These Terms of Service govern your use of the Cove app and service. By creating an account or using the service you agree to these terms and to the Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the service.
Cove provides end-to-end encrypted messaging: one-to-one chats, group chats, encrypted attachments (photos, videos, voice messages, and files), one-to-one encrypted voice calls with video calling where available, and encrypted local backups you export yourself. The service relays encrypted content between your devices and your contacts' devices; it is not a permanent storage service.
Accounts are created with Sign in with Apple, and your Contact ID is derived from your account. You must be at least 13 years old, or the higher minimum age required in your jurisdiction, to use the service. You are responsible for the activity on your account and for keeping your devices, app passcode, recovery code, and backup passphrase secure.
Private keys exist only on your devices: if you uninstall the app or lose every linked device without a usable backup, your message history cannot be recovered by anyone, including Cove. Each linked device has an independent encryption identity, and adding or revoking one may trigger a safety notice for your contacts. An account may link up to five devices, or explicitly replace and sign out prior devices. Backups are encrypted with a passphrase or recovery code that Cove never receives; keeping them safe is your responsibility.
You agree not to use the service to: engage in illegal activity; harass, threaten, defraud, or impersonate others; distribute spam or malware; violate others' privacy or intellectual-property rights; exploit or endanger minors; or probe, disrupt, or circumvent the service's security and anti-abuse limits. You also agree not to access the service through unauthorized automated means at abusive scale.
Your messages are end-to-end encrypted and visible only to the participants — you retain all rights to what you send, and you bear full responsibility for it. You grant Cove only the limited technical rights needed to operate the service, such as transmitting and temporarily storing your encrypted content for delivery and backup. Because content is encrypted, we do not and cannot review it proactively.
Recipients may report abuse and voluntarily disclose selected messages as evidence; that disclosed evidence is the only conversation content our moderators can read, as described in the Privacy Policy. Verified violations of these terms can lead to warnings, feature restrictions, or account bans. We may also restrict or refuse service where required by law.
The Cove app, service, name, and logo are the property of Cove and its licensors and are protected by intellectual-property laws. These terms do not grant you any right to use the Cove name or branding, and you may not copy, modify, or create derivative works of the app except as permitted by law.
Parts of the service rely on third parties: Apple provides sign-in and push-notification delivery. Their processing is governed by their own terms and policies, and we are not responsible for third-party services we do not control.
We may modify, suspend, or discontinue parts or all of the service at any time, with advance notice for major changes where feasible. Queued ciphertext, attachments, and backups are handled as described in the Privacy Policy and are not a permanent-storage guarantee.
The service is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including uninterrupted or error-free operation, to the maximum extent permitted by law. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain warranty exclusions, so parts of this section may not apply to you.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Cove is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages, for data loss (including message history that becomes unrecoverable after key or device loss), or for the conduct of third parties or other users. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
You may stop using the service at any time and may delete your account in the app under Me → Account → Delete Account. We may suspend or terminate accounts for serious or repeated violations of these terms. After deletion or a ban, server-side data is handled as described in the Privacy Policy.
Updates are published on this page with a new effective date; continued use of the service after an update means you accept the revised terms. If you do not accept a change, stop using the service and delete your account.
These terms are governed by the applicable law in your place of residence, and nothing in them deprives you of the protection of mandatory consumer-protection rules that apply to you. Disputes should first be raised with us informally at the contact address below.
Questions about these terms: [email protected]