Terms of Use

The App and Website are operated by ROOTS SHPK, a limited liability company registered in Albania with the National Business Centre (Qendra Kombëtare e Biznesit), unique identification number (NUIS) M61803028A. We publish Roots Earth for travelers worldwide.

• Registered seat: Rruga Zef Jubani, Nd. 4, H. 1, Ap. 3, Njësia Administrative Nr. 5, 1000 Tiranë, Albania
• Contact email: hello@rootsearth.com
• Phone: +355 69 443 8348

Roots Earth is a self-guided audio-story app for cities around the world. It offers narrated walking stories about Points of Interest, an offline-capable map, and audio you can download and listen to at your own pace, in the languages the App offers. The catalogue is organised by region, country, and city, and it grows over time: cities and languages may be added, changed, or withdrawn. Each city includes a number of free preview stories; the remaining stories are unlocked with a paid pass (see Section 4).

The content is provided for general cultural and informational interest. It is not navigational, professional, legal, or safety advice.

You must be at least 13 years old to use the App. Where local law sets a higher digital-consent age (such as 16 in parts of the EU), users below that age should use the App only with the consent of a parent or guardian, who accepts these Terms on their behalf.

4.1 Free and paid content

A selection of preview stories is free in every city. To unlock all premium stories, you can buy a pass that grants access for a fixed period (for example a Day, 3-Day, Week, Month, or 3-Month pass). The available passes and their durations are shown inside the App.

4.2 What a pass covers

A Roots Earth pass unlocks premium stories in the Roots Earth App only. It is not transferable to any other app we publish, and a purchase made in another of our apps does not unlock Roots Earth.

4.3 How you pay

All purchases are processed by Apple (App Store) or Google (Google Play) through your store account, under their respective terms and payment methods. We never see or store your card number or billing details. The price you pay is the price displayed in the store at the moment of purchase, in your local currency, and may include applicable taxes.

4.4 Duration and renewal

Passes are time-limited and grant access only for the stated period. Unless the App expressly states otherwise, a pass does not auto-renew: when it expires, premium access simply ends until you choose to buy another pass. Access is tied to the device or store account used for the purchase.

4.5 Promotional access

We may occasionally grant free or discounted access as part of a promotion. Any such offer is redeemed through the mechanism the relevant app store provides, is granted at our discretion, may be limited in time or number, and can be withdrawn or revoked if it is obtained or used improperly.

4.6 Refunds

Because purchases are made through the App Store or Google Play, refunds are handled under Apple’s and Google’s refund policies, and we cannot directly refund a store purchase. Nothing in this section limits any mandatory refund or withdrawal rights you may have as a consumer under the law of your country of residence.

If you reinstall the App or set up a new device, you can restore passes bought with the same Apple or Google account using the restore option in the App. If you have trouble restoring access, contact us at hello@rootsearth.com and include the anonymous device ID shown in the App’s Settings screen so we can help.

We grant you a personal, limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to download and use the App and its content on devices you own or control, for your own non-commercial use. This licence exists only while you comply with these Terms.

You agree that you will not:

• copy, record, redistribute, broadcast, sell, or publicly perform the audio or other content, in whole or in part;
• circumvent, disable, or interfere with the paywall, the media access controls, or any security feature of the App or our servers;
• scrape, bulk-download, or attempt to access content you have not unlocked;
• reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the App except to the limited extent that applicable law expressly permits;
• use the App for any unlawful purpose or in a way that infringes the rights of others.

The App has an Events tab and Activities published by vetted local businesses, and it lets you RSVP, rate an activity, and send us feedback. These features are governed by our Community Guidelines, which form part of these Terms.

There is zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive behaviour. You must not submit, and businesses must not publish, content that is illegal, pornographic or sexually explicit, hateful or discriminatory, violent or threatening, harassing, fraudulent or misleading, infringing on intellectual-property rights, or harmful to minors. ROOTS SHPK may remove any content and suspend or terminate access for any user or business, at its sole discretion and without prior notice, for a violation.

You can report any event or activity from its three-dot menu, and block a business so that none of its content is shown to you again (reversible in Settings → Hidden businesses). We review every report within 24 hours and act on it by hiding the content, hiding the business, or deactivating the account that published it. You can also report anything to hello@rootsearth.com.

Events and activities are third-party content created by the businesses that publish them, under the Business Terms of Service. We show them as published and are not responsible for the accuracy of an event’s details, prices, or offers, nor for any transaction you enter into with a business.

The App, the Website, the ROOTS name and marks, the written stories, the recorded audio narration, the software, and the design are owned by ROOTS SHPK or its licensors and are protected by copyright and other laws. Some photographs are used under open licences (such as Creative Commons); where that is the case, the source and licence are credited in the App or on the Website. Except for the rights expressly granted in these Terms, all rights are reserved.

We compile our stories in good faith from public and historical sources and aim to be accurate and respectful of every place and community we write about. Even so, the content is provided for general interest only, may simplify or summarise, and may contain errors or become out of date. Do not rely on it as professional, navigational, or safety advice. Opening hours, access, ticketing, and conditions of sites can change without notice. Translations are produced with automated tools and human review and may differ in nuance from the original English.

Roots Earth guides you through real streets and places in many countries. Your safety is your responsibility. Always stay aware of your surroundings, traffic, and terrain, and do not stare at your screen while walking. Obey all local laws, signs, and the rules of any site you visit; respect private property, protected areas, places of worship, and archaeological sites, and follow local customs. Check official travel advice for your destination before you go. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not responsible for any accident, injury, loss, or trespass that occurs while you follow a route or use the App outdoors.

We may add, change, or remove content, regions, cities, languages, or features, and we may suspend or discontinue parts of the service, at any time. Offline use depends on you downloading audio in advance and on your device having enough storage. We do not guarantee that the App will always be available or error-free, and coverage of any particular city is not guaranteed to continue.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the App, the Website, and the content are provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, ROOTS SHPK will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages, or for loss of data or profits, arising out of or in connection with your use of the App or Website.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability where it would be unlawful to do so — including liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for your mandatory rights as a consumer, which are not affected by these Terms.

If you downloaded the App from the Apple App Store, the following also applies and, in case of conflict, prevails over the rest of these Terms for that download:

• These Terms are between you and ROOTS SHPK only, not with Apple. Apple is not responsible for the App or its content.
• Apple has no obligation to provide any maintenance or support for the App.
• If the App fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple may refund the purchase price to you; to the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation regarding the App.
• ROOTS SHPK, not Apple, is responsible for addressing any claims relating to the App, including product-liability, legal or regulatory, and intellectual-property claims.
• You represent that you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. Government embargo or designated a “terrorist supporting” country, and are not on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
• Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and may enforce them against you.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Albania, where ROOTS SHPK is established. The competent courts of Tiranë have jurisdiction over any dispute. This choice of law and forum does not deprive you of the protection of mandatory consumer-protection rules of the country where you habitually reside, and it does not prevent you from bringing proceedings there where the law of that country gives you that right.

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will change the “Last updated” date above and, where the change is material, give notice in the App or on the Website. By continuing to use the App or Website after an update takes effect, you accept the revised Terms.

For any question about these Terms:

ROOTS SHPK · Roots EarthRruga Zef Jubani, Nd. 4, H. 1, Ap. 3, 1000 Tiranë, Albania · NUIS M61803028AEmail: hello@rootsearth.com