Terms of Service

CachePix is developed and operated by SmartLink Basics, LLC, which runs the website and billing and publishes the iPhone and Android apps on the App Store and Google Play.

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of CachePix (the "Service"), which includes the CachePix website at cachepix.com and its account page, the CachePix desktop app for macOS and Windows (downloaded from cachepix.com), the CachePix app for iPhone and iPad (distributed through the Apple App Store), the CachePix Android app (distributed through Google Play), and the account service those apps and the website use.

CachePix is developed and operated by SmartLink Basics, LLC, which runs the website and billing and publishes the iPhone and Android apps on the App Store and Google Play. Where these Terms say "we," "us" or "our," they mean SmartLink Basics, LLC.

Roles under data-protection law. SmartLink Basics, LLC is the controller of your account information (such as your email address, account ID, plan status and billing link), as our Privacy Policy describes. Your photos and your catalog stay on devices you own and control. We don't receive, store or process them.

By creating an account, or by downloading, installing, accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

2. Description of Service

CachePix is a photo catalog app for Mac and Windows. It catalogs the photos on your drives, then syncs a searchable catalog to free iPhone and Android companion apps, so you can browse your archive with the drives unplugged. The Service provides:

• Cataloging of folders and drives on your computer, with a thumbnail and an HD preview of each JPEG, PNG, WebP and RAW photo kept on your computer
• Search by filename, people, keywords and other metadata already in your files
• One-way sync of the catalog from your computer to your phone over your local network, after you pair once by scanning a QR code
• Phone apps for browsing and searching the synced catalog with the drives unplugged and the computer at home
• An account with email sign-in, and plans billed through Stripe

No cloud storage for your photos. CachePix doesn't upload your photos, previews or catalog to us or to any cloud service. Its only online service is your account: email sign-in, the plan check and Stripe billing in your browser, plus checks for app updates.

Not a backup. CachePix is a catalog, not a backup. It makes your archive findable. It doesn't make a second copy, so keep backing up your drives.

The Service runs on your own computer, drives, phone and network, which you're responsible for maintaining. Supported platforms and requirements are listed on the download page.

3. Accounts and Registration; 18+ Requirement

To use the Service with your own photos, you need a CachePix account. You sign in with your email address and a 6-digit code we send to it, and there's no password. You are responsible for keeping access to that email account secure and for all activity under your CachePix account. You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized use.

The Service is intended for use only by individuals who are at least 18 years of age. By creating an account or using the Service in any capacity, you represent and warrant that you are 18 or older.

The sample catalog in the phone apps works without an account. These Terms apply to it too.

4. Your Content

You keep ownership of your photos and files. We do not claim ownership of them, and we don't receive them. CachePix reads your photos on your own devices to build the catalog, and your previews and catalog stay on your computer and phone. Because your content never comes to us, these Terms don't give us any license to it.

Your files. Cataloging never modifies, moves, renames or deletes your files. Some versions of the CachePix desktop app let you edit photo metadata. When you use that feature, CachePix writes only the fields you changed, as standard XMP, to the file or to a sidecar file next to a RAW file. Removing a folder or forgetting a drive only clears CachePix's own catalog entries and cached previews. Your files stay exactly where they are.

Your responsibility. You represent and warrant that you own the photos you catalog, view and share with CachePix, or have the rights and permissions you need to do so, and you are responsible for complying with the laws that apply to them. You agree not to use CachePix with content that infringes anyone's copyright, trademark, publicity, privacy or other rights.

No AI training. We do not and will not use your content to train, improve or develop machine learning models. CachePix has no facial recognition, face detection or AI tagging, and it never sends your photos to us.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose, or to store, view or share illegal content
• Catalog, share or distribute content you don't have the right to use
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, our account systems, other people's accounts, or computers, phones and networks you don't own or have permission to use
• Reverse-engineer, decompile or attempt to extract source code from the Service, except where the law allows it
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure, or get around the plan check
• Resell, rent or redistribute the Service or your plan without our written consent

6. Subscriptions and Billing

Billed by SmartLink Basics, LLC through Stripe. Plans are sold by SmartLink Basics, LLC and paid through Stripe, our payment processor. You choose a plan on your account page or in the CachePix desktop app, and you pay on a page hosted by Stripe in your browser. We never see or store your card number, and Stripe's terms also apply to your payment. The phone apps don't sell anything, and CachePix plans aren't sold through the App Store or Google Play.

Plans. Monthly is $4.99 a month. Annual is $29.99 a year. Lifetime is $99, paid once, with no renewals. Prices are in US dollars and are shown at checkout. One plan covers CachePix on your computer and your phone when you sign in with the same email address. If you buy Lifetime while you have a Monthly or Annual plan, that plan ends right away, with no refund for it. See plans and pricing.

What Lifetime means. A Lifetime plan lasts for as long as SmartLink Basics, LLC offers CachePix. It is tied to the life of the product, not the life of the buyer. Price changes don't apply to a Lifetime plan you've already bought. If CachePix is discontinued, Section 15 explains the notice, refunds and final app versions you get.

Free trial. A new customer on the Monthly or Annual plan gets a 14-day free trial. A card is required to start it. Unless you cancel before the trial ends, your card is charged when the trial ends and the plan continues. If you've had a CachePix Monthly or Annual plan before, you aren't eligible for another trial. Lifetime has no trial.

Canceling during a trial. If you cancel during a trial, you won't be charged, and you keep access until the trial ends.

Automatic renewal. Monthly and Annual plans renew automatically at the end of each billing period, at the then-current price, until you cancel. By starting a Monthly or Annual plan, you authorize these recurring charges to your payment method. If a renewal payment fails, access may end until the payment succeeds.

Canceling. You may cancel at any time with Manage billing on your account page or in CachePix Settings on your computer. Stripe's billing portal opens in your browser. Canceling stops the next renewal, and you keep access until the end of the period you've already paid for. Deleting your CachePix account also ends any plan on it (Section 15).

Refunds. Monthly and Annual payments aren't refunded for part of a billing period, except where the law requires a refund or in the case of a billing error. Lifetime is refunded on request within 14 days of purchase: contact us. A refunded Lifetime plan ends. If a payment is refunded or disputed, the plan it paid for may end. If we end your access without cause or discontinue CachePix, the refunds in Section 15 apply.

Price changes. We may change prices with at least 30 days' advance notice, sent by email to the address on your account. A new price takes effect at the start of your next billing period after the notice.

7. Storage and Data Retention

We don't store your photos. Your catalog, thumbnails and HD previews are stored on your own computer and phone, and the space they use is yours to manage. Before you catalog a folder, the desktop app estimates how much space its previews will take. On the phone, you choose a capture-date window for HD previews, from 30 days to All photos, and Free Up Space removes them.

If your plan ends, nothing on your devices is deleted. CachePix locks on your computer and phone until a plan is active again, the catalog waits on your computer, and your photos stay on your drives.

We keep and delete your account information as our Privacy Policy describes. You can delete your account at any time (Section 15).

8. Third-Party Services

The Service relies on third-party services, including Stripe for payments, Supabase for accounts and sign-in, Cloudflare for this website and the desktop downloads, and the Apple App Store and Google Play for the phone apps. We are not responsible for the availability, accuracy or policies of third-party services. Your use of them is subject to their own terms.

9. Phone Apps and App Stores

Distribution. The CachePix app for iPhone and iPad is distributed through the Apple App Store and is also subject to Apple's Licensed Application End User License Agreement ("Apple EULA"). The CachePix Android app is distributed through Google Play and is also subject to Google Play's terms. Where these Terms conflict with the Apple EULA or Google Play's terms, those store terms govern the conduct each one covers (such as installing the app and platform enforcement), and these Terms continue to govern your relationship with us regarding the Service itself.

Free companion apps. The phone apps are free downloads with no purchases inside the app. They open for an account with an active CachePix plan, which you buy on the website or in the desktop app. The sample catalog works with no account and no computer.

Device to device. The phone apps sync the catalog from your computer over your local network. Nothing done in a phone app modifies, moves or deletes the original files on your drives. Full-size originals stay on your drives, and the phone carries thumbnails and HD previews.

Account deletion from inside the app. You can delete your account at any time from the phone app (on Android, Delete Account on the Sync tab; on iPhone, the account button at the top of the Sync tab, then Delete Account), from the desktop app (Settings, Account, Delete account), or by emailing support@cachepix.com.

Apple and Google. Apple and Google are not parties to these Terms and are not responsible for the Service or its support. Apple Inc. is a third-party beneficiary of these Terms with respect to the CachePix app for iPhone and iPad and, upon your acceptance of these Terms, will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms against you as a third-party beneficiary.

Permissions. The camera, local network and Photos permissions the phone apps use are described in our Privacy Policy. You may revoke any permission at any time in your device's settings.

10. Desktop App (macOS and Windows)

Distribution. The CachePix desktop app is distributed directly from cachepix.com, not through an app store. It requires a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) on macOS 12 or later, or 64-bit Windows (x64), and an active CachePix plan.

Local processing. The desktop app catalogs your photos on your computer. Your photos are read from your own drives and aren't uploaded to us, and your catalog and previews stay on your computer. The app goes online only to sign you in, check your plan, open Stripe in your browser, check the minimum supported version, check for updates and delete your account when you ask, as our Privacy Policy describes.

Plan check. The apps check your plan with our account service. A verified plan keeps working for up to 14 days without reaching it, so connect to the internet now and then.

Updates. We may release updates to the apps, and we may require a minimum version to keep signing in. Updates may change or remove features.

Your responsibilities are unchanged. Your content responsibilities (Section 4) and acceptable use (Section 5) apply on each device where you use CachePix.

11. Intellectual Property and License

Subject to these Terms and an active plan where one is required, we grant you a personal, limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to install and use the Service on devices you own or control. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, lease or create derivative works based on the Service, except as these Terms allow or the law permits.

The Service, including its design, software, features and documentation, is owned by SmartLink Basics, LLC and protected by intellectual property laws. The CachePix name, logo and brand assets are our trademarks and may not be used without our written permission.

12. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free or completely secure.

Without limiting the foregoing, we do not warrant that CachePix will catalog, read, sync or display each of your files or its metadata correctly. In desktop versions that let you edit metadata, we also do not warrant that your changes will be written to your files correctly or completely. CachePix is not a backup, and you are responsible for keeping your own backups. Because the Service runs on your own hardware and network, its performance depends on factors outside our control.

13. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SMARTLINK BASICS, LLC AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, photos or goodwill, arising out of or in connection with your use of the Service.

This limitation applies to all claims, whether based on warranty, contract, tort or any other legal theory, and whether or not we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. This expressly includes any liability arising from catalog or sync errors, or from metadata written to your files.

Our total aggregate liability for all claims related to the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid us for the Service in the 12 months preceding the claim. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so parts of this section may not apply to you.

14. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless SmartLink Basics, LLC from any claims, damages, losses or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from: (a) your use of the Service; (b) the content you catalog, view or share with it; (c) your violation of these Terms; or (d) your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.

15. Termination

You may stop using the Service at any time. To close your account, use Delete Account in the phone app (on the Sync tab on Android; on iPhone, from the account button at the top of the Sync tab), Delete account in the desktop app (Settings, Account), or email us. Deleting your account ends any plan on it: a Monthly or Annual plan is canceled right away, with no refund for the rest of the period, and a Lifetime plan ends. If the plan can't be canceled (for example, you're offline), nothing is deleted.

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time for violation of these Terms or where the law requires it. We may also end your access for any other reason, or discontinue CachePix, by giving you at least 90 days' notice by email to the address on your account.

Refunds if we end access without cause. If we end your access for a reason other than a violation of these Terms, or discontinue CachePix, we refund: for a Monthly or Annual plan, the unused part of the period you've already paid for, prorated by day; for a Lifetime plan, $99 prorated over the 24 months after you bought it (for example, $49.50 if your access ends 12 months after purchase). A Lifetime plan bought more than 24 months before your access ends gets no refund. No refund is due if we end your access because you violated these Terms.

If CachePix is discontinued. Before your access ends, we will release final versions of the CachePix desktop and phone apps that no longer need a CachePix account or an online plan check, so you can keep using the catalogs on your own devices. Those final versions won't receive updates or support.

Effect of termination. When your account or plan ends, CachePix locks on your devices (unless CachePix is discontinued, as described above), and nothing on your devices is deleted. Your photos, catalog and previews stay on your computer and phone until you remove them. We keep and delete account information as our Privacy Policy describes. Sections 4, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 17 survive termination.

16. International Users

CachePix is operated from the United States and is primarily intended for users located in the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, you do so on your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws.

By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your account information to the United States, which may not provide the same level of data protection as your home country. Your photos and catalog aren't transferred, because they stay on your devices.

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you may have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or UK GDPR, including the right to access, rectify, delete or port your personal data, and the right to object to or restrict certain processing. To exercise these rights, contact us.

17. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Oregon, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes will be resolved in the courts located in Multnomah County, Oregon.

18. Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to update these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by email or with a notice in the apps or on this website, and the "Last updated" date at the top of this page shows the latest revision. Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

19. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email support@cachepix.com or contact us. CachePix is operated by SmartLink Basics, LLC.