Terms of Service

Last updated: March 15, 2026

Welcome to Understory. By creating an account or using the Understory mobile application and website at understorygardening.com (the "Service"), you agree to these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service. By using Understory, you represent that you meet this age requirement.

2. Your Account

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials. You must provide accurate information when creating your account. Each account must have a unique handle. You may not impersonate another person or use a handle that is misleading or offensive.

3. User Content

Ownership. You retain ownership of the content you create on Understory, including photos, text, activities, and observations ("User Content").

License. By posting User Content, you grant Understory a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, and distribute your User Content solely for the purpose of operating and improving the Service. For content you mark as public, this includes displaying it to other users.

Responsibility. You are solely responsible for your User Content. You must not post content that you do not have the right to share.

4. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Post content that is illegal, harassing, threatening, hateful, or sexually explicit.
• Upload malware, spam, or deceptive content.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other users' accounts or our systems.
• Use the Service to scrape data or for any automated purpose without our written permission.
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure.

5. AI Garden Assistant

AI-generated content. The Understory garden assistant is powered by artificial intelligence. Responses are generated by AI and may not always be accurate, complete, or up to date. You should independently verify any advice before acting on it, especially regarding plant identification, pest treatments, and chemical use.

Not professional advice. The garden assistant does not provide medical, legal, financial, veterinary, or professional horticultural advice. If you believe a plant may be toxic or pose a health risk, consult a qualified professional. Always verify plant identification with an expert before consuming any plant.

Acceptable use of the assistant. The AI assistant is designed for gardening-related conversations only. You agree not to:

• Attempt to override, extract, or manipulate the assistant's system instructions.
• Use the assistant to generate harmful, illegal, hateful, or inappropriate content.
• Rely on the assistant as a substitute for professional consultation in any field.

Content filtering. The AI assistant includes automated content filters that may block certain inputs or outputs. We reserve the right to limit or suspend access to the assistant for users who repeatedly attempt to misuse it.

6. Content Moderation

We may review User Content, including through automated systems, to enforce these Terms. We reserve the right to remove content that violates these Terms and to suspend or terminate accounts that repeatedly violate them. Moderation decisions are at our sole discretion.

7. Privacy

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and protect your information.

8. Intellectual Property

The Understory name, logo, and all software, design, and content created by us are our property or the property of our licensors. You may not copy, modify, or distribute them without our prior written consent.

9. Third-Party Services

The Service uses third-party providers including Google Firebase (authentication), Microsoft Azure (hosting, storage, and AI services), and Azure OpenAI Service (AI garden assistant). Your use of these services is subject to their respective terms and privacy policies.

10. Availability and Changes

We strive to keep the Service available but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We may modify, suspend, or discontinue features at any time. We will make reasonable efforts to notify you of material changes.

11. Termination

You may delete your account at any time through the app settings or by contacting support@understorygardening.com. We may suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases, and we may delete your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

12. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. Information provided through the Service, including AI-generated gardening advice, should not be relied upon as professional horticultural, medical, or scientific advice. AI-generated content may contain inaccuracies. We are not responsible for any damage to your plants, garden, property, or health based on information provided through the Service or the AI garden assistant.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Understory shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of data, use, or profits, arising from your use of the Service.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated Terms on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

15. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles.

16. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at support@understorygardening.com.