Upken terms of use

Version 1.0, in force from 27 October 2026.

The short version

You must be 16 or older to use Upken.
Upken is free to use every day. Pro is an optional subscription, bought through Apple or Google. Pro is not on sale yet: until it is, everyone uses Upken free, and the parts of these terms about buying Pro (sections 5 to 8) apply from the day it goes on sale.
Pro starts with a 14-day free trial. Upken reminds you on your phone 2 days before your first payment (section 6 says when you might see the reminder later). You can cancel at any time: one tap in Upken (Settings > Upken Pro > Manage subscription) opens your store's subscription page, where you cancel (section 7).
Pro starts straight away when you subscribe. Cancel before the free trial ends and you pay nothing; after that, payments and refunds are handled by your store (section 8).
Upken's ideas are our own writing, inspired by the books we credit. They are not the books, and the authors and publishers have not approved them.
Points, streaks and ranks are just for fun: they have no money value.
Nothing in these terms takes away your legal rights as a consumer.

1. About these terms

These terms are a contract between you and Mohamad Almasri, a sole trader in the United Kingdom, trading as Upken ("we", "us", "our").

Address: 8 Sloanhill Court, Lurgan, BT66 8FQ
Email: support@upken.app

By using Upken you agree to these terms. Please also read:

our privacy notice (upken.app/privacy), which explains how we use your data;
our content policy (upken.app/content-policy), which explains what we publish and how to report a problem.

When you buy Pro, Apple's or Google's terms also apply to the payment. If you downloaded Upken from Apple's App Store, Apple's standard licence agreement also applies (section 18).

These terms are in English only.

2. Who can use Upken

You must be 16 or older. During set-up, Upken asks for your date of birth. If you are under 16, you cannot create an account or use the app. If you signed in with Apple or Google before that question, the account it made is deleted.
If you are under 18, you need a parent's or guardian's permission to buy Pro.
At launch, Upken is offered in the United Kingdom only.
What you need: an iPhone with iOS 18 or later, or an Android phone with Android 7.0 or later, and an internet connection (Pro downloads and offline books also work without one).

3. Your account

Guest or signed in. You can use Upken as a guest or sign in with Apple, Google or your email address (we email you a 6-digit code; Upken has no passwords).

As a guest, your progress lives on this phone. If you delete the app or lose the phone, it is gone. Guest accounts are deleted automatically after 30 days without use (unless they have Pro, or Pro that ended less than 30 days ago). To keep your progress safe, sign in.
You can add Apple, Google and email sign-in to the same account in Settings > Account.
If you sign in to an account you already have (for example on a new phone), the progress from this phone's guest account moves into it. If your saves would not fit your plan, we ask you first.
Some features need an account, for example liking ideas and books.

Keep your account to yourself. Keep your phone and your email account secure, and tell us at support@upken.app if you think someone else is using your account.

Your username. We give every account a username (for example quiet_falcon_42), which you can change in your Profile, up to 3 times in 30 days. A username must be 3 to 20 characters long and use only lowercase letters, numbers and _. It must not be offensive, must not pretend to be someone else, and must not suggest you work for Upken (names like "upken", "admin", "support" or "official" are blocked). If a username breaks these rules, we may replace it with a new automatic one.

Deleting your account. You can delete your account at any time in Settings > Account > Delete account, or ask us by email. See upken.app/delete-account. Deleting your account does not cancel Pro: cancel it in your store first (section 7).

4. Free and Pro

Free, every day, for everyone:

5 new ideas a day. An idea counts the first time you turn past its first page (the first page of every idea is free to read). An idea you unlock stays readable until midnight.
- Never counted: re-reading ideas you have finished, and the books in this month's "Free to listen" list.
- A book's conclusion opens, free, once you have finished every idea in that book.
- An idea you try from the Ideas page counts like any other idea. If you only read part of it, reaching it again on a later day counts again.
- Recaps of ideas you have finished are free. Reading the whole of a saved or liked idea you have not finished counts.
- Guest accounts on the same phone share one allowance, and ideas you open while signed in count for the phone too, so reinstalling the app, or signing out and starting as a guest, does not give you new free ideas.
Listening to this month's "Free to listen" books (the list is fixed for the month).
New books when they are released; up to 20 saved ideas; 1 recap a day.
Streaks, ranks, reading history, Read Later, the Today page and teasers: the same as for Pro.
House ads are switched off at launch (section 12).

Pro adds: unlimited new ideas; listening to every book, with audio downloads; new books 2 weeks early; whole books offline; unlimited saves and collections; up to 5 recaps a day; extra skins and effects for the Aura card; and a Pro streak colour (Shadow violet, in Settings > Appearance). Audio downloads and offline books play only inside the Upken app, and only while you have Pro.

When Pro ends: nothing you saved is deleted. Ideas you unlocked today stay readable until midnight, and books you started during Pro that are still in early access stay readable. Downloads and offline books are removed from your phone (ideas you unlocked that day go at midnight). They are also removed when you sign out. Free limits apply again (for example, you can't save more than 20 ideas, and can't make new collections).

The number of free ideas a day may change in future. The app always shows the current number.

5. Buying Pro

Pro is not on sale yet. Until it is, you cannot buy Pro or start a free trial, and nobody is charged. We will tell you in the app when Pro goes on sale. From then, this section and sections 6 to 8 apply.

Pro is a subscription, £5.99 a month or £39.99 a year, bought through the App Store (Apple) or Google Play (Google). Prices include VAT. The price you pay is the one shown on the Pro screen and by the store before you confirm.
Apple or Google takes the payment. We never see your card or bank details. The store's terms also apply to the purchase.
You can buy Pro as a guest. Afterwards we suggest signing in, so Pro and your progress are safe if you change phones.
If you reinstall the app or change phones, use Settings > Upken Pro > Restore purchases.
Family Sharing is not available for Pro at launch.

6. The 14-day free trial

Pro starts with a 14-day free trial, on the monthly and the yearly plan. Apple and Google allow one free trial per store account, so deleting your Upken account does not give you a new trial.
We remind you before you pay. When your trial starts, Upken schedules a reminder on your phone for day 12, two days before your first payment. If notifications are off, or you deleted the app or moved to a new phone, you see the reminder in the app the next time you open it instead, which may be after the payment if you do not open Upken before then. It says, with no marketing: "Your Upken free trial ends on {date}. From then, {price} per {period} is charged to your {Apple ID / Google account} unless you cancel before {date}. To cancel: {store link}. Manage subscription: {link}."
If you have already cancelled: each time you open Upken, it checks your subscription with the store and cancels the reminder if you have cancelled. If you cancel in your store and do not open Upken again before day 12, the reminder may still appear. Your cancellation still stands.
If you do not cancel before the trial ends, your first payment is taken on day 14, and Pro then renews automatically (section 7).
To pay nothing, cancel in time: on an iPhone, at least 24 hours before the trial ends; on Android, before the trial ends. On an iPhone, Apple may end the trial, and Pro, as soon as you cancel. On Android, Pro usually stays on until the end of the trial.

7. Renewal and cancelling

Pro renews automatically at the end of each month or year, at the price then shown, until you cancel. On an iPhone, turn off renewal at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, or the next one may be charged.
Cancel at any time. One tap in Upken (Settings > Upken Pro > Manage subscription) opens your store's subscription page, where you cancel. Or go there yourself:
- iPhone: Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions > Upken > Cancel Subscription, or apps.apple.com/account/subscriptions.
- Android: Google Play > your profile picture > Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions > Upken > Cancel, or play.google.com/store/account/subscriptions.
After you cancel, Pro stays on until the end of the period you have paid for, then ends.
Deleting the app or your Upken account does not cancel Pro. Only the store can stop the payments.
Price changes: if the price of Pro goes up, the store tells you before it applies and, where its rules require, asks you to agree. You can cancel instead.

8. Cancelling, and refunds

Pro starts straight away. When you start the free trial or subscribe, you ask for Pro to begin at once, and you agree that, as Pro is digital content supplied straight away, you lose the 14-day right to cancel that UK law otherwise gives once it has started. This is why the free trial exists: it lets you try everything first.

With the free trial: cancel before the trial ends (section 6) and you pay nothing.
After you pay: you can cancel at any time to stop the next payment (section 7). Pro stays on until the end of the period you have paid for.

Refunds. Your payment is taken by Apple or Google, so refunds are handled by them under their own refund policies:

Apple: ask at reportaproblem.apple.com.
Google Play: ask through your Google Play order history. Google's own refund policy applies.

This does not affect your legal rights if Pro is faulty or not as described: then write to support@upken.app and we will put it right.

9. Our fair-selling promises

The DMCC Act's rules against unfair selling have applied since April 2025. Upken goes further than they require:

the full price, as the store charges it, is shown before you buy, and the price you are billed is always the most prominent number;
no fake countdowns, discounts, statistics or "other people are buying" messages, and no discounts that grow each time you open the app;
the Pro screen can always be closed straight away with the ✕;
a clear reminder before the free trial ends (section 6), and one tap in Upken opens your store's subscription page, where you cancel.

10. Using Upken fairly

Please use Upken for your own personal reading, and do not:

copy, download, scrape, record or republish Upken's text, pictures, covers or narration, or sell them or make products from them (including summaries, courses, or data to train AI), except where the law allows it or through Upken's own share features (section 13);
use bots, scripts or other tricks to earn points, keep streaks, unlock ideas, change like counts, or get around the free daily limit (for example by changing time zones);
create accounts to cheat, or use someone else's account without permission;
try to break, overload, or get unauthorised access to Upken, its servers or other people's data, or copy or reverse engineer the app except where the law allows it;
misuse "Report a problem", or send us anything unlawful, abusive or harmful;
choose a username that breaks the rules in section 3.

11. Upken's content

Original writing, not the books. Each Upken idea is our own writing: our own explanations, examples, order and takeaways, inspired by the book we credit. Ideas are not the book's text, not summaries or abridged versions of the books, and are not approved by the authors or publishers. Every book page says: "Ideas inspired by Title* by Author (Publisher, Year). Upken is not affiliated with the author or publisher." and links to where you can buy or borrow the book. Covers and pictures in Upken are our own, never the publisher's.

How it is made. AI tools help draft some of the writing and the pictures. The founder writes or rewrites, and checks, every idea and approves every picture. The narration is AI-generated, and the app says so.

General education, not advice. Upken's content is for general education and interest. It is not medical, financial, legal or other professional advice, and it is not tailored to you. For decisions about your health, money or legal matters, talk to a qualified professional.

Accuracy. We check every fact against its source, but mistakes can happen. If you find one, please tell us (see our content policy).

Who owns it. Upken's content (text, pictures, covers, book symbols, narration and design) and the app belong to Mohamad Almasri or to the people who licensed them to us. We give you a personal, non-transferable right to use the app and its content for your own private use while you follow these terms.

Rights holders and unlawful content. If you believe something in Upken infringes your rights, or is unlawful, see our content policy (upken.app/content-policy). We take content down within 24 hours of a credible rights complaint or a credible report of unlawful content while we look into it.

Your ideas for Upken. If you send us feedback or suggestions, we may use them without paying you.

12. Ads

At launch, Upken shows no ads. We have built small house ads for free users, but they are switched off. If we switch them on, we will update these terms first, and this is how they work:
Free users may see small picture ads chosen by Upken, when starting a new book. Each ad is labelled "Ad", shows for about 3 seconds, and can be closed at once with the ✕. You see at most about 3 a day. Tapping an ad opens that app's page in the store or its website. Pro has no ads.
We choose every ad ourselves, including any ad another company pays us to show, and every ad must be halal: nothing promoting alcohol, gambling or betting, interest-based (riba) finance, adult or immodest content, food that is not halal, fortune-telling or the occult, or anything else that is clearly not permissible.
Upken uses no ad networks, and ads use no personal data. Nothing is recorded when an ad is shown or tapped.
Apps shown in ads belong to other companies and have their own terms. We are not responsible for them.

You can share teasers, conclusion cards, rank cards and the Aura card as pictures (the Aura card also as a short video), and links to books and ideas, using the app's share buttons. Shared pictures carry the Upken logo and upken.app, and never the book's title or author. Teasers and conclusion cards carry no names. The Aura card and rank cards show your username and avatar, so sharing them needs an account. You may share them for personal, non-commercial purposes. Please do not remove the logo.

14. Points, streaks and ranks

Ken points, streaks, shields, ranks, badges and cards are just for fun. They have no money value, cannot be bought, sold, swapped or turned into money, and never win prizes. Nothing in Upken depends on chance.
Points are worked out only by our server, from your reading history: one credit per idea, per book and per recap, ever. Re-reading a finished idea gives no points.
We may change how many points things are worth and where the ranks start, and we may correct points earned by mistake or by breaking section 10.
Some card designs ("rank skins") can only be earned by reaching a rank. They are never for sale, even with Pro.
If you delete your account, your points, streak and rank are deleted too.

15. Changes to Upken and to these terms

We keep improving Upken, so features may change. If a change would significantly reduce what Pro gives you during a period you have paid for, we will tell you in advance, and you can cancel.
We may update these terms, for example when the law or Upken changes. We will tell you in the app at least 30 days before a change that matters to you takes effect. If you do not agree, you can stop using Upken, cancel Pro, and delete your account.

16. Ending or suspending your use

You can stop using Upken at any time, and delete your account in the app.
We may suspend or close an account that seriously or repeatedly breaks these terms (for example cheating with scripts, or attacking the service). Where we can, we will warn you first and tell you why. We will not close an account for a small mistake you can put right.
If we ever stop offering Upken, we will tell you in the app at least 30 days before.
If we close your account or stop Upken, sections 11 and 17 to 21 still apply.

17. Our responsibility to you

Your legal rights. Nothing in these terms affects your legal rights. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, digital content must be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality, and services must be provided with reasonable care and skill. For advice, contact Citizens Advice (citizensadvice.org.uk).

What we are responsible for. If we break these terms or fail to use reasonable care and skill, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result. Loss or damage is foreseeable if it was obvious it would happen, or if both you and we knew it might happen when you agreed to these terms. We are not responsible for loss or damage that is not foreseeable.

What we never exclude. We do not exclude or limit our responsibility where it would be unlawful to do so. That includes death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, and breaking your legal rights described above.

Damage to your phone. If something we supply damages your phone or other digital content you own, and this is because we did not use reasonable care and skill, we will either repair the damage or pay you compensation. We are not responsible for damage you could have avoided by installing a free update we offered, or by using a phone and operating system that Upken supports.

Private use only. Upken is for your private use. We are not responsible for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption or loss of business opportunity.

Things outside our control. We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control (for example a failure at Apple, Google or one of our providers). If that happens, we will tell you and do what we reasonably can to limit the effect.

18. If you downloaded Upken from Apple's App Store

Your licence to use the Upken app on an iPhone comes from Apple's standard Licensed Application End User License Agreement (the "Standard EULA"): apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula. Upken uses this standard agreement, not a licence agreement of its own.
These terms apply alongside it. They cover everything else about Upken: your account, Pro, the trial, our content and how to use Upken fairly.
If the Standard EULA and these terms differ, these terms apply, including section 17 (we do not cap our responsibility) and section 20 (the law of England and Wales).
These terms are between you and us, not Apple. We, not Apple, are responsible for Upken and its content, and for dealing with any claims about it.
Nothing in either agreement takes away your legal rights as a consumer.

19. Complaints

If something has gone wrong, please tell us at support@upken.app. We will reply within 14 days and try to put it right. If we cannot settle it, we will tell you which alternative dispute resolution service could deal with it and whether we agree to use it. Citizens Advice can also help (section 17).

20. Law and courts

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. You can bring legal proceedings about Upken in the courts of England and Wales. If you live in Scotland, you can also bring them in Scotland; if you live in Northern Ireland, you can also bring them in Northern Ireland.

21. Other legal points

Transfer. We may transfer this contract to someone else, for example if the founder sets up a company to run Upken. We will tell you, and if you are unhappy you can stop using Upken and cancel Pro. You may not transfer your rights under these terms to anyone else.
Other people's rights. Nobody else has any rights under these terms. (Apple's own rights are set out in its Standard EULA, section 18.)
If part of these terms is invalid, the rest still applies.
If we do not enforce a term straight away, we can still enforce it later.

22. Contact

Mohamad Almasri, trading as Upken
8 Sloanhill Court, Lurgan, BT66 8FQ
support@upken.app