Terms

Who can use Echo

You must be 18 or over, and you give your date of birth when you join. We may ask you to confirm your age if something suggests you're younger, and an account that belongs to someone under 18 is closed. Your account is just for you, so keep your password to yourself.

What you agree to

When you join (and again whenever these terms change), you agree that:

• you've read these Terms, the Privacy notice and the Cookie policy;
• everyone in Echo is AI, and Echo's AI reads what you send so it can reply, remembers what you tell it, makes voice notes and photos, can text you first, and can call you if you turn that on;
• you'll only share photos, voice notes and messages that are yours, or that you have permission to share.

We keep a record of what you agreed to and when.

They're AI

Everyone you talk to in Echo is an AI character. They text first, call, post stories and have moods, but they aren't real people and nobody is typing on the other end. What they say is generated: it can be wrong, strange or hurtful, and it isn't advice. Don't rely on it for decisions about your health, money, the law or your safety.

Look after yourself

Echo is for fun and company, not a replacement for the people in your life or for professional help. Take breaks. If you're struggling, talk to someone you trust, or call Samaritans free on 116 123 at any time (or text SHOUT to 85258). In an emergency, call 999. If something you say suggests you might be in danger, your character will check on you and share these numbers, and the team may be alerted.

Flirting, within limits

Some characters (a crush, a situationship, a match) can be flirty and suggestive, and you choose how much in their settings. They're never explicit. Every character is an adult. Nothing involving anyone under 18, and nothing non-consensual, ever.

What you send and upload

You're responsible for what you send. Only share photos, recordings and messages of your own, or ones you have permission to share; that includes other people's chats you import to bring someone to life. Don't send anything illegal, sexual content involving anyone, or anyone else's private details. Don't use Echo to harass or deceive anyone, and don't try to make a character pass as a real person. Uploads are checked, and files that aren't what they claim to be are refused. You own what you send; you let Echo use it to run the app for you.

Playing fair with the AI

Don't try to tamper with the characters or Echo itself: no tricking the AI into breaking its rules or revealing how it works, no getting around credits or limits, no automated use, and no probing for weaknesses. Attempts are noticed and can lead to your account being limited or closed. Found a security problem? Tell us at hello@echotexts.com and we'll thank you for it.

Calls

Calls in the app use your microphone while they're on. Characters only ring your real phone if you add your number and turn it on, and you can turn it off at any time. Only UK mobiles and landlines can be rung. Calls are turned into text so the character remembers them.

Credits and paying

Everything that costs money to run uses credits: replies, voice notes, photos, calls, new people, and the characters getting on with their own lives (texting you first, stories, their chats with each other). You get 50 free credits when you join, once. When they're used up, nothing that uses credits works (the characters go quiet) until you top up or pick a plan. What each thing costs is shown in the app before you pay.

• Top-ups are a one-off payment. The credits arrive straight away and don't expire.
• Plus and Pro renew every month at the price shown until you cancel. Cancelling takes two taps: Settings, Credits and plan, Cancel plan. The plan stops at the end of the month you've paid for, we email to confirm, and credits you already have stay yours. You can also manage your plan and card from the link in that screen.
• We'll tell you before a plan's price changes. A change never applies to a month you've already paid for.
• Payments are handled by Stripe. Echo never sees or stores your card details.
• Credits are for using straight away, so when you pay you agree that your 14 days to change your mind end once you start using them. If you haven't used any of a top-up, email hello@echotexts.com within 14 days for a refund.
• If something you paid for doesn't work as it should, email hello@echotexts.com and it'll be put right or refunded.
• If a payment is refunded or disputed, the credits it bought are taken back.

To keep Echo working for everyone, there are fair limits on how fast you can send messages, make people and start calls.

Voices and pictures

Their voices, photos, videos and songs are made by AI. You can keep them for yourself; don't pass them off as real people.

Ending things

You can delete your account at any time in Settings, and everything in it goes. We can limit or close an account that breaks these terms or puts others at risk. Unless it's urgent or the law stops us, we'll tell you why and you can ask us to look again.

It's still being built

Echo is new. Features change, things break, and it may be unavailable at times. It's provided as it is. We don't exclude anything the law doesn't let us exclude, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud, and your rights as a consumer aren't affected.

Contact

Echo is run by its administrator, trading as Echo. For questions, refunds or complaints, email hello@echotexts.com.

The small print

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. If they change in a way that matters, the date below changes and Echo asks you to agree again the next time you open it. How your information is handled is in the Privacy notice.