Acceptance#
Kawa (the “App”) is developed and operated by independent developer Kami (the “Developer”). By downloading, installing, or using the App, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not use the App.
Distribution and Full-Version Entitlement#
The App is distributed through Apple’s App Store. Unless applicable law provides otherwise, Apple handles downloads, updates, purchases, billing, and Apple Accounts under its terms.
The permanent Kawa Full Version is a non-consumable App Store in-app purchase. It is purchased once and does not renew automatically. The price is the local price displayed by the App Store at the time of purchase. A completed purchase provides permanent access to full-version features delivered in future versions of the same App.
You may instead choose a one-year or one-month auto-renewable Full Version subscription (annual or monthly). The annual, monthly, and lifetime options provide the same Full Version features within each client’s supported feature set. Available plans, prices, periods, and offer eligibility are shown by the App Store before confirmation. Without an applicable offer, the standard price applies.
Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Apple charges for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel renewal in Apple’s subscription settings. Canceling renewal preserves access for the paid period. The annual plan includes a one-week free trial. The annual and monthly plans share one subscription group, and introductory offers such as free trials are offered only to users Apple determines are eligible, as shown before confirmation. Canceling at least 24 hours before the trial ends avoids a charge; otherwise it renews at the price shown on the purchase screen when the trial ends.
When a subscription expires, free features remain available, follows and preferences are retained, and ongoing playback is not interrupted; hosted services requiring paid access stop. Access continues during a valid billing grace period confirmed by Apple; billing retry alone grants no access. A permanent purchase takes precedence and does not cancel an existing subscription or credit prior subscription fees. Manage the original subscription separately.
The App includes third-party open-source components governed by their respective licenses. See Open-Source Licenses for component notices, license texts, and source-material access.
Payment, Restore Purchases, and Refunds#
All purchases are completed through Apple’s App Store. The applicable price, taxes, and payment methods are shown on the App Store purchase screen.
Restore Purchases uses StoreKit to read valid App Store purchase records owned by the current Apple Account. Restoring does not create a new purchase or charge. Family Sharing availability depends on the App Store product page and Apple’s sharing settings. Full Version access for a family member requires a valid shared entitlement from Apple.
Some purchases may be eligible for a refund. Sign in at reportaproblem.apple.com to submit a request to Apple. Eligibility and outcomes vary by country or region and are determined by Apple subject to applicable consumer law. If Apple refunds or revokes a transaction, the corresponding full-version entitlement ends.
Historical Website Purchases#
Historical website purchases are not App Store transactions, do not automatically become App Store purchases, and cannot be read through Restore Purchases in the App. Eligible historical purchasers will primarily migrate through App Store offer codes; an offline final build will be available when that method cannot be used. Eligibility, steps, and timing are available from [email protected] and in subsequent notices.
Keep your order email and existing App until migration is complete. The Developer will not terminate an existing paid entitlement without an approved migration or compensation arrangement.
Promotion Program#
The Promotion Program is shown in the App as 推广计划. Once you apply to join it and your application is approved, you become a Referrer and receive a referral code and a personal discount link. When a friend buys the Full Version at the friend discount through your personal discount link, you can earn a referral reward. Participation is entirely optional. Not participating does not affect any App feature, nor any entitlement you have already purchased. Referral rewards unlock no App functionality.
Applying and Review
Users who currently hold the Full Version entitlement can apply to join the Promotion Program in the iPhone, iPad, or Mac App. Lifetime, Annual, and Monthly users can all apply, as can users in a free trial and users who get the Full Version through Family Sharing. Whether you hold the Full Version is determined by what we confirm with Apple when you submit your application.
To apply, you submit a promotion statement of 30 to 500 characters that describes the platforms where you plan to promote, the size of your followers or audience, and how you will promote. You can optionally attach up to three images, such as screenshots of your profile or follower count. Application materials are not made public; see the Privacy Policy for how they are handled.
Applications are reviewed by the Developer. Review may be assisted by AI, and AI may also decide directly whether an application is approved or not approved. Review looks mainly at whether the statement is specific, whether it is low-effort filler, and whether it involves fake orders, false advertising, or spam; whether to approve is our decision. If you disagree with a review result, you can contact [email protected] to ask for a manual review.
The review result is shown only on the Promotion Program page in the App, with no separate notification, and we do not commit to a specific review time. You can withdraw an application while it is under review and submit again right away. If an application is not approved, the Promotion Program page shows the reason, and you can apply again after 24 hours. After three applications are not approved, you can no longer apply in the App; to apply again, contact [email protected].
Once approved, you keep your Referrer status and the links you have shared even if your Full Version entitlement later expires.
Referrer Identity
Becoming a Referrer requires no account and no email address. When you apply, the App generates a random credential and stores it in the device keychain. With iCloud Keychain on, it syncs across devices that use the same Apple Account; with iCloud Keychain off, it stays only on the device where you applied. This credential is your Referrer identity.
If you lose the credential, contact [email protected] for manual recovery. You must provide your base code (the first five characters of your referral code) and your earlier withdrawal email correspondence, which we check against the withdrawal records in our system. Without material we can verify, the credential cannot be recovered.
Referral Codes and Personal Discount Links
Each Referrer has one referral code, which maps to one Apple offer code for each of Lifetime, Annual, and Monthly. What you share is your personal discount link on our website: your friend opens it, picks a product, and continues to Apple's redemption page to buy at the friend discount.
Your referral code and link stay the same when your level changes. When a level change alters the friend discount, the link may be briefly unredeemable during the switch, usually for no more than one hour. If the friend discount for a product is temporarily unavailable, what the link page shows governs.
Friend Discount
The friend discount is provided through Apple offer codes, and its size depends on the Referrer's level at the time. The actual price, validity period, available countries or regions, and redemption eligibility are as shown on Apple's redemption page before purchase is confirmed.
- The Lifetime friend discount is available only to Apple Accounts that have never purchased Lifetime.
- The Annual and Monthly friend discounts are charged on redemption: Annual prepays the first year in full, Monthly pays the first month immediately, and neither combines with a free trial or other introductory offer. After the offer period, the subscription renews at the regular price unless renewal is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.
- Offer codes have no cash value, cannot be exchanged for cash, and cannot be resold.
Referrer Levels
There are six Referrer levels, shown in the App by their Chinese names: Expert Referrer (达人推荐官), Gold Referrer (黄金推荐官), Platinum Referrer (铂金推荐官), Diamond Referrer (钻石推荐官), Black Gold Referrer (黑金推荐官), and Partner (合伙人). Your level depends on how many successful referrals you have; we may also assign a level to an individual Referrer, in which case the higher of the assigned level and the level from your successful referrals applies. The threshold, friend discount, and per-referral reward amounts for each level are as shown on the Promotion Program page in the App. Your level is visible only to you.
Successful Referrals and Referral Rewards
A successful referral is a paid redemption recorded against your referral code in Apple's sales reports; Apple's sales reports govern. Reports are generated daily, so a successful referral usually appears the day after the purchase or a few days later. We do not collect, and cannot learn, your friend's identity.
Each successful referral earns a fixed USD referral reward based on your level at the time and the product purchased. The level is set by the number of successful referrals you had before that referral (or by your assigned level, if higher). The amount is fixed when recorded; later changes to levels or amounts do not apply retroactively to recorded referral rewards. For Annual and Monthly, only the first redemption counts; later renewals earn no referral reward.
Pending Period and Withdrawal
A recorded referral reward is pending for 14 days before it moves into your withdrawable balance. Once the withdrawable balance reaches USD 3, you can generate a withdrawal request code in the App and email it to [email protected].
When you submit a request, the requested amount is locked from your withdrawable balance. A request that has not yet been processed can be withdrawn, which returns the amount to your withdrawable balance. A request that is being processed cannot be withdrawn. If a request is rejected, the amount also returns to your withdrawable balance, the Promotion Program page shows the reason, and you can request again. Your first withdrawal is reviewed manually.
Payouts are processed manually and are not instant; they are usually processed within 7 days. Payouts are made by Alipay, WeChat, or another method agreed with you. Referral rewards are denominated in USD, converted at the exchange rate on the payout date, and the amount actually received governs. The Developer pays the transfer fees.
We do not store your payment details in our systems. They are provided only through your email correspondence with us and are deleted once the payout is done; see the Privacy Policy.
Refunds and Reversals
If a friend refunds, or their transaction is revoked by Apple, the corresponding referral reward is reversed under the rules below; a reversal lowers your successful referral count, and your level may drop.
- Lifetime: each refund in Apple's sales reports that carries your referral code reverses the most recent Lifetime referral reward on that code that has not yet been reversed, for the amount that reward was recorded at. If that reward is still pending, it is removed from pending; if it has already moved to your withdrawable balance, it is deducted from that balance. If there is no reward left to reverse, the amount of one Expert Referrer Lifetime referral reward is deducted from your withdrawable balance, and your successful referral count does not change.
- Annual and Monthly: a refund is reversed in the same way when Apple's reports identify it by referral code. Refunds that cannot be identified are not reversed, but we reserve the right to address unusual refunds during the first-withdrawal review.
Reversals can make your withdrawable balance negative, including refunds that happen after a payout. While the balance is negative, your referral code keeps working and keeps earning referral rewards, but you cannot withdraw; later referral rewards first offset the negative balance.
No Fraudulent Referrals
Transactions from sandbox, TestFlight, or any environment other than a real sale earn no referral reward. The following are prohibited:
- Using your own referral code for your own purchase.
- Fabricated transactions, bulk refunds after purchase, or any other fraudulent referrals.
Where we identify them, including during the first-withdrawal review, we reserve the right to disable the referral code, decline payment, and reverse the referral rewards involved.
Program Changes
We may adjust level thresholds, friend discounts, referral reward amounts, the pending period, or the withdrawal threshold. Adjustments do not apply retroactively to referral rewards already recorded. If the program ends, balances past the pending period are still handled under these terms. You can contact [email protected] to delete your referral data and application materials; after deletion your referral code stops working, any unwithdrawn balance is forfeited, and any application under review is void; see the Privacy Policy. No change to or termination of the Promotion Program affects the Full Version entitlement you have purchased.
Website Feedback Board#
The website's feedback board (Chinese only) lets any visitor submit content anonymously. The following terms apply to that page:
- You are responsible for what you submit and confirm you hold the rights needed to submit it. Submissions are published immediately, with no pre-publication review.
- You grant the Developer a royalty-free licence to display your submission on the website and to use it for evaluating requests, diagnosing defects, and further development. Submitting earns you no compensation and no authority over what gets built.
- Prohibited submissions: advertising and promotion, unlawful content, content infringing anyone's intellectual property or privacy, other people's personal information, malware, and anything unrelated to Kawa.
- The Developer may remove any submission without prior notice, and may shut the page down entirely. Content on the page is submitted by visitors and does not represent the Developer's position or any commitment.
- The page carries no promise of a reply. A submission is not a support ticket and is not a commitment to any feature or fix on any timeline. For a reply, use the contact page.
- Attachments are deleted automatically after 180 days. Keep your own originals.
Streamer Lists#
A streamer list is a list of streamers that someone has put together and shares as a JSON file. In the App you can subscribe to its address or import its file, for your own browsing only. The following terms apply when you use streamer lists:
- The name, description, avatars, and source links of a third-party streamer list are provided by its author. Kawa only reads and displays them. It does not host, index, or review them, and does not endorse their content.
- You are responsible for the addresses you subscribe to and the files you import.
- The preset streamer list 「良友主播单」 is compiled by 「良哥看未来」 (Xiaohongshu) and provided with the App by Kawa on an “as is” basis. It is not an official recommendation or ranking.
- If you hold rights in content in the preset streamer list (for example, as the streamer) and believe it infringes them, you can contact [email protected] to request its removal.
Content Translation and Live Captions#
Content translations and live captions are machine-generated. They may be inaccurate or incomplete and may appear later than the speech in the stream. Do not rely on them as your only source for important information.
You may choose a custom translation service by entering its service address, API key, and model name yourself. That service is provided by the provider you choose and is not a service provided by the Developer: its use, billing, and data handling are governed by the terms between you and that provider, and any charges are yours. The Developer does not handle these requests and is not responsible for that service’s availability, translations, or data handling. Only connect services you are entitled to use.
The Free Version includes a limited number of caption translations; the Full Version has no limit. A caption counts only when a translation is received and shown on screen; captions that fail, time out, or are skipped because the languages match do not count. The same rule applies when you use a custom translation service. The exact number is shown in the App.
Speech recognition models are each subject to their own licenses, listed on the Open-Source Licenses page.
Restrictions#
You agree not to:
- Resell or transfer an in-app purchase entitlement in an unauthorized manner.
- Circumvent, interfere with, or falsify StoreKit purchase validation.
- Extract referral rewards through fabricated transactions, self-purchases, bulk refunds, or any similar means.
- Use the App for activities that violate applicable law.
Data and iCloud Sync#
An App Store purchase does not require a Kawa purchase account. Apple manages Apple Accounts and purchase history. Local data, iCloud data, and diagnostics, support, or historical migration data held by the Developer are processed under the Privacy Policy.
When iCloud sync is enabled, the App uses your own iCloud / CloudKit account to synchronize followed-streamer lists, the addresses and names of streamer lists you subscribe to, cross-device preferences (including content translation settings and caption style), third-party platform login credentials you choose to save, and the API key for a custom translation service (synced in encrypted form) across devices using the same Apple Account. The caption translation count is not affected by the App's iCloud sync switch; it is kept in Apple's iCloud key-value storage across devices using the same Apple Account, even if you delete the App. iCloud does not synchronize App Store purchase status; StoreKit reads valid transactions for the current Apple Account when purchasing or restoring.
Third-Party Platforms#
The App accesses third-party streaming platforms including Bilibili, Douyu, Huya, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Bigo, Laixiu, Twitch, YY, TikTok, CHZZK, PandaTV, and SOOP. You must comply with each platform’s terms. We are not responsible for third-party content, availability, or policy changes.
A share poster is generated on your device and distributed by you. The stream footage and streamer information it carries belong to the corresponding platform and streamer; follow that platform’s rules when you distribute it.
Disclaimer#
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the App is provided “as is” without a guarantee of uninterrupted or error-free operation. Nothing in this section excludes or limits consumer rights that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.
Changes to These Terms#
We will announce material changes through an App update or on this website. Material changes affecting existing paid entitlements will be communicated separately in accordance with applicable law and approved legacy arrangements.
Contact#
For questions, contact [email protected].