Terms of use

1. Accepting these terms

Creating an account, posting content or simply browsing profiles on PetMatch means you have read, understood and agreed to these Terms and to our Privacy policy. If you do not agree, please stop using the service.

2. Accounts and age

You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you enter, for keeping your sign-in details safe, and for everything that happens under your account.

3. What the service is for

PetMatch is a non-commercial platform that connects adopters with owners and rescue shelters. Using it to sell, auction or trade pets commercially, to run a commercial breeding operation, or to advertise unrelated services is prohibited.

4. Your content and Reels

You keep every right to the photos, videos and content you post. By posting on PetMatch you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, display and distribute that content as part of running the service — for example showing Reels in the feed, on the pet's profile page and on share pages. The licence ends when you delete the content, apart from technical backups that persist for up to 30 days. You confirm you have the right to post what you upload.

5. Prohibited content

The following is removed, and the account that posted it may be limited or banned:

• Animal cruelty: photos or videos of abuse, beating, starvation, or content that encourages cruelty.
• Selling pets: listings, auctions, swaps of pets, or offers of commercial breeding services.
• False information: fake profiles, other people's photos, invented health details or fabricated lost-pet reports.
• Harassment and hate: insults, threats, defamation or exposing someone else's private information.
• Adult and violent content: pornographic, gory or shocking imagery that serves no rescue purpose.
• Spam and scams: bulk advertising, malicious links or dishonest donation appeals.

6. Pet ID, QR codes and NFC tags

Pet ID profiles and QR/NFC tags are tools for identifying a pet and reaching its owner if it gets lost. They are not legal proof of ownership and do not replace a microchip or paperwork issued by a veterinary authority. You are responsible for the accuracy of what appears on the tag, and you understand that the profile page behind the code is public.

7. Maps, location and lost-pet reports

Map data comes from OpenStreetMap and from users themselves, so it may be incomplete or out of date; positions shown are indicative only. When posting a lost-pet report, pick an approximate location and think twice before publishing your home address. PetMatch cannot guarantee that a pet will be found.

8. Adoption and verification

PetMatch helps people connect but is not a party to any adoption agreement. Verifying information, meeting, signing commitments and handing the pet over are down to you and the other party. Meet in a public place and check the pet's health records before deciding.

9. Paid features and activation codes

Some features — custom ID cards or physical tags, for example — may require payment or an activation code. Each code works only for the number of uses and within the validity period stated with it, and has no cash value. In-app purchases are processed by the app store you downloaded PetMatch from and follow that platform's refund policy.

10. Intellectual property

The PetMatch name, logo, interface, source code and the content we create belong to PetMatch Studio. You may not copy, redistribute or create derivative works from them without our written consent.

11. Limitation of liability

The service is provided “as is”. We work to keep information accurate and the app available, but we cannot guarantee either absolutely. To the extent permitted by law, PetMatch is not liable for content posted by users, for disputes that arise between parties during an adoption, or for indirect damages arising from use of the service.

12. Suspension and termination

We may limit, suspend or delete accounts that break these Terms — especially for animal cruelty or selling pets. You can stop using the service and delete your account at any time in Settings.

13. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms as we add new features. Updates are posted on this page with a new update date; continuing to use the service afterwards means you accept the changes.