Terms of Service

Complete terms and conditions governing your use of Pearl. Professional legal framework ensuring compliance with App Store guidelines and medical industry standards.

Last updated: January 2025

Medical Disclaimer

Pearl is a knowledge management tool and does not constitute medical advice. The app is not a substitute for professional medical consultation, diagnosis, or treatment.

Acceptance of Terms

By downloading, installing, or using the Pearl application ("App"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the App.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and the developer of Pearl regarding your use of the App. Your continued use of the App after any changes to these Terms constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.

Description of Service

Pearl is a medical knowledge management application designed for healthcare professionals to:

Text Pearls

Create and organize medical notes and clinical pearls with rich text formatting

Audio Pearls

Record and store audio memos with automatic speech-to-text transcription

Photo Pearls

Capture and manage medical images with professional cropping tools

Smart Organization

Tag and categorize medical information by specialty and procedures

Advanced Search

Search and retrieve stored medical knowledge including transcribed content

iCloud Backup

Back up data securely to iCloud with end-to-end encryption (optional)

Acceptable Use

You agree to use Pearl only for legitimate medical knowledge management purposes:

  • Use the App for professional medical knowledge organization
  • Comply with all applicable laws and regulations
  • Respect patient privacy and confidentiality
  • Follow medical privacy laws (HIPAA, etc.) where applicable
  • Use speech-to-text features responsibly and verify transcriptions for medical accuracy
  • Use professional photo cropping features appropriately for medical documentation
  • Maintain appropriate security measures for your device and iCloud account

Prohibited Uses

  • Using the App for illegal purposes
  • Violating patient privacy or confidentiality
  • Sharing medical information inappropriately
  • Attempting to reverse engineer or modify the App
  • Using the App to provide medical advice to others
  • Storing sensitive patient data without proper consent
  • Using the App for commercial purposes without authorization

Medical Disclaimer

Important Medical Notice

Pearl is a knowledge management tool and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. The App is designed to help healthcare professionals organize their own medical knowledge and is not intended for:

  • Providing medical advice to patients
  • Making clinical decisions
  • Substituting for professional medical consultation
  • Diagnosing or treating medical conditions

Always consult with qualified healthcare professionals for medical decisions and patient care. Speech-to-text transcriptions are provided for convenience but should be verified for accuracy before use in clinical settings.

User Accounts

Pearl does not require user accounts or registration. All data is stored locally on your device. However, you are responsible for:

  • Maintaining the security of your device and iCloud account
  • Ensuring appropriate access controls for your device
  • Regular backups of your data
  • Compliance with institutional policies regarding medical data

Intellectual Property

The Pearl app and its original content, features, and functionality are owned by the developer and are protected by international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws.

You retain ownership of all content you create within the app. The app provides tools for organizing and managing your medical knowledge, but does not claim ownership of your intellectual property.

Privacy and Data Protection

Your privacy is important to us. Please review our Privacy Policy, which also governs your use of the App, to understand our practices regarding the collection and use of your information.

Pearl is designed with privacy-first principles:

  • All data is stored locally on your device by default
  • No medical data is transmitted to external servers without your permission
  • iCloud backup is optional and user-controlled
  • You have complete control over your data

Limitations of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the developer shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including without limitation, loss of profits, data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, resulting from:

  • Your use or inability to use the App
  • Any unauthorized access to or use of your data
  • Any interruption or cessation of transmission to or from the App
  • Any bugs, viruses, or other harmful code that may be transmitted through the App
  • Any errors or omissions in any content or for any loss or damage incurred as a result of the use of any content

Termination

You may terminate your use of the App at any time by uninstalling it from your device. Upon termination:

  • Your right to use the App will cease immediately
  • You should export any data you wish to retain before uninstalling
  • Local data will be removed when the app is uninstalled
  • iCloud backup data will be retained according to your iCloud settings

Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which the developer operates, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the App shall be resolved through appropriate legal channels in the applicable jurisdiction.

Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify or replace these Terms at any time. If a revision is material, we will provide at least 30 days notice prior to any new terms taking effect.

What constitutes a material change will be determined at our sole discretion. By continuing to access or use the App after any revisions become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised terms.

Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us:

  • Email: support@pearlapp.com
  • Privacy: privacy@pearlapp.com
  • Website: https://github.com/tkfellows/Pearl
  • Developer: Tyee Fellows, MD, MSc, CCFP