Terms of service

These terms (“Terms”) govern your use of the Cato mobile app and related services (“Cato,” “we,” “us”). By creating an account or using the app, you agree to these Terms.

The service

Cato provides Catholic learning content — short lessons and courses, prayers, the Rosary and daily readings, trivia battles, a daily word game, and a weekly room for your diocese — for personal, non-commercial devotional use. We may add, change, or remove features at any time.

Your account

• You are responsible for keeping your credentials secure and for the activity that happens under your account.
• You must be at least 13 years old to use Cato. If you are between 13 and the age of majority in your jurisdiction, you may only use the app with the consent of a parent or guardian.
• We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or that abuse the service.

Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or otherwise tamper with the app beyond what applicable law permits.
• Use the app to harass, defame, or harm other users (e.g., via the friends, battle, or diocese chat features).
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our servers, other accounts, or related systems.
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers) to interact with the service.

Content and intellectual property

The lessons, prayers, illustrations, code, and brand elements in Cato are owned by us or our licensors and are protected by copyright. You may use them within the app for personal devotional and educational use; you may not redistribute them without permission.

The texts of public-domain prayers, Scripture, and traditional Catholic content remain in the public domain. Our particular presentation, layout, and selection of those materials does not.

Your content

Messages, reactions, and prayer requests you post in your diocese room, and the name and username on your profile, are yours. By posting them you let us show them to other people in the app and keep them for moderation. Keep the room what it is for: no harassment, no spam, no soliciting, nothing you would not say in a parish hall. We may remove content and mute or suspend accounts that break this, and anyone can report a message from inside the app.

Cato Pro and purchases

Cato is free to use. Cato Pro is an optional auto-renewing subscription, monthly or yearly, that adds unlimited hearts and every course. It is sold and billed by Apple (App Store) or Google (Google Play) at the price shown in the app for your country, and charged to the payment method on your store account.

• It renews automatically at the end of each period unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the period ends, in your Apple or Google subscription settings. Cancelling keeps Pro until the end of the period you paid for; there is no partial refund.
• Where a free trial is offered, it converts to a paid subscription when it ends unless you cancel first.
• Refunds are handled by Apple or Google under their own policies.
• We may change the price for future periods; the store will tell you before the change applies to you.
• Creator codes give a discount on Cato Pro. A code can be changed until your first payment and is then locked to that creator. We may pause or end creator codes at any time; discounts already applied to an active subscription are not affected.
• Coin packs are one-time purchases of virtual coins, delivered to the account that bought them and not refundable once used.

Virtual items

Cato includes virtual items such as “hearts,” “coins,” and “streak freezes.” Whether earned in the app or bought in a coin pack, they have no real-world monetary value, cannot be exchanged for cash or transferred between accounts, and are lost if you delete your account. We may adjust their balances, costs, or behavior at any time as part of normal product changes.

Disclaimers

Cato is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. The lesson content is intended for general catechesis and personal formation; it is not a substitute for spiritual direction, sacramental life with the Church, or professional counsel. We make no warranty that the service will be uninterrupted or error-free.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Cato and its operators will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of your use of the service. Our total aggregate liability for any direct damages will not exceed the greater of the amount you have paid for Cato in the past twelve months and fifty US dollars.

Termination

You can stop using Cato at any time and delete your account from Settings → Account → Delete account & data. Deleting your account does not cancel a Cato Pro subscription; cancel it with Apple or Google. We may terminate or suspend your access if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms.

Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in California, unless applicable law gives you the right to bring a claim elsewhere.

Changes

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be highlighted in the app. Your continued use after a change takes effect means you accept the updated Terms.

Contact

Email support@thecatoapp.com with any questions about these Terms.