Couchu

Terms of use

Draft — pending legal review

Last updated:

1. Who we are and what these terms cover

Couchu is a service by Luca Santonastasi, Via Venturini 4, 40126 Bologna, Italy (VAT number pending), that suggests films and series available on the streaming services the user picks. These terms govern the use of the Couchu app and the couchu.app website, including the poll pages. By using them you accept these terms; if you do not agree, do not use them. How we process data is explained in the privacy policy.

Couchu is meant for people aged 14 or over (in the other countries of the European Economic Area, the age set by your country for consenting to online services on your own, between 13 and 16): if you are younger you may use it only with a parent's consent, because the recommendations are written by an artificial intelligence system.

2. The service

  • Couchu is available in the countries listed in the app and recommends titles from the services' catalogues in the country you choose.
  • Couchu does not stream films or series: it tells you where they are available and, when possible, opens the service's app. Watching them requires a subscription to the service, which Couchu does not include.
  • Couchu is not affiliated with Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Apple, Sky, Paramount, MUBI or any other service. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
  • When a new season or episode of a series you marked as watched comes out, Couchu may move it back to the Watchlist by itself, with a label for what is new and your rating kept; the series goes back to watched when you mark it as watched again. Alerts about new seasons and new episodes are free and you turn them on or off in Settings.
  • Progress, levels, badges and surprises: the app counts some of your weekly activities (searches, "Refine your taste" decks, matches, shared lists, wheel spins) to show you goals, a streak of weeks, points, levels and badges, and on some days of the year it hides small surprises. They are only a game: they give no prizes, no Couchu Coins, no Premium and nothing else of value, and they are the same on the free plan and on Premium. We may change or suspend them.

3. Recommendations written by artificial intelligence

Recommendations and their explanations are written by artificial intelligence models from your request, your taste and our catalogue, and the app says so in the conversation. They may be inaccurate or not right for you: take them as suggestions. The match percentage compares the titles of the same answer with each other: it is not an absolute rating. Availability on streaming services comes from the catalogue we update every day (overnight) from third-party sources and may have changed in the meantime; rental and purchase prices may differ. Always check on the service before paying for anything. With "Family with kids" we pick titles meant for families, but we do not always know the age rating: check it on the service.

When the artificial intelligence service is unavailable, or the daily spending limit we set ourselves has been reached, Couchu gives a simplified answer picked from the catalogue, without personalised explanations: the app says so in the answer and that search is not counted.

4. Account

On first launch the app creates an anonymous account, identified by the account code shown in Settings. You can link it to Apple or Google to recover your data, preferences and conversations on another phone, and unlink it whenever you like. The subscription and Couchu Coins can be bought, and restored, only with a linked account. Without a link, if you uninstall the app or change phone we cannot recover your data. You can delete your account at any time as described on Delete account.

An account you have not used for 24 months is deleted with its data; if it still has unused purchased Couchu Coins, we keep it for 60 months after its last use. Coins given by the app (section 7) do not extend this period. An account with an active Premium subscription is never deleted this way.

5. Free plan, ads and rewarded videos

The free plan shows ads, marked as such: among the recommendations of each answer, in lists, at the bottom of some screens and, sometimes, full screen when you close a page, a match or a deck, within the limits described in the privacy policy; Premium shows no ads. The free plan includes the searches shown in the app: for the first 7 days after sign-up a number per day, then a number over the last 7 days (today 3 a day, then 5 a week). Each search becomes available again 7 days after the day you used it; days follow Italian time (the evening notification, on the other hand, arrives at the time you choose in your phone's time zone). A search counts only when you receive at least one title, never when the answer is simplified (section 3), and quick replies that refine the same request do not count, up to the daily number shown in the app. Once your searches are used up you can, if you wish, watch a short ad video that gives you a Couchu Coin (section 7), up to the daily limit shown in the app; other videos unlock some features shown in the app for a limited time. The reward is credited only when Google confirms the video was watched in full; if no video is available we cannot credit it in any other way.

6. Premium subscription

  • Premium gives up to the number of searches over the last 7 days shown in the app before purchase (25 today), without videos, and the features shown in the app, including alerts about titles in your Watchlist arriving or leaving, and the advice on which subscription suits you. That advice is based only on your Watchlist, your ratings and our catalogue: it never depends on affiliate links or commercial agreements with the services. It is bought with your App Store or Google Play account, under the conditions and at the prices shown in the app before purchase (taxes included).
  • The subscription, monthly or yearly, renews automatically at the end of each period and is charged to your store account unless you cancel.
  • The 7-day free trial is offered only to eligible users under the store's rules (usually, those who have not had it before): the app shows it only in that case. When the trial ends the paid subscription starts, unless you cancel.
  • You can cancel from the App Store or Google Play subscription settings (also from Settings › Account and plan › Manage subscription in the app) at least 24 hours before renewal or before the trial ends. Premium stays active until the end of the period already paid for.
  • Uninstalling the app or deleting your account does not cancel the subscription: cancel it in the store.
  • Payments and refunds are handled by Apple and Google under their own rules; Couchu cannot issue refunds directly. If the store refunds you, Premium ends.

7. Couchu Coins (purchased and gifted searches)

  • You can buy packs of extra searches in the app, called Couchu Coins (1 Coin = 1 search), at the prices shown before purchase. They are one-time purchases (not subscriptions) and purchased searches do not expire while the account exists (section 4).
  • The app may also give you Couchu Coins for some activities: for example one a day when you complete a "Refine your taste" deck with enough thoughtful answers, and one for each rewarded video you watch once your searches are used up. Gifted Coins are not refundable, have no value outside the app and cannot be exchanged for money. We may change or suspend these activities; Coins already given stay yours.
  • They are used automatically once you have used up your free searches; while you have Coins the app does not offer videos. With Premium they are used once you have used up the Premium searches of the last 7 days. The app uses your gifted Coins first, then the purchased ones.
  • They are tied to your Couchu account: they are never sold, traded or exchanged for money; the only transfer allowed is a gift to a friend, described below. If you link your account to Apple or Google you find them on another phone; if you delete your account, the remaining balance is lost.
  • Coins between friends. Couchu Coins have no money value and are never sold or exchanged. With Premium you can gift up to 3 a day (Italian time) to a friend you are connected with in Couchu, who can receive at most 5 a day, with an optional message chosen from a fixed list; anyone can ask a friend for a Coin. A gift cannot be undone. A received Coin joins the receiver's gifted Coins, is used only for searches and is never lost because of a refund to the sender. You may not gift or ask for Coins in exchange for money or anything else, nor create accounts to collect them: if that happens we may block gifts or the account (section 9).
  • Searches are digital content supplied immediately after purchase. Refunds can be requested only from Apple or Google, under their rules; Couchu cannot issue refunds directly. If the store refunds a pack we remove from the purchased balance up to the number of searches in that pack (never more than you have left); gifted Coins are not affected. If you had already gifted Coins from that pack to friends, the part we cannot remove becomes a Coin debt: while it lasts you cannot gift more, and the next pack you buy covers it first (a subscription does not). The friends who received the Coins keep them.

8. Guest polls and "Match for two"

With Premium you can create a poll and share its link. Anyone who has the link can see the proposed titles and the votes and can vote, without the app or an account: share it only with the people you want. The poll closes after 48 hours or when you close it. Voters can give an optional name, visible only to the poll's creator: do not use offensive names or other people's names.

With "Match for two" you choose together with another person among the titles of an answer: each of you says yes or no to every title, and the match is the first title you both said yes to. You create it in the app, also on the free plan (one match a day; with Premium without this limit), and whoever receives the link votes from the browser without the app or an account. Here too anyone who has the link can take part: send it only to the person you want to choose with. The match expires after 24 hours. The optional name follows the same rules as in polls.

With friends and shared lists, the people you invite see your name and what the app says it shows them (explained in the privacy policy). Everyone in a shared list sees its name and the titles you add: you are responsible for the names you give to lists, which must not be offensive or contain other people's personal data. Send codes only to the people you want to let in.

9. Acceptable use and reports

You may use Couchu for personal, non-commercial purposes. You may not: scrape data automatically from the website, the app or our APIs; try to bypass their limits, quotas or security, including by creating accounts repeatedly; send unlawful or offensive content or other people's personal data in requests or polls; use them for unlawful activities or to disturb other users. In case of abuse we may limit or suspend access.

To report unlawful content (for example an offensive name in a poll) write to [email protected] with the link and the reason: it is also our point of contact for users and authorities under Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (DSA), in Italian or English.

10. Third-party content

Posters, logos, titles and plot summaries come from the sources listed in the privacy policy and are subject to their licences. Wikipedia text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; when we shorten them we say so. Series status and next-episode dates come from TVmaze, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

11. Availability and changes to the service

We do our best to keep Couchu always working, but there may be interruptions for maintenance or supplier issues. We may change or improve features for valid reasons (supplier costs, security, abuse, legal obligations, new features). If a change reduces what is included in Premium or in purchased searches, for example the number of Premium searches per week:

  • we tell you in the app at least 30 days in advance;
  • it does not apply to the subscription period already paid, only from the next renewal;
  • you can cancel the subscription before renewal at no cost.

12. Liability

To the extent permitted by law we are not liable for indirect damages arising from the use of the service, from recommendations that do not suit you or from inaccurate information supplied by third parties. Nothing in these terms limits the rights consumers have under the law, including the legal guarantee of conformity of digital content.

13. Changes

We may update these terms; the date at the top shows the latest version. For significant changes we will notify you in the app before they apply.

14. Governing law

These terms are governed by Italian law. If you are a consumer, the courts of your place of residence have jurisdiction.

15. Contact

Luca Santonastasi, Via Venturini 4, 40126 Bologna, Italy · [email protected] · Support