PhoneTea

Terms of Service for PhoneTea

Last Updated: [August 8, 2026]

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the PhoneTea mobile application (“App”), website, or services (collectively, “Services”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use our Services.

2. Description of Service

PhoneTea is a phone number review and lookup platform that allows users to:

3. User Accounts

3.1 Account Creation

3.2 Account Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account if you:

4. User Content and Conduct

4.1 User Reviews

When submitting reviews, you agree:

4.2 Prohibited Content

You may not submit content that:

4.3 Content Moderation

4.4 Review Disputes

If you are the verified owner of a phone number, you may dispute reviews about that number through the in-app dispute feature. Reviews alleging the exposure of personal information or doxxing may be hidden pending review. Our moderators make the final determination on whether disputed content is removed or restored. If you cannot verify ownership of a number, you may still flag a review using the available reporting options. Filing knowingly false disputes or reports may result in loss of verification or account action.

5. Phone Number Verification and SMS Codes

5.1 Claim This Number Verification

Users may choose to verify ownership of a phone number listed on PhoneTea by using the “Claim This Number” feature. Verification is optional, but it is required to manage a number profile, respond to reviews for that number, or receive a verified badge.

5.2 One-Time SMS Verification Codes

When a user taps “Send Code” in the PhoneTea app, PhoneTea may send a one-time SMS verification code to the phone number being claimed. This SMS is used only to confirm that the user has access to the phone number.

PhoneTea does not send marketing, promotional messages, recurring alerts, or unsolicited SMS messages through this verification flow. SMS verification codes are transactional and user-initiated.

5.3 Consent and Message Charges

Before any verification SMS is sent, users are shown an in-app disclosure explaining that tapping “Send Code” means they consent to receive a one-time SMS verification message. Message and data rates may apply.

5.4 Verification Code Expiration and Limits

Verification codes are temporary and may expire after a short period. Rate limits may apply to prevent fraud, abuse, and repeated verification attempts.

5.5 Verified Numbers

Verified numbers may display a verification badge. You must be the actual owner or authorized user of the phone number you claim. False verification claims, fraudulent claims, or attempts to claim numbers without authorization may result in removal of verification, account suspension, or account termination.

5.6 Contact Import (Optional)

PhoneTea offers an optional feature, available on mobile devices, that lets you import contacts from your device's address book into your private "safe caller" whitelist. This feature is entirely optional and the app is fully functional without it.

If you use contact import, you represent that you have a legitimate basis to import the contact information into the app for your own personal use. Imported contacts are stored only in your private whitelist, are visible only to you, and are not shared with other users or used to send marketing. You may revoke the contacts permission at any time through your device settings, and you may remove imported entries from your whitelist within the app.

6. Intellectual Property

6.1 Our Rights

6.2 Your Rights

7. Subscription Types and Premium Services

7.1 Consumer Subscriptions (In-App Purchase)

Our Premium subscription plans (Monthly, Yearly, Lifetime) are available for purchase within our mobile applications via Apple App Store or Google Play Store in-app purchases. These subscriptions provide enhanced app features including unlimited searches, ad-free experience, and included API calls for personal use.

Subscription Plans:

7.2 Developer API Subscriptions (Web Only)

Our API subscription plans are professional business-to-business (B2B) services designed for developers and enterprises requiring programmatic access to our phone number database. These subscriptions:

API subscriptions are processed through Stripe and are subject to separate terms and conditions.

7.3 Relationship Between Premium and API Subscriptions

Consumer Premium subscriptions and Developer API subscriptions are billed independently with separate billing cycles. However, an active Premium subscription is required to purchase or renew API subscriptions.

Cancellation: Cancelling a subscription stops future charges but does not revoke paid time. Premium app features remain fully active until the end of your current Premium billing period. API subscriptions cancelled by you remain fully active until the end of the current API billing period, during which you may reactivate the subscription to resume normal renewals. If your Premium subscription ends while you have an active API subscription, your API access continues until the end of your current API billing period; once that period ends, API access is revoked until Premium is renewed.

Refund: If your Premium subscription is refunded, all access is revoked immediately — including any active API subscription. API keys are deactivated and API access is terminated at the time of refund processing, regardless of remaining API billing time.

API Subscription Changes: Cancellation, suspension, or modification of your API subscription does not affect your Premium app features.

7.4 Payment Terms

7.5 Premium App Features

Premium users receive:

7.6 Limited Availability Plans

Certain promotional plans (including Lifetime Pro) may be:

Once closed, existing users retain their benefits under the terms at time of purchase (“Grandfathered Users”). Grandfathered Users are subject to fair use policies and may have different feature limits than subscribers who purchased under later terms.

7.7 Service Modifications

We may modify, suspend, or discontinue features with notice:

8. Business Verification

8.1 Verification Process

8.2 Business Features

Verified businesses may:

9. API Access and Usage

9.1 API Terms

9.2 API Usage Limits (Included with Premium)

9.3 Developer API Subscriptions (Additional)

Users requiring higher API limits may purchase separate Developer API subscriptions through our web platform:

9.4 API Rate Limit Enforcement

API calls exceeding monthly limits will receive HTTP 429 responses. Limits reset on the 1st of each month at 00:00 UTC. Response headers include current usage information.

9.5 Acceptable Use Policy

Users with API access (including free API calls included with Premium subscriptions) agree to use the API only for:

9.6 Prohibited API Activities

The following are strictly prohibited:

9.7 Enforcement of API Terms

We reserve the right to:

IMPORTANT: Violations of API terms may result in suspension or termination of API access while maintaining your Premium subscription for app features (searches, ad-free experience, etc.). API access penalties do not entitle you to a refund of your Premium subscription.

9.8 Premium and API Access Relationship

Premium subscriptions grant access to enhanced app features. API access (including free API calls) is a separate privilege subject to our API Terms, but requires an active Premium subscription as a prerequisite.

Grace Period: If your Premium subscription expires or is cancelled while you have a paid API subscription with remaining time, your API access continues until the end of your current API billing period. This grace period does not apply to Premium refunds, which revoke all access immediately.

Lifetime Premium subscribers retain access to app features (unlimited searches, ad-free experience, priority support) but may lose API privileges for violations. Loss of API privileges does not affect other Premium benefits and does not entitle you to any refund.

9.9 Graduated Enforcement

API violations are handled through a graduated enforcement system:

  1. Warning (First Offense): Email notification describing the violation and expected behavior changes.
  2. Rate Limit Reduction (Second Offense within 90 days): Monthly API quota reduced for 30 days.
  3. Temporary Suspension (Third Offense within 180 days): API access suspended for 7-30 days.
  4. Permanent Termination (Fourth Offense or Severe Violation): API access permanently revoked while Premium app features remain active.
  5. Account Termination (Extreme Cases): Full account termination for illegal activity, fraud, or repeated severe violations.

9.10 Appeals Process

Users whose API access has been reduced, suspended, or terminated may appeal by contacting phonetea.app@gmail.com with:

We will review appeals within 5 business days. Appeals for permanent terminations will be reviewed by a senior team member. Some decisions (particularly those involving illegal activity) are final and not appealable.

10. Messaging Services

10.1 Overview

PhoneTea provides end-to-end encrypted messaging services that allow users to:

10.2 End-to-End Encryption

10.3 Account Requirements

10.4 Message Conduct

When using messaging services, you agree to NOT:

10.5 Group Chat Rules

10.5.1 Group Creation

10.5.2 Group Roles and Permissions

Role Can Send Can Add Members Can Remove Members Can Edit Group Can Delete Group
Owner ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Admin ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✗
Moderator ✓ ✗ ✓ ✗ ✗
Member ✓ * ✗ ✗ ✗

*Members can add others only if group settings allow

10.5.3 Group Ownership Transfer

10.6 Message Retention and Deletion

10.7 Blocking and Reporting

10.8 Rate Limits

To prevent abuse, messaging is subject to rate limits:

10.9 Premium Messaging Features

Premium subscribers receive enhanced messaging features:

10.10 Disclaimers

10.11 Law Enforcement and Legal Requests

10.12 Termination of Messaging Access

We may suspend or terminate your messaging access if you:

11. Caller ID and Call Screening Services

11.1 Service Description

PhoneTea provides Caller ID and call screening services ("Caller ID Services") that identify incoming calls and provide spam detection information. These services are available on Android (10+) and iOS (13+) platforms.

Features include:

11.2 Platform-Specific Limitations

Android:

iOS:

Web:

11.3 Data Sources and Accuracy

11.3.1 Community-Sourced Data

Our Caller ID Services rely primarily on community-reported data:

11.3.2 Third-Party Data

We may supplement community data with:

11.3.3 Accuracy Disclaimer

CALLER ID INFORMATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY:

You acknowledge that:

11.4 User Responsibilities

11.4.1 Whitelist Management

You are responsible for:

11.4.2 Accurate Reporting

When using Caller ID Services, you agree to:

Prohibited Actions:

11.4.3 Legal Compliance

You acknowledge and agree to:

Call Recording Laws:

PhoneTea provides call recording legality information for educational purposes only and does not provide legal advice. Consult a lawyer for legal guidance.

11.5 Call Recording and Voicemail Services

11.5.1 Recording Consent

By using call recording features, you represent and warrant that:

11.5.2 Voicemail Transcription

Voicemail transcription services:

You acknowledge that:

11.5.3 Storage and Retention

11.6 Spam Detection and Blocking

11.6.1 Automated Blocking

If you enable automatic call blocking:

11.6.2 Blocking Risks

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THE FOLLOWING RISKS:

MITIGATION:

11.6.3 Time-Based Blocking

Time-based blocking features:

11.7 Business Verification and Reverse Lookup

11.7.1 Business Name Display

Our reverse lookup service attempts to identify business callers:

11.7.2 Verified Business Badges

Businesses with "Verified Business" badges:

Verification does not guarantee:

PhoneTea is not responsible for the actions of verified businesses. Verification indicates identity confirmation only, not endorsement.

11.8 Privacy and Data Handling

11.8.1 Call Metadata Collection

When using Caller ID Services, we collect:

This data is used to:

11.8.2 Data Sharing

We may share anonymized, aggregated Caller ID data:

We will never sell individual call logs or personally identifiable call records to third parties.

11.8.3 Data Retention

You can request deletion of your Caller ID data at any time through Settings → Privacy → Data Request.

11.9 Abuse and Enforcement

11.9.1 Prohibited Uses

You may not use Caller ID Services to:

11.9.2 Penalties for Abuse

Violations may result in:

11.9.3 Dispute Resolution

If your number is incorrectly labeled as spam:

If you disagree with a caller ID label:

11.10 Service Availability and Changes

11.10.1 Service Interruptions

Caller ID Services may be temporarily unavailable due to:

We will provide advance notice of planned maintenance when possible.

11.10.2 Feature Changes

We reserve the right to:

Premium users will receive priority notification of changes affecting their subscription benefits.

11.10.3 Premium Features

Certain Caller ID features may require a premium subscription:

Premium terms are subject to our Subscription Terms in Section 9.

11.11 Liability and Disclaimers

11.11.1 No Warranty

CALLER ID SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING:

11.11.2 Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PHONETEA SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR:

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CALLER ID SERVICES SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID FOR PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION (IF ANY) IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS, OR $50, WHICHEVER IS LESS.

11.11.3 Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold PhoneTea harmless from any claims arising from:

11.12 Contact Information

For Caller ID Services support or disputes:

For business verification inquiries:

For legal notices regarding Caller ID Services:

We aim to respond to all inquiries within 5 business days.

12. iOS Caller ID Specific Terms

12.1 Apple Requirements

Our iOS Caller ID features comply with Apple's Call Directory Extension guidelines:

12.2 iOS Data Sync

12.3 iOS Permissions

You must grant the following iOS permissions:

Revoking these permissions will disable iOS Caller ID features.

13. Android Caller ID Specific Terms

13.1 Android Requirements

Our Android Caller ID features require:

13.2 Device Compatibility

Caller ID may not work on:

13.3 Auto-Blocking

Android auto-blocking features:

14. Changes to Caller ID Terms

We may update these Caller ID-specific terms:

Continued use of Caller ID Services after changes constitutes acceptance.

BY USING PHONETEA'S CALLER ID SERVICES, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS.

If you do not agree to these terms, do not enable or use Caller ID features.

15. AI Summary Feature

15.1 AI Summary Access

15.2 How AI Summaries Are Generated

16. Privacy and Data Protection

Our collection and use of personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

17. Advertising

17.1 Ad Display

17.2 Personalized Ads

18. Third-Party Services

Our Services may integrate with:

Your use of these services is subject to their respective terms.

19. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. WE DO NOT GUARANTEE:

20. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PHONETEA SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR:

21. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold PhoneTea harmless from any claims, losses, or damages arising from:

22. Dispute Resolution

22.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, United States.

22.2 Arbitration

Any disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association, except:

22.3 Class Action Waiver

You agree to resolve disputes on an individual basis and waive the right to participate in class actions or class arbitrations.

22.4 Dispute Resolution for API Enforcement

Disputes regarding API access enforcement decisions should first be addressed through our appeals process (Section 9.10). Arbitration is available only after exhausting the appeals process.

23. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. Changes will be effective:

Your continued use of Services after the effective date constitutes acceptance of new Terms. We will notify Premium users of material changes via email.

24. Termination

24.1 By You

You may delete your account at any time through app settings.

24.2 By Us

We may terminate or suspend access immediately for:

24.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

24.4 Survival

The following sections survive termination: Intellectual Property, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, Dispute Resolution, and any other provisions that by their nature should survive.

25. General Provisions

25.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and PhoneTea.

25.2 Severability

If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.

25.3 No Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right does not waive that right.

25.4 Assignment

You may not assign your rights. We may assign our rights to any successor.

25.5 Force Majeure

We are not liable for delays or failures due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

26. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms:

Email: phonetea.app@gmail.com Support: phonetea.app@gmail.com Website: https://phonetea.com/legal

For API-related inquiries: Email: phonetea.app@gmail.com Documentation: https://phonetea.com/api-docs

27. Special Provisions

27.1 DMCA Compliance

We comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. To report copyright infringement:

27.2 Children’s Privacy

We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, contact us immediately.

27.3 California Residents

California residents have additional rights under the CCPA. See our Privacy Policy for details.

27.4 EU/UK Users

EU and UK users have rights under GDPR, including data access, rectification, and erasure. See our Privacy Policy for details.

27.5 Export Compliance

You agree to comply with all applicable export control laws and regulations. Our Services may not be used in countries subject to comprehensive U.S. sanctions.

Terms Version: 2.1

By using PhoneTea, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service.

© 2026 PhoneTea. All rights reserved.

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