebyfaithADMIN@gmail.com.

You may optionally enable Face ID, Touch ID, or a six-digit PIN to lock the App on your device. These local protections are stored only in the iOS Keychain and never leave your device.

5. License to use the App

Subject to these Terms, we grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to download and use the App on an Apple-branded device that you own or control, solely for your personal, non-commercial use as a traveler, guide, or administrator of Grace & Grit. This license does not give you any ownership rights in the App.

6. Acceptable use

You agree not to do any of the following:

• Use the App for any illegal purpose or in violation of any law;
• Impersonate any other person or misrepresent your affiliation with anyone;
• Upload or transmit content that is unlawful, abusive, defamatory, harassing, hateful, or sexually explicit;
• Attempt to access another user's account, profile, trip, or location without authorization;
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to extract the source code of the App, except as permitted by applicable law;
• Interfere with or disrupt the App, our servers, or the third-party services we depend on;
• Use the App to send spam, malware, or any kind of automated bulk message;
• Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the App or any data accessed through it;
• Use the App in any way that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair our systems or compromise the security of any user.

7. Information you provide

You are responsible for the accuracy of any information you enter into the App, including your name, date of birth, passport number, emergency contact, dietary needs, and medical notes. You grant us a limited, worldwide, royalty-free license to use the information you provide solely for the purpose of operating the App, supporting you on your mission trip, and complying with our legal obligations. We will not use your information to train any artificial intelligence model and we will not sell your information.

If you submit inaccurate information — for example, an expired passport number or the wrong emergency contact — you accept the risk that your guide may not be able to assist you correctly. Please keep your profile up to date.

8. Third-party services

The App relies on a small number of third-party services (Supabase, Apple Push Notification service, Expo, and large language model providers used by the in-app TalaChat assistant). Their availability is outside of our control. If a third-party service fails or is unavailable, parts of the App may not work. We are not responsible for the practices of any third-party service. For details on what data is shared with each, please review the Tala Privacy Policy.

9. Intellectual property

The App, including its source code, designs, logos, text, graphics, and the “Tala” and “Grace & Grit” names and marks, is the property of Borstphoto LLC dba The Odd Stack and its licensors and is protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual-property laws. Nothing in these Terms transfers any of those rights to you. You may not remove any copyright or other proprietary notice from the App.

10. Mission trips and field operations

The App is a tool to help you communicate with your guide and Grace & Grit staff. It is not a substitute for sound judgment, qualified medical care, or local emergency services. If you are in a medical or safety emergency, call local emergency services first. The App's location-sharing feature works only when the App is open in the foreground and only when you have actively turned it on. Do not rely on the App as your sole means of communication or location reporting in a remote or high-risk environment.

11. Disclaimer of warranties

12. Limitation of liability

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Borstphoto LLC dba The Odd Stack, Grace & Grit, and their officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from any claim, demand, loss, damage, cost, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your use or misuse of the App; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any rights of another person or entity; or (d) your violation of any applicable law.

14. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the App at any time, for any reason, with or without notice, including if we believe you have violated these Terms. You may stop using the App at any time. You may also delete your account as described in the next section.

The following sections survive termination: 7 (Information you provide), 9 (Intellectual property), 11 (Disclaimer of warranties), 12 (Limitation of liability), 13 (Indemnification), 16 (Governing law and disputes), and any other section that by its nature should survive.

15. Deleting your account

You can request deletion of your Tala account at any time. The current process is described in Section 10 of the Tala Privacy Policy. Deleting your account ends your license to use the App.

16. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. You and we agree that any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the App will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Travis County, Texas, and you and we consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts. Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction.

If you live in a jurisdiction where this choice of law or venue is not enforceable, the law and courts of your place of residence will apply to that extent.

17. Apple App Store terms

The following terms apply because the App is distributed through the Apple App Store:

• These Terms are between you and Borstphoto LLC dba The Odd Stack only, and not with Apple Inc. (“Apple”). Apple is not responsible for the App or its contents.
• Your license to use the App is limited to a non-transferable license to use the App on an Apple-branded device that you own or control, as permitted by the Usage Rules in the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions.
• Apple is not responsible for providing any maintenance or support for the App.
• If the App fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price (if any) to you. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Apple has no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the App.
• Borstphoto LLC dba The Odd Stack, not Apple, is responsible for addressing any claims by you or any third party relating to the App or your use of it, including (i) product liability claims; (ii) any claim that the App fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement; and (iii) claims arising under consumer protection, privacy, or similar legislation.
• Borstphoto LLC dba The Odd Stack, not Apple, is responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement, and discharge of any third-party claim that the App or your possession and use of it infringes that third party's intellectual-property rights.
• You represent and warrant that (i) you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. Government embargo or that has been designated by the U.S. Government as a “terrorist supporting” country; and (ii) you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
• Apple and Apple's subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and, upon your acceptance, will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms against you as a third-party beneficiary.

18. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and, if the changes are material, we will notify you in the App or by email. Your continued use of the App after the changes take effect means you accept the updated Terms.

19. How to contact us

If you have any questions about these Terms, please reach out:

See also: Tala App Privacy Policy