Last updated: May 9, 2026
Terms of Use
These terms explain the basic rules for using the Global version of SmallWorld.
1. Service Description
SmallWorld is a social product based on trusted contacts, shared trusted contacts, and real-world connection signals. It provides profile display, trusted-contact requests, encounter greetings, chat, voice messages, decision tools, blocking, reporting, and notifications.
2. Account and Sign-In
For the Global version, you register with an email address, username, and password. Email verification and password reset use email codes. The Global version does not provide phone-number sign-in or SMS verification. You are responsible for keeping your registration information accurate, lawful, and under your control. Do not share verification codes, passwords, account access, or devices with others.
3. Global Edition Separation
The Global version and the Mainland China version are separate services with separate apps, backends, databases, account systems, trusted-contact graphs, chats, encounters, reports, push tokens, and website/legal-page paths. Global users and Mainland China users cannot search for each other, add each other as trusted contacts, chat across editions, or encounter each other across editions.
4. Profile and Content
You may set your display name, avatar, bio, birthday, gender, industry, interests, boundaries, and similar profile fields. You agree not to upload or submit content that violates others' rights or contains illegal, harassing, fraudulent, sexual, violent, discriminatory, privacy-invasive, or otherwise inappropriate material.
5. Trusted Contacts and Encounters
The app encourages users to connect through real-world trusted contacts and shared trusted contacts. The encounter feature is used to indicate possible trusted connections, not random anonymous matching or dating. Regular users do not directly see the full list of shared contacts. If you manually save a phone number for a trusted contact, it is stored locally on your device and used only to open the iPhone phone dialer when you choose to call that trusted contact.
6. Chat Conduct
You should communicate with others respectfully, honestly, and safely. Do not send harassment, threats, scams, advertisements, illegal transaction content, malicious links, or messages that violate another person's privacy. Chat between non-contacts is intended to help both people decide whether to form a trusted relationship.
7. Blocking, Reporting, and Enforcement
You can block or report other users. After blocking, the affected users may be unable to send messages or appear in certain lists. We may review reports and take action according to service rules and applicable laws, including restricting, suspending, or terminating account features where necessary.
8. Account Deletion
You can request account deletion in Settings. After deletion, your account and associated server data are deleted, except where limited records must be retained for safety, compliance, or dispute handling. Local data on your device is also removed by the app's deletion flow.
9. Future Features
The app may add richer shared-connection signals or advanced display capabilities in the future. Before those features launch, we will clearly describe the applicable rules.
10. Disclaimer
The app cannot guarantee that all user profiles, relationship descriptions, or chat content are completely true or accurate. You should judge interaction risks independently, avoid sharing sensitive information, and avoid unsafe offline contact. Users are responsible for risks arising from their own content or offline behavior.
11. Updates and Termination
We may update these terms based on product changes, operational needs, or legal requirements. If you do not agree to updated terms, you may stop using the app. If you violate these terms or applicable law, we may restrict, suspend, or terminate the service provided to you.