Terms of Use
Effective 5 August 2026
These Terms of Use ("Terms") are a legal agreement between you and Gareth Hines, trading as Aperture Studio ("Aperture Studio", "we", "us") governing your use of our apps, including Torna, FIRSTLIGHT, and hush., and features such as the AI companion Ariadne ("Ari") (the "Apps").
By downloading or using the Apps, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the Apps.
1.Who can use the Apps
You must meet the minimum age shown in each App's App Store age rating, and be old enough in your country to enter a binding agreement. If you are under 18, you should use the Apps with the involvement of a parent or guardian. The Apps are not designed for children.
2.What the Apps are
The Apps are wellbeing and education tools — for learning, reflection, regulation, journaling, and support in difficult moments. They are built to help you find clarity and to support you in moving forward.
3.What the Apps are not
The Apps are not:
- a medical device, treatment, or diagnostic tool;
- a replacement for professional mental-health, medical, or counselling care; or
- an emergency or crisis service.
4.Not medical or therapeutic advice
The Apps, and anything Ari says, are provided for general wellbeing, educational, and informational purposes only. They do not constitute medical, psychological, therapeutic, or professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and must not be relied on as a substitute for advice from a qualified health professional.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or a qualified mental-health professional with any questions about your health or a medical condition. Never disregard or delay seeking professional advice because of something in the Apps.
Although Aperture Studio is founded by a practitioner, using the Apps does not create a therapeutic, clinical, or counselling relationship between you and Aperture Studio or its founder, and is entirely separate from any private practice.
5.Not an emergency service — if you're in crisis
The Apps cannot help in an emergency. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or you are thinking about harming yourself:
- Call 111 (emergency services in New Zealand), or
- Call or text 1737 to talk with a trained counsellor, any time, free, or
- Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (or text HELP to 4357), or
- Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865.
If you are outside New Zealand, contact your local emergency number or crisis service.
Ari and the Apps do not monitor you, are not staffed by humans, and cannot provide emergency help.
6.Ari and AI features
Ari is available in some of our Apps but not all. FIRSTLIGHT contains no AI companion. Where Ari is present:
- Ari is artificial intelligence, not a person, counsellor, or therapist. Its responses are generated automatically by a third-party AI model (Anthropic) and may be inaccurate, incomplete, or inappropriate.
- Do not rely on Ari for decisions about your health, safety, finances, legal situation, or any other important matter.
- To work, Ari sends your conversation text to Anthropic in the United States for processing — see our Privacy Policy. By using Ari you consent to this.
- We may set limits on Ari's use, and may change or remove AI features.
7.Your content
- You keep ownership of the content you create (journal entries, letters, mood logs, written reflections, conversations).
- In most of our Apps this content never leaves your device. Where it does, you grant us a limited licence to process it solely to provide the App to you (including the AI processing described above).
- Because content is stored on your device, deleting an App or clearing its data permanently removes what you have written. We cannot recover it for you. If something matters to you, keep your own copy.
- You're responsible for content you share with others. Only connect with and share with people you trust.
8.Acceptable use
You agree not to:
- use the Apps to harm, harass, coerce, monitor, or control another person;
- attempt to break, reverse-engineer, scrape, or misuse the Apps or their AI features;
- use the Apps unlawfully or to harm others.
We may suspend or end your access if you breach these Terms.
9.Purchases and subscriptions
Some features require payment. All purchases are billed through the Apple App Store under Apple's terms. We never receive your payment details.
One-time purchases. Some Apps — including FIRSTLIGHT — unlock their full content with a single payment. There is no subscription and nothing renews. Once purchased, the content remains available to you on that Apple Account, and can be restored using the Restore Purchases option in the App if you reinstall or change device.
Auto-renewing subscriptions. Where an App offers a subscription, it renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage or cancel in your App Store account settings.
Pricing is shown before purchase and varies by country. We may change pricing for future purchases or periods with notice. Refunds for App Store purchases are handled by Apple under its policies. Your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 are not affected (see section 12).
10.Our intellectual property
The Apps, including their software, designs, brand, names, and content (excluding your content), are owned by Aperture Studio or its licensors. We grant you a personal, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the Apps under these Terms. You may not copy, modify, or distribute them.
11.Availability and changes
We may update, change, suspend, or discontinue the Apps or any feature at any time. We don't guarantee the Apps will always be available or error-free.
12.Disclaimers and liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Apps are provided "as is" and "as available", and we exclude all implied warranties.
New Zealand consumers: Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or the Fair Trading Act 1986, which cannot be contracted out of where you acquire the Apps as a consumer. Those rights apply alongside these Terms.
Business use: Where you acquire or use the Apps for the purposes of a business, you agree that the Consumer Guarantees Act does not apply, to the extent the law allows you to agree to this.
Limitation: To the maximum extent permitted by law, and except for liability that cannot lawfully be excluded (including under the Consumer Guarantees Act and for death or personal injury caused by our negligence), we are not liable for any indirect, consequential, or special loss, and our total liability arising from the Apps is limited to the amount you have paid us for the relevant App in the 12 months before the claim (or NZ$100 if you have paid nothing).
13.Indemnity
You agree to indemnify us against claims arising from your misuse of the Apps or breach of these Terms, to the extent permitted by law and not in a way that overrides your consumer rights.
14.Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand, and the New Zealand courts have jurisdiction.
15.Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms. Material changes will be notified in the app or by email. Continued use after a change means you accept the updated Terms.