Terms of service

Who provides the service

These terms set out how you may use Hug a Story: the website and the iOS and Android apps. The service is provided by the business whose details appear at the top of this page (“we”): the seller's details at the top of this page.

We are writing to you, the person using the service (“you”). If you are a consumer, or a sole trader for whom the contract is not professional, you have the consumer rights described in these terms (art. 7aa of the Polish Consumer Rights Act).

Contact: email [email protected], the phone number and address at the top of this page, or the contact form. The same email address is the point of contact for users and for EU authorities and the European Commission (arts. 11 and 12 of the Digital Services Act). We write in Polish and English, and a person answers every message.

These terms are available free of charge before you create an account and before every purchase. You can save or print them (in your browser: Print → Save as PDF), and we will email them to you on request.

What we offer

Hug a Story is a bedtime story service for families. What you can use depends on your plan:

• Without a plan (free account): the first story of every series and stories marked as free, colouring pages, “Record how you read” (your recordings and those of relatives you invite), kid mode, favourites and the library, and up to 5 AI story drafts a day, and one full AI story with a cover to start (once per account, while you have made no story).
• Basic: every story in every series, personal stories created by artificial intelligence for your child (text, illustrations, narration and a PDF booklet), and child profiles.
• Premium: everything in Basic, plus audiobooks of every series read by an AI narrator, MP3 downloads, animated stories (video) and the parent's AI voice.
• Stories in our series are made with the help of artificial intelligence and checked by a person before publication. The catalogue keeps growing; new stories come at no extra charge.
• Personal stories are created by artificial intelligence at your request. Only an automated safety filter checks them, so read a story before you show it to your child.

Technical requirements

• Website: a current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari (one of the two latest major versions), with JavaScript and essential cookies enabled, and an internet connection.
• App: an iPhone or iPad with iOS / iPadOS 16.4 or later, or an Android phone or tablet with Android 7.0 or later. The app is free on the App Store and Google Play.
• Account: a working email address, or an Apple or Google account.
• Recordings and the parent's AI voice: a microphone and permission to use it in your browser or system. Listening: a speaker or headphones.
• Stories downloaded to the app play without internet for as long as you have access to them. PDF and MP3 files open in any PDF reader and MP3 player and have no technical protection (DRM).

Your account

• Only adults may create an account. By creating one, you confirm that you are at least 18.
• Children use the service under the care of a parent or guardian, for example in kid mode. You decide what your child reads, hears and watches, and you are responsible for the child profiles you create.
• Give true details, keep your password safe and do not share the account outside your family. If you suspect someone else is using your account, change your password and write to us.
• If you sign in with Apple or Google, their terms apply too.

Making and ending the contract

• The contract for services provided electronically is made when you create an account. It is free and has no fixed term.
• You make a contract for paid access: for BLIK, with us, when you click “Order and pay” and pay; for cards, with Polar Software, Inc. in its payment form; in the app, with Apple or Google when you buy in the store. We always provide the service.
• You can end the account contract at any time at no cost by deleting your account in Settings on the website or in the Account tab of the app. Deleting the account ends a card subscription at once (with no refund for the rest of the period, unless you withdraw as described below). It does not end an App Store or Google Play subscription: cancel that in the store.
• We may terminate the account contract with 14 days' notice, and only for important reasons: a serious or repeated breach of these terms (including supplying unlawful content), using someone else's voice without consent or other misuse of the AI voice, payment fraud, a legal duty or an authority's decision, or the service closing down.
• If misuse puts children or other people at risk, we may block the account or a feature at once. We always give reasons and explain how to appeal (see “Content moderation and reports”).
• If we end the contract through no fault of yours, we refund the unused part of access you bought from us with BLIK.

Plans, prices and payments

• Prices (VAT included): Basic PLN 14.99 a month or PLN 119 a year, Premium PLN 29.99 a month or PLN 239 a year. The yearly price is one payment for 12 months.
• The Basic plan includes up to 10 and Premium up to 30 stories of your own a month; on a yearly plan the allowance renews every month, and unused stories do not carry over. Story drafts without a plan: up to 5 a day. Parent's AI voice: up to 3 voices per family and up to 20 stories read in that voice a month.
• You pay with BLIK (we are the seller; PayU S.A. processes the payment), by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay (Polar Software, Inc. sells the subscription), or in the app through the App Store or Google Play (Apple or Google is the seller).
• New customers paying by card get 7 days free, once per customer, with up to 3 stories of their own. The trial turns into a paid subscription: after 7 days Polar charges the price of the chosen plan (monthly or yearly) unless you cancel before then. Cancelling before the trial ends means you pay nothing.
• Paid content unlocks as soon as the payment is confirmed, usually within seconds.
• Whenever we reduce a price, we also show the lowest price of the 30 days before the reduction.
• Your statutory rights, including withdrawal and complaints, are described below; these terms do not limit them.

Card subscription (Polar)

• Subscriptions paid by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay are sold by Polar Software, Inc. as the seller (Merchant of Record) under its buyer terms (polar.sh/legal/checkout-buyer-terms). Polar takes the payments, handles VAT, issues invoices and deals with refunds and payment disputes. We provide the service and are responsible for its conformity with the contract.
• The subscription renews automatically every month or year at the price of the chosen plan until you cancel it. Polar charges each period in advance, at its start.
• You can cancel online at any time on the Subscription page (the “Cancel subscription” button). Access lasts until the end of the paid period, and the subscription then does not renew.
• When you change plan or switch to yearly billing, Polar settles the price difference pro rata to the end of the current period.
• Invoices for card payments are issued by Polar; we do not issue our own invoices for them.

BLIK access

• BLIK payments are processed by PayU S.A., Poznań. We are the seller of the access.
• One payment gives access to the chosen plan for 30 or 365 days from when the payment is booked. Access does not renew automatically; we send a reminder by email a few days before it ends.
• Another payment for the same plan extends the access by another period. When the plan changes, the unused days are converted by the monthly price of both plans (a Premium day is two Basic days) and added to the new access.
• If you move from BLIK access to a card subscription, the first card payment comes after the paid access ends.
• Right after the payment we email a confirmation of the contract: what you bought, the price, the access period, your request to start the service, information on withdrawal and the model form.
• We issue an invoice if you ask for it within 3 months of the end of the month in which you paid. We email it as a PDF.

Gift cards

• You buy a gift card for 3 or 12 months of the Basic or Premium plan after signing in, paying once with BLIK through PayU. 12 months cost the yearly plan, 3 months three times the monthly price. We are the seller.
• When the payment arrives you get the code (here and by e-mail). If you give the recipient's e-mail, we send them the card with your wish.
• The code is valid for 24 months from the purchase and can be used once, after signing in or creating a free account. We add the plan days (90 or 365) to the access of the person who redeems it; it cannot be exchanged for money.
• A code cannot be redeemed on an account with a card or store subscription that renews by itself; it can be used after that subscription ends.
• You can withdraw from the purchase of a card within 14 days as long as the code has not been used: write to us and we refund the full amount through PayU within 14 days and cancel the code. Once the code is used, the service starts for the recipient and the withdrawal rules are the same as for BLIK access.

Referral programme

• Every account has a referral link (Subscription page). If someone creates an account through it and pays for a plan for the first time (BLIK, card or an in-app purchase, after the trial), the referrer and the new family each get 30 free days of a plan.
• The free days are the person's current plan (Basic if they have none) and are added to BLIK or gifted access. With a card or store subscription that renews by itself, the days wait and are added after it ends.
• No reward is given for accounts created by the same person, fake accounts or other ways around the rules; in that case we may take back the days given. Rewards cannot be exchanged for money.
• We may end or change the programme with 14 days' notice; rewards for payments made before stay yours.

In-app purchases (App Store and Google Play)

• In-app subscriptions are sold by Apple (App Store) or Google (Google Play) under their terms; the store charges you after you confirm the purchase.
• The subscription renews automatically every month or year until you cancel it in your Apple or Google account settings, at least 24 hours before the period ends.
• Refunds and withdrawals go through the store: Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com, Google in Google Play → Payments & subscriptions. We are happy to help.
• A plan bought in a store also works on the website when you sign in to the same account.

Withdrawal

If you are a consumer, or a sole trader with consumer rights, you have the right to withdraw from a contract for paid access within 14 days without giving any reason. The withdrawal period expires 14 days after the day the contract is made.

Hug a Story is a digital service provided throughout the paid period, so you keep the right of withdrawal even if you start using the stories at once.

• To exercise the right of withdrawal, you must inform us of your decision by a clear statement, for example an email to [email protected] or a letter to our address. You may use the model withdrawal form below, but it is not obligatory.
• For BLIK purchases you can also electronically fill in and submit the withdrawal form on the Subscription page (the “Withdraw from contract here” button). If you use this option, we will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (by email) without delay.
• To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
• Effects of withdrawal: we will reimburse all payments received from you without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which we are informed of your decision to withdraw. We will use the same means of payment as you used, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of the reimbursement.
• If you requested to begin the performance of the service during the withdrawal period (you do so by ticking the consent before paying), you shall pay us an amount which is in proportion to what has been provided until you have communicated us your withdrawal. Example: with 30 days of access and a withdrawal on day 10, we keep 10/30 of the price and refund the rest.
• For card subscriptions Polar is the seller: you can send your statement to us (we will pass it on and request the refund in Polar) or directly to Polar. For in-app purchases, Apple or Google handles withdrawal and refunds.
• After a withdrawal, access to paid content ends. Stories you created and family recordings stay in your account; on request we will make them available for download free of charge.
• Model withdrawal form (complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract): To: the seller's details at the top of this page. I/We(*) hereby give notice that I/We(*) withdraw from my/our(*) contract for the provision of the following service(*): access to Hug a Story, plan …, period …. Concluded on(*): …. Name of consumer(s): …. Address of consumer(s): …. Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper). Date: …. (*) Delete as appropriate.

Conformity and complaints

We are responsible for the service conforming to the contract for the whole time we provide it (Chapter 5b of the Polish Consumer Rights Act), including when we rely on other companies.

• You can complain by email to [email protected], through the contact form or by letter to our address. Describe the problem and give your account email and, if you can, the date and device.
• We answer within 14 days, by email. If we do not answer within that time, the complaint is deemed accepted.
• If the service does not conform to the contract, we first bring it into conformity within a reasonable time at no cost to you. If that is impossible, we fail to do so within a reasonable time, or the lack of conformity is significant, you may ask for a price reduction or withdraw from the contract; the refund follows within 14 days.
• We provide the updates needed to keep the service in conformity; you install app updates from the store.
• Personal stories, illustrations and narration are created by artificial intelligence: each one is different and may contain mistakes, inaccuracies or parts that differ from your idea, and the parent's AI voice sounds similar, but not identical, to the real voice. Before you pay we ask you to confirm separately that you accept this.
• If we reject a complaint, we will tell you whether we agree to out-of-court dispute resolution (see “Governing law and disputes”).

Changes to the service, these terms and prices

• We may change the service for important reasons: changes in the law or authorities' decisions, the safety of users and children, changes to or the end of our suppliers' services (such as AI models, payments or app stores), developing the service, and preventing misuse. Such a change costs you nothing, and we tell you about changes clearly and in advance.
• If a change significantly and negatively affects your access to or use of the service (for example, we remove a feature from a plan), we will email you at least 30 days in advance. You may then end the contract at no cost within 30 days of the change, and we will refund the unused part of access bought from us.
• We change these terms for the same important reasons and when our details or payment methods change. We email you at least 14 days before a change takes effect. If you do not agree, you can delete your account or cancel your subscription before then. A change never affects a period already paid for.
• We may raise a subscription price only from the next billing period, after emailing you at least 30 days in advance, and only with your express consent. Without it, the subscription will not renew at the new price. Price changes do not affect BLIK access already paid for.
• Earlier versions of these terms are available on request.

Rules of use

• You must not supply unlawful content or content that infringes other people's rights, including their personal rights, image, voice and copyright.
• Do not put sexual content, violence beyond fairy-tale convention, hate speech or content encouraging self-harm into story ideas. Do not ask for stories about real people without their consent or about copyrighted characters (such as heroes of well-known books and films). Do not enter other people's personal data.
• Record only your own voice, and invite only people who agree to record.
• Do not get around limits or security measures, download content automatically, use it to train AI, or share paid content outside your family.
• Mind the risks: never give anyone your password (we never ask for it), watch out for messages pretending to be from us, and send recording invitations only to people you trust: anyone with the link can record a story for your family for 14 days or until the first recording is sent.
• On your device we store only what the service needs: cookies and browser storage (described in the cookie policy) and, in the app, sign-in data in the device's secure storage, settings and stories downloaded for offline listening.

Content moderation and reports

• Story ideas and finished AI stories are checked by an automated safety filter (OpenAI's moderation model). If the content does not suit a children's story, the story is not created and you see a message saying the automated filter decided. We do not keep rejected ideas and do not block accounts for them.
• We do not look at your recordings or personal stories unless someone reports that they break the law or these terms, or the law requires it.
• Report illegal content by email to [email protected] with the subject “Content report”. Include: why you consider the content illegal; its exact location (for example a link or story title); your name and email (not required for reports of child sexual abuse material); and a statement that you make the report in good faith and that it is accurate. We will confirm receipt, decide without undue delay and tell you our decision.
• If we remove or block your content, or restrict or block your account or a feature, we will give you a statement of reasons: what we did and to what extent, the facts we relied on, whether the decision was automated, the ground (a law or a section of these terms) and how to appeal.
• You can appeal any decision by email within 6 months; a person will review it within 14 days. You may also complain to the President of the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) as Digital Services Coordinator, or go to court.
• If we learn of content indicating a threat to life or safety, especially of children, we will notify the police or the prosecutor.

Artificial intelligence

• We label content created by artificial intelligence in the service: on stories, illustrations, narration and the parent's AI voice. Illustration, PDF, MP3 and video files also carry an AI label in their metadata (the IPTC standard, and for OpenAI illustrations also C2PA Content Credentials).
• Recordings read in the parent's AI voice are always labelled “AI voice”, so no one mistakes them for a real recording.
• We do not use your ideas, stories, recordings or voice samples to train AI models. We send ideas and children's details to our model provider (OpenAI) only to create a story; the provider does not train models on data sent through our API.
• Read a personal story before you show it to your child.

Family recordings and the parent's AI voice

• “Record how you read”: recordings are private and only your family hears them. A recording by an invited person comes to you first for approval.
• The parent's AI voice (Premium) can be created only by the person the voice belongs to, by reading a consent sentence with a one-time code aloud. You must not create someone else's voice or use other people's recordings.
• The AI voice reads only stories from our library. It cannot be downloaded or used outside the service.
• You can withdraw consent at any time with the “Delete voice” button: we delete the sample and every recording made with that voice.
• If someone has used your voice without consent, write to [email protected] with the subject “Voice misuse”. Within 72 hours of the report we block that voice, delete the recordings and investigate.

Rights to content

• Stories, illustrations, recordings, videos, characters and series in our catalogue are protected by law. For as long as you have an account (and, for paid content, as long as you have access) we grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence for personal use in your home, in all countries: to read, watch and listen on the website and in the app, download to the app, print colouring pages and PDF booklets, and save MP3 files for your own use.
• Without our permission you may not distribute, sell or publicly perform this content (for example in a kindergarten or school: that needs a separate licence).
• Personal stories: we transfer to you all the rights we have in the texts, illustrations and narration created at your request, to the extent such rights exist. AI-generated content may not be protected by copyright, and similar content may be created for other people. Characters from our series that appear in your story remain ours, and you may use them only privately.
• Your ideas, recordings and voice samples: you grant us a free, non-exclusive licence only as far as needed to provide the service (storing, copying, converting formats and making them available to your family and the people you invite) for as long as they are stored in the service. We do not use them for advertising or to train AI.
• When recording a story from the catalogue, you may read it aloud for a private family recording.
• We reserve the use of the service's content for text and data mining (art. 26³ of the Polish Copyright Act), including training AI models.

Availability

We work to keep the service running without interruption. We plan maintenance for the quietest hours and announce in advance any that will last more than an hour. We are responsible for outages and errors under “Conformity and complaints”, including when they are caused by our suppliers.

Liability

• Towards consumers and sole traders with consumer rights, we are liable as the law provides; these terms do not exclude or limit that liability.
• Towards other businesses, our liability is limited to the fees paid in the last 12 months; this limit does not apply to damage caused intentionally.
• You are responsible for the content you enter and record yourself.

Your data and content

• We process personal data as described in the privacy policy.
• You can download your data and stories at any time in Settings → Data and privacy.
• When the contract ends we stop using your content and, on request, make it available to you free of charge in a commonly used format. If you delete your account, we erase it at once.

Governing law and disputes

• The contract is governed by Polish law. If you live in another country, this choice does not deprive you of the protection of the mandatory rules of your country of habitual residence.
• Disputes are decided by the courts that have jurisdiction under the general rules.
• You can use out-of-court complaint and redress procedures: help from a municipal or district consumer ombudsman, mediation or the consumer arbitration court at the regional Trade Inspection (WIIH), and other bodies in the register kept by the President of UOKiK (uokik.gov.pl). After deciding on a complaint, we will tell you whether we agree to such a procedure.
• The Polish version of these terms is binding; the English version is for information.

Final provisions

• These terms apply from the date shown at the top of this page.
• Matters not covered by these terms are governed by Polish law, in particular the Civil Code, the Consumer Rights Act, the Act on Providing Services by Electronic Means and the Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065).