TERMS OF USE

Thin Walls: Neighbor Noise

Last updated: October 8, 2026 Version: terms-3

SHORT VERSION (the full terms below control)

• The app estimates sound levels with the iPhone microphone. It is not a certified sound level meter.

• It is not legal advice. Nobody has promised to accept anything the app makes, and a report may not be accepted as evidence.

• You are responsible for following the laws on recording and on other people's privacy, and for what you write and share.

• Do not use it to harass or pressure anyone.

• The app is provided "as is," and our liability is limited as far as the law allows. Nothing here limits rights the law does not let anyone waive.

1. RELATIONSHIP TO APPLE'S LICENSE

1.1 You get your license to use the app from Apple's standard Licensed Application End User License Agreement ("Apple's EULA"). These Terms add to Apple's EULA. They are between you and Daisuke Kawaue ("we," "us"), and not with Apple Inc. We, not Apple, are responsible for the app and for these Terms.

1.2 If these Terms and Apple's EULA conflict, Apple's EULA controls for the license, and these Terms control for everything else.

1.3 Contact. Send questions, complaints or claims about the app to contact@da-win.net.

2. WHAT THE APP DOES, AND DOES NOT DO (technical facts about this version)

2.1 When the microphone is used. The app uses the iPhone microphone after you tap Start for a night recording, and while the calibration screen is open. A night recording keeps using the microphone when the screen is locked or the app is in the background, until you stop it or the system stops it. The iPhone shows its own microphone indicator. The microphone can pick up voices and other sounds in the room. The app turns them into level numbers and does not save them (see 2.2).

2.2 What the app does with the sound. The app cuts the incoming sound into short pieces. From each piece of about 0.34 seconds, it calculates 25 values, one for each one-third-octave frequency band from 63 Hz to 16 kHz. From these it calculates an estimated A-weighted sound level. It does not save the sound. It does not recognize speech, and it does not analyze what is said. The app keeps the sound in the iPhone's memory for a short time only, no more than about 0.85 seconds at a time, and then discards it. The iPhone's operating system may use its own temporary audio buffers, which the app does not control.

2.3 What the app saves. For each second, the app saves the time, an estimated average level for that second, the highest short-piece level in that second, and how much of that second had sound input. It also saves a log of starts, stops and interruptions, a summary of each night, and the notes you type. The app also keeps a short technical log for each night, with things like when the app moved to the background, the battery level and whether the iPhone was hot. It stays on the iPhone and is not part of any report or export. The note types (such as "Voices") are labels that you choose. The app does not decide what made a sound.

2.4 What the app does not send. We do not receive your sound, levels, times, notes or reports. The app has no account, no server of ours, and no analytics or advertising code. What you choose to share goes where you send it. Files in the app may be included in your own iPhone backups, if you use them.

2.5 Levels are estimates. The app is not a certified sound level meter. Estimates depend on the iPhone microphone, its case, where you put it, and other sounds in the room, and can be wrong. A very loud sound can overload the microphone and read lower than it was. The app calculates a level from short pieces of about 0.34 seconds, so its per-second values are not the same as the time-weighted values (such as "Fast" or "Slow") on a standards-based sound level meter.

2.6 Calibration. The app applies an A-weighting curve when it calculates its level, with or without calibration. Without calibration, the level has no link to any sound level meter, so the app shows it as a relative level (dB) and does not call it a dBA reading. Calibration is optional. In Settings, you can enter a reading from your own sound level meter, taken at one test level. The app then stores one constant number, so that its A-weighted level at that test level matches the reading you entered. Calibration does not correct the microphone's frequency response, or its estimates at other levels or for other kinds of sound. It applies only to the microphone you calibrated. We cannot check your meter or what you enter. Calibrated levels are still estimates.

2.7 Time not recorded. The app can stop (for example after a phone call, when another app takes the microphone, when the battery runs out, or when the system stops the app). Time that was not recorded is shown as not recorded. It is not filled in.

2.8 The threshold, "events," and "times above the threshold" are calculations the app makes from the numbers. They are not findings about any person, any sound's source, or any rule.

2.9 Reports (PDF, ZIP, images, data files) are made from the records on your iPhone and from notes you type. We do not check what you type. The app does not know what made a sound or where it came from.

2.10 The "file fingerprint" (SHA-256) shows only whether a file you compare is byte-for-byte the same as the file the app exported. It does not show who made the file, that the sounds happened as described, or that nothing was changed before export.

3. NOT LEGAL ADVICE. NO PROMISE ABOUT RESULTS

3.1 We are not a law firm. The app and everything it makes are not legal advice, and using them does not create a lawyer-client relationship. The app does not decide whether any law, ordinance, lease or rule was broken.

3.2 We do not promise that any city office, 311 service, police department, court, landlord, property manager, HOA or other person will accept, read or act on anything the app makes, or that it can be received as evidence. Rules differ by place and by person, and some do not accept phone readings at all.

3.3 We are not affiliated with, and are not approved by, any of them. The app does not send complaints or reports for you.

3.4 The app is not for emergencies. If you are in danger, call 911 (or your local emergency number).

3.5 The app is not a hearing-protection or medical device.

4. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

4.1 You decide whether to use the app, where to put the iPhone, what to write, what to share, and with whom. You are responsible for your notes and for what you share.

4.2 Laws. Laws on recording and listening to other people's conversations, and on other people's privacy, differ by state and country, and some require everyone's consent. The facts in 2.1 to 2.4 describe how this version works. We cannot tell you whether using the app is lawful where you are, or in a place where other people's voices may be heard. You alone are responsible for following the laws that apply to you. If you make recordings, photos or videos by other means, you alone are responsible for following those laws too. Do not add them to anything you share if you are not sure it is lawful.

4.3 Be truthful. Describe only what you observed. Do not alter an exported file and present it as the app's output.

4.4 Notes about sounds, not people. Do not write names, unit numbers or accusations in notes. A false or unfair statement about a person can make you responsible for the harm.

4.5 No harassment. Do not use the app to harass, stalk, threaten, intimidate, retaliate against, defame, or keep watch on another person, or to pressure anyone.

4.6 Share only with the people handling your matter. Posting a report or a chart online can get you into trouble.

4.7 Age. The app is for adults only and is not directed to children under 13. To accept these Terms or use the app, you must be at least 18 years old and have reached the age of majority where you live. You must meet both requirements. If you do not, do not accept these Terms and do not use the app.

4.8 Safe use. Keep the iPhone plugged in with its normal charger, off pillows and blankets, as the app says.

5. PURCHASES

5.1 What is free. Overnight recording, charts, notes and CSV data files are free. Your first full PDF and ZIP report export is free.

5.2 What you can buy. The app offers one in-app purchase. It is a one-time, non-consumable purchase that unlocks additional PDF and ZIP report exports, beyond the first free one. There is no subscription. The price is shown by the App Store, in your currency, before you buy.

5.3 Payment. The purchase is paid through your Apple Account and processed by Apple. Apple's terms and refund rules apply.

5.4 Restoring. The unlock belongs to the Apple Account that made the purchase. In the app, tap Restore Purchases to unlock again on an iPhone signed in with that Apple Account, for example after you delete and reinstall the app or get a new iPhone. It cannot be moved to another Apple Account. The unlock is not shared through Family Sharing.

5.5 "One-time" means you pay once for this unlock. It does not promise that the app, or Apple's services, will be available forever. We may update, change or stop the app. If a future version removes the unlocked feature, we will say so in the app before the change and tell you how to ask Apple for a refund.

5.6 Your free first export is tracked on your iPhone. Deleting the app or resetting the iPhone may or may not bring it back. Deleting your nights in the app does not bring it back.

6. PRIVACY

6.1 We do not receive your sound, levels, times, notes or reports (see 2.4). The records, notes and reports stay in the app on your iPhone until you share them. They may be included in your own iPhone backups. You can delete every saved night in Settings (Delete all nights), and deleting the app also deletes them. Copies already in your own backups are not deleted. We cannot recover data you delete or lose.

6.2 Apple handles purchases and restores under Apple's own rules. If you chose to share analytics with app developers in your iPhone settings, Apple may give us aggregated crash data and usage statistics that do not personally identify you. We do not use them to identify you.

6.3 If you share a file, it goes to the place you choose, and that place's rules apply.

6.4 Privacy Policy: https://fututukamono.github.io/thin-walls/privacy.html

6.5 Age check. In places where the law requires apps to check age, the app asks iOS for your age range (Apple's Declared Age Range) before you can accept these Terms. The app uses only the answer "18 or older" or "under 18." It does not send the answer anywhere and does not save your age range. It keeps only a short note on your iPhone that records the result of the check. If iOS shows that you are under 18, you cannot accept these Terms or use the app.

7. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE APP AND EVERYTHING IT MAKES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITH ALL FAULTS AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, SATISFACTORY QUALITY, QUIET ENJOYMENT AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE APP WILL ESTIMATE EVERY SOUND OR RECORD EVERY NIGHT, WILL RUN WITHOUT INTERRUPTION OR ERROR, THAT ITS ESTIMATES ARE PRECISE, OR THAT ANY REPORT WILL BE ACCEPTED OR HELP IN ANY MATTER. NOTHING IN THIS SECTION AFFECTS ANY RIGHT OR REMEDY THAT THE LAW DOES NOT ALLOW TO BE DISCLAIMED.

8. LIMIT OF LIABILITY

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST DATA, OR FOR THE OUTCOME OF ANY COMPLAINT, DISPUTE, LEASE, HOA PROCEEDING OR COURT CASE, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY A THIRD PARTY (INCLUDING A NEIGHBOR) ABOUT WHAT YOU RECORD, WRITE OR SHARE. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATED TO THE APP WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) WHAT YOU PAID US FOR THE APP IN THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM AND (B) US$50.

8.1 Rights that cannot be limited. NOTHING IN THESE TERMS LIMITS ANY RIGHT OR REMEDY THAT THE LAW DOES NOT ALLOW TO BE WAIVED OR LIMITED, INCLUDING RIGHTS AND REMEDIES UNDER YOUR STATE'S CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS, OR LIABILITY FOR FRAUD, GROSS NEGLIGENCE, WILLFUL MISCONDUCT, OR (WHERE THE LAW REQUIRES) PERSONAL INJURY.

9. CHANGES AND ENDING THE APP

9.1 You can stop using the app at any time by deleting it. We can change or stop the app.

9.2 Changes to these Terms apply only from the date we publish them. They do not apply to anything that happened before. If we make a material change, we will show the new Terms in the app and ask you to accept them (tap "Continue" after you check the box) before you keep using the app after the change. If you do not accept, stop using the app.

9.3 Ending. Your right to use the app under these Terms ends if you break them. Sections 3, 4.4, 7 and 8 continue after that.

9.4 Events beyond our control. We are not responsible for a delay or failure caused by events beyond our reasonable control, such as an outage of Apple's services, a natural disaster, or an action of a government.

10. YOUR REVIEWS

Nothing in these Terms limits your right to write an honest review of the app.

11. THE REST

These Terms are the whole agreement between you and us about the app, and add to Apple's EULA. If part of these Terms cannot be enforced, the rest still applies. If we do not enforce a term, we have not given it up. Contact: see 1.3.