Terms of Service & Privacy
Last updated: September 25, 2026
Welcome to making friends.app (“Making Friends”, “we”, “us”). By creating an account or using the service you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, don't use the service. Making Friends is an early-access product. Features and these terms may change.
1. Adults only (18+)
Making Friends is strictly for adults. You must be 18 years of age or older to create an account. We ask for your birthday at signup and reject registrations under 18. Providing a false birthday is a violation of these terms and grounds for immediate account removal. Our AI event system also filters out events for minors.
2. What the service does
Making Friends groups people by shared interests and location, uses AI to research and suggest real local events (always citing a public source), and opens group chats so attendees can plan to show up. Events come from public sources; we don't run the venues and can't guarantee an event happens as listed — always check the cited source before you go. Prices shown are taken from the event's source page and may change.
3. Your content & conduct
You own what you post (profile info, photos, chat messages) and grant us a license to store and display it inside the service so the product works. You agree not to: harass, threaten, or impersonate others; post unlawful, hateful, or sexually explicit content; spam or advertise; collect other users' data; or use the service if you are under 18. Meeting strangers carries inherent risk — use judgment, meet in public places, and tell someone where you're going. We are not responsible for what happens at in-person meetups.
4. Reports & moderation
You can report any chat message, user, or event from inside the app. When you file a report we capture a snapshot of the reported content so moderators can review it even if it is later edited or removed. We may remove content, restrict accounts, or ban users at our discretion, with or without notice, to keep the community safe.
5. Privacy — what we collect
- Account data — email, name, password (hashed), birthday (for the 18+ gate), and an optional profile photo you upload.
- Location — the city you choose. We geocode it to approximate coordinates to center your map and group you with nearby people. We never collect precise GPS location and never show other users anything more precise than your city.
- Interests — the interest tags you pick, used to group you with like-minded people and generate event suggestions.
- Chat messages — messages you send in event group chats are stored permanently so the conversation is there when you come back. Chat participants can see them; moderators can see reported messages.
- Activity — RSVPs, check-ins, and friendships, which power your friends' feeds.
6. AI processing (OpenAI)
The AI loop is the product, and it uses OpenAI's API. Specifically: aggregate interest + city data (e.g. “a group of people into coffee in Austin” and members' first names) is sent to OpenAI to name your interest groups and write the chat-opener message from @meimei (Mei-Mei), our event host and help desk; and city + interest topics are sent with web search to research real local events. When you message @meimei for help, that conversation is sent to our AI provider so she can reply. Your password, email, birthday, photos, and other private chat messages are not sent to OpenAI. @meimei is a service persona and never impersonates a human.
7. Data retention & deletion
We keep your data while your account exists. Group chats and their messages are kept so past-event conversations remain available to their participants. To delete your account and associated data, contact us (below) — we'll remove your profile, photo, interests, RSVPs, friendships, and chat participation; messages you sent may be retained in anonymized form where required for moderation records.
8. No warranty
The service is provided “as is”, without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We don't guarantee event accuracy, availability, or that you'll make friends (though we really hope you do). To the maximum extent permitted by law, our liability for any claim related to the service is limited to the amount you paid us in the last 12 months (currently: $0).
9. Changes
We may update these terms as the product evolves. Material changes will be flagged in-app. Continuing to use the service after a change means you accept the new terms.
10. Contact
Questions, privacy requests, or deletion requests: hello@makingfriends.app.