Terms of Use

Luciola for iPhone and iPad
Effective: October 14, 2026
Published at: https://luciola.app/terms

These terms apply to your use of the Luciola app, made by Bin Hua ("we", "us"). By creating an account or signing in with the app, you agree to them.

1. What Luciola is

Luciola is an app for the Luciola social network. The network is made of independent servers called nodes. Each node is run by its own operators, who set its rules and decide who may join. The app lets you sign up on a node, sign in to it, and use it.

When you use a node, you also agree to that node's rules, which the app shows when you sign up. When we run a node ourselves (for example, try.luciola.app), we are its operator.

2. Who can use Luciola

You must be at least 13 years old, or the minimum age for online services in your country if it is higher. A node may set a higher minimum age. If you use Luciola for an organization, you confirm you may accept these terms for it.

3. Your identity and recovery phrase

Your account is tied to a 24-word recovery phrase. It is the only way to sign in on a new device, to remove a device, to move to another node, or to delete your account.

• Keep it secret. Anyone with your phrase can act as you.
• Keep it safe. Nobody can recover it for you: not us, and not any node.

You are responsible for what is done with your phrase and with the devices you sign in on.

4. No tolerance for objectionable content or abuse

You may not use Luciola to post, send or share content, or behave in a way, that:

• harasses, threatens, bullies, stalks or intimidates anyone;
• promotes violence, terrorism or self-harm, or glorifies them;
• is hateful toward people because of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age or similar characteristics;
• is sexually explicit, or sexualizes minors in any way;
• shares someone's private information or intimate images without their consent;
• is spam, a scam, phishing, or malware;
• infringes anyone's intellectual property or other rights;
• impersonates another person or organization in a misleading way;
• breaks the law, or the rules of your node.

There is no tolerance for objectionable content or abusive users. Content that breaks these terms can be removed, and accounts that post it can be suspended or removed, without notice.

5. Reporting and blocking

You can report a post from its "···" menu. Your report goes to the operators of the node where the author's account lives. You can also block a person: blocking stops their replies to you, discards their replies waiting for your approval, and reports the posts involved to their node.

Node operators review reports and act on them, including by removing content and suspending accounts. On the nodes we run, we review reports within 24 hours.

6. Your content

You keep ownership of what you post. To make the network work, you allow your node, and the nodes of people who follow you, to store, copy, display and send your public posts and profile, and you allow other people to see and reply to them. This permission ends for each item when you delete it, except for copies others have already made (for example, a quote in someone else's reply) and copies kept by nodes that do not honor deletion requests.

You are responsible for what you post, and you confirm you have the right to post it.

7. Deleting your account

You can delete your account in the app. After you confirm it with your recovery phrase, deletion takes effect after a 7-day waiting period, during which you can cancel it. Your node then deletes your membership and your content and frees your handle, and asks other nodes to delete their copies. See the Privacy Policy for details.

8. Moving to another node

You can move your identity to another node at any time. Your name, bio and photo come with you; your posts stay on your old node.

9. Other websites

Posts can contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for them.

10. Disclaimers

The app is provided "as is" and "as available". Nodes are run by independent operators, and we do not control them, their content, their availability or how they keep data, except for nodes we run ourselves. To the extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

11. Limitation of liability

To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for loss of data, content, or a lost recovery phrase, arising from your use of the app or of any node. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law.

12. Ending your use

You can stop using Luciola at any time and delete your account in the app. We may stop you from using nodes we run if you break these terms. Node operators may suspend or remove your account on their node under their rules.

13. Apple

These terms are between you and us, not Apple. Apple is not responsible for the app or its content, and has no obligation to provide maintenance or support for it. If the app fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price, if any; Apple has no other warranty obligation for the app. Apple is not responsible for any claims about the app, including product liability claims, claims that the app fails to meet legal or regulatory requirements, consumer protection claims, or claims that the app infringes someone's intellectual property. Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these terms and may enforce them against you. You confirm that you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. government embargo or designated as a "terrorist supporting" country, and that you are not on any U.S. government list of prohibited or restricted parties.

14. Changes

We may update these terms. We will publish the new version at the address above with a new effective date. If you keep using Luciola after that, the new terms apply.

15. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of [jurisdiction], without regard to its conflict of law rules.

16. Contact

Questions about these terms: [contact email]