HOTARU

HOTARU-AR World Terms of Use

Last updated: September 25, 2026

HOTARU-AR World ("the App") lets you place and view AR messages and objects tied to real-world locations. These terms apply to everyone who uses the App. By using the App, you agree to these terms. If the Japanese and English versions differ, the Japanese version prevails.

1. The service

The App shows and places AR messages, guides, and discoveries tied to your current location. Features may change without notice as we improve the service.

2. Staying safe

The App is used out in the city. Put your own safety and the safety of people around you first.

  • Don't look at the screen while walking. Especially in crowds, on train platforms and stairs, at crossings, and near roads, always stop somewhere safe before using the App.
  • Never use the App while driving or riding a bicycle.
  • Don't enter or place anything on roads, near railway tracks, on private property, in restricted areas, or on facility grounds.
  • Follow the rules of facility and land managers and any posted signs.
  • Take extra care at night and in quiet places. We recommend that minors use the App with a parent or guardian.

3. What you must not post

Messages you place are shown to strangers who visit that spot. Do not place messages that contain:

  • Defamation, insults, threats, or harassment of others
  • Personally identifying information about yourself or anyone else, such as names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, social media accounts, or workplaces and schools
  • Exposés, rumors, or private details about a named individual
  • Anything that enables stalking, such as tracking someone's movements, lying in wait, or summoning a specific person
  • Discrimination based on race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or similar grounds
  • Sexual, violent, or gory content
  • Encouragement of illegal or dangerous acts or self-harm
  • Directions that lead people into dangerous or restricted places
  • Content that infringes copyrights, trademarks, portrait rights, privacy, or other rights of third parties
  • Advertising, solicitation, spam, or impersonation of people or organizations
  • Anything else that violates the law or public order

4. Prohibited conduct

  • Spoofing your location, using unauthorized tools, overloading our servers, or otherwise interfering with the App
  • Trying to open password-protected messages without authorization
  • Using places or information found through the App to bother other users

5. What we may do

We may hide or remove, without prior notice, any message or object that we judge to violate these terms or to pose a safety risk. For serious or repeated violations, we may restrict that user's ability to place objects.

HOTARU is run by an individual developer. We act on reported problems as quickly as we can, but reviewing and responding may take time, and we do not review every post in advance.

If you find an inappropriate message, tell us the place and what it says from Settings → Support and account → Contact in the App.

6. Location and camera

The App uses your location to show nearby content and your camera to display AR. Camera footage is never saved or sent by the App. See the Privacy Policy for details.

7. Premium

Purchases, renewals, cancellations, and refunds of Premium are governed by the App Store terms and the Apple Standard EULA.

8. Disclaimer

We do not guarantee that the App will always be available, free of bugs, or fit for any particular purpose. Displayed positions and features may be inaccurate because of location accuracy, network, or device conditions. Except in cases of our willful misconduct or gross negligence, we are not liable for accidents or disputes that occur while using the App. Users are responsible for the messages they place.

9. Suspension and termination of the service

We may suspend all or part of the App temporarily, without notice, for maintenance, outages, the suspension of networks or external services (such as Apple, Supabase, and RevenueCat), or other unavoidable reasons.

We may end the App at our discretion. If we do, we will announce it in advance in the App or on this page whenever possible. Refunds for any paid period follow Apple's policies.

Suspension, termination, or bugs may cause data such as placed messages, opened history, and coin balances to be lost. We do not guarantee that data will be kept or restored. Coins are in-app records with no monetary value and cannot be exchanged or transferred.

10. Changes

We may revise these terms when laws or the service change. We will announce important changes in the App or on this page.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of Japan.

12. Contact

For questions about these terms, use Settings → Support and account → Contact in the App, or reach GitHub account @ahwenu.