Terms of Service
1. Who we are & acceptance of these Terms
HOWHOT (the "Service", accessible at howhot.app and related applications) is operated by Schwartz Entertainment LLC, a Wyoming limited liability company ("HOWHOT", "we", "us", "our").
By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy and Cancellation & Refund Policy, which are incorporated by reference. If you do not agree, do not use the Service. Section 13 contains a binding arbitration agreement and class-action waiver that affect your legal rights. Please read it.
2. What HOWHOT is — and what it is not
HOWHOT is an entertainment photo-rating platform. Users submit a photograph of themselves and other users express anonymous, subjective, aesthetic opinions about that photograph on a five-level emoji scale. Scores shown in the Service are aggregates of those opinions.
You acknowledge and agree that:
(a) Ratings are opinions about an image, not statements of fact about any person. A rating reflects only how a particular photograph struck other users at a moment in time. Ratings are not verified, endorsed, or adopted by HOWHOT, and are provided for entertainment purposes only.
(b) HOWHOT is not a dating or matchmaking service. The Service does not arrange meetings, does not verify compatibility, and does not promise any social or romantic outcome. Optional messaging exists solely so that users who mutually choose to communicate may do so.
(c) HOWHOT is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and Service content may not be used for any FCRA-regulated purpose, including decisions about employment, credit, insurance, housing, or tenancy, or any other assessment of a person's eligibility for anything. Any such use is a material breach of these Terms.
(d) The Service provides no medical, psychological, or professional advice of any kind.
3. Eligibility — adults only
You must be 18 years of age or older to use HOWHOT. We collect your date of birth at signup to verify eligibility; it cannot be changed afterwards. We terminate the account and delete the data of anyone we discover to be under 18. You must also not be prohibited from using the Service under applicable law, and you must not have been previously banned from the Service.
4. Your account
You agree to provide accurate information, to maintain one account only, and to keep your login credentials secure. You are responsible for all activity on your account. You must upload only a photograph of yourself; impersonating another person, uploading photographs of another person, or uploading photographs of minors in any context is prohibited and grounds for immediate termination and, where appropriate, referral to law enforcement.
5. Your content & license to us
You retain ownership of the photograph and messages you submit ("Your Content"). You grant HOWHOT a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to host, store, reproduce, process, and display Your Content within the Service solely to operate, moderate, secure, and improve the Service. This license ends when you delete Your Content or your account, except as retained in routine backups for a limited period or as required by law. We do not sell Your Content and we do not use your photograph in advertising without your separate, express written consent.
You represent that you own or control all rights to Your Content and that it does not violate the rights of any third party.
6. Community rules
Prohibited content and conduct include: nudity or sexually explicit imagery; photographs of any person other than yourself; any depiction of minors; harassment, hate speech, threats, or abusive messages; commercial solicitation or spam; attempts to identify, contact, or harm another user outside the Service against their wishes; automated access, scraping, bots, coordinated voting, multiple accounts, or any attempt to manipulate ratings; and any unlawful use. We may remove content and suspend or terminate accounts for violations. Except where safety or law requires otherwise, we will tell you the reason and offer an appeal path.
7. Interactions, safety & assumption of risk
HOWHOT DOES NOT CONDUCT CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS OR IDENTITY VERIFICATION CHECKS ON USERS beyond optional photo-match verification, and makes no representations or warranties about the conduct, identity, or intentions of any user. You are solely responsible for your interactions with other users, whether inside the Service or (should you choose to move a conversation elsewhere) outside it, and you agree that such interactions are at your own risk.
Messaging, voice calls, and video calls each activate only when both users affirmatively consent. You may block or report any user at any time; reports are reviewed and the reported user is not notified of the reporter's identity.
By submitting a photograph for rating, you acknowledge that other users' opinions are outside our control, that scores may be lower than you hope, and that you voluntarily assume the risk of any disappointment, offense, or emotional response arising from ratings or from the presence, absence, or content of any user interaction. If at any time the Service negatively affects your wellbeing, we encourage you to stop using it and to delete your photograph, which immediately removes it from rating.
8. Subscriptions & billing
Rating and viewing your own aggregate score are free. The optional Premium subscription costs $1.00 for the first 7 days, then $29.99 per month, billed automatically each month until cancelled. These terms are stated again at checkout, and we send a reminder email before your trial converts to a paid subscription.
Cancelling is as easy as subscribing: Settings → Subscription → Cancel, in one tap, at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period, and you keep Premium access until then. Refunds are governed by our Cancellation & Refund Policy and applicable law. Payments are processed by Stripe, Inc.; we never receive or store your card number. Prices may change prospectively with at least 30 days' notice; changes never apply retroactively to a period you have already paid for.
9. Termination
You may delete your account at any time in Settings. Deletion is immediate and permanent: it cancels future billing, removes your photograph and profile, and purges your personal data as described in the Privacy Policy. We may suspend or terminate your account for violation of these Terms, for unlawful conduct, or to protect the Service or its users; where we do, we will state the reason and offer an appeal, except where the violation involves the safety of others or legal compliance. Sections 2, 5 (as to past use), 7, and 10–15 survive termination.
10. Disclaimers
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, RATINGS AND SCORES ARE PROVIDED FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY, AND WE MAKE NO WARRANTY AS TO THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, OR SIGNIFICANCE OF ANY RATING OR SCORE; AS TO THE CONDUCT, IDENTITY, OR CONTENT OF ANY USER; OR THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE. RATINGS AND MESSAGES ARE USER-GENERATED CONTENT FOR WHICH THE SUBMITTING USER IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE.
11. Limitation of liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, SCHWARTZ ENTERTAINMENT LLC AND ITS MEMBERS, MANAGERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, GOODWILL, OR REPUTATION, OR FOR EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE, ANY RATING OR SCORE, OR ANY CONDUCT OR CONTENT OF ANY USER, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT, STATUTE, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100) OR (B) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN EXCLUSIONS OR LIMITATIONS, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU; IN THAT CASE OUR LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
12. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Schwartz Entertainment LLC and its members, managers, employees, and agents from and against claims, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of Your Content, your use of the Service, your conduct toward other users, or your breach of these Terms or of applicable law.
13. Dispute resolution — arbitration & class waiver
Informal resolution first. Before filing any claim, you agree to contact us at support@howhot.app with a written description of the dispute and give us 30 days to resolve it informally.
Binding individual arbitration. Except for (i) claims that qualify for small-claims court and (ii) either party's right to seek injunctive relief for intellectual-property misuse or unauthorized access, any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved exclusively by final, binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in English, by a single arbitrator, remotely or in the county where you reside. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.
Class-action waiver. ALL CLAIMS MUST BE BROUGHT IN THE PARTIES' INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims.
Your right to opt out. You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing support@howhot.app with the subject "Arbitration Opt-Out" within 30 days of first accepting these Terms. Opting out does not affect any other provision of these Terms.
14. Governing law
These Terms and any dispute arising out of them are governed by the laws of the State of Wyoming, USA, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, except that the Federal Arbitration Act governs Section 13. Where Section 13 does not apply, the state and federal courts located in Wyoming shall have exclusive jurisdiction, and each party consents to their jurisdiction, unless the law of your state of residence grants you a non-waivable right to proceed elsewhere.
15. Copyright complaints (DMCA)
If you believe content on the Service infringes your copyright, send a notice compliant with 17 U.S.C. §512(c)(3) to support@howhot.app with the subject "DMCA". We respond to valid notices, including by removing the identified content, and we terminate repeat infringers.
16. Changes, severability & entire agreement
We may update these Terms. Material changes are announced in the app and by email at least 14 days before they take effect; continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance, and if you do not agree you may delete your account before the changes take effect. If any provision of these Terms is held unenforceable, it will be modified to the minimum extent necessary and the remainder will remain in effect. These Terms, together with the policies incorporated by reference, are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service.
17. Contact
All notices, questions, and legal communications: support@howhot.app. Operated by Schwartz Entertainment LLC, a Wyoming limited liability company.