Acini is a private photo sharing service for small, trusted circles. These terms are written to be read, not to obscure. If something is unclear, email us.
Acini is operated by Michiel Berger, an individual based in the Netherlands. All infrastructure is hosted within the European Union. We do not use tools or services that process your personal data outside Europe.
Contact: hello@acini.app
Acini is a private, invite-only photo sharing application for iOS and Android. It is designed for sharing with a small circle of people who matter to you. There are no algorithmic feeds, no follower counts, and no engagement mechanics. Photos appear in chronological order. That is a deliberate and a core design choice we believe in deeply.
You must be at least 16 years old to use Acini, or the minimum age required by the laws of your country to consent to the processing of personal data, whichever is higher. Acini is invite-only. You may only create an account using a valid invitation code.
Acini uses passkey authentication — a modern, password-free system. Your credentials are stored on your own device and are never transmitted to or stored on our servers. We hold only a cryptographic public key associated with your account. This means a server-side breach of our systems cannot expose your login credentials.
You are responsible for maintaining access to your enrolled device(s). If you lose access to all enrolled devices, you may lose access to your account. We recommend enrolling more than one device where possible.
You may not share your account with others. Each person in a circle should have their own account.
You retain all rights to the photos and content you post. By uploading content to Acini, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive licence to store and serve that content solely for the purpose of operating the service for you and the circle members you choose to share with. We do not claim ownership of your photos. We do not use your content for advertising or to train AI models for purposes other than operating the safety features of the service.
You are responsible for the content you share. You must not post content that:
Acini organises sharing around circles. Free users start with three default circles — Family, Near, and Far. Paid subscribers can create and name additional circles. When you post a photo, you choose which circle(s) can see it. When you invite someone, you assign them to a circle, which controls which posts appear in their feed.
These two axes — who you post to, and where someone sits in your circles — are independent. Moving someone between circles affects how your future posts reach them and re-categorises their access to your past posts accordingly.
Circles are personal broadcast lists, not shared groups. When you post to a circle, the people you have placed in that circle receive your post. They do not see each other's posts or know who else is in the circle. Direct messages are private between the two participants.
All Acini servers and storage are located in the EU, operated by Hetzner Online GmbH. Transactional email is delivered via Proton Mail (Proton AG, Switzerland), relayed through self-hosted infrastructure within the EU. We do not use tools or services from providers based outside Europe for the processing of personal data.
Payments are processed through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for in-app purchases.
Acini operates on a freemium model. The free tier provides core photo sharing within default circles. A paid subscription unlocks additional features such as a higher posting cap and video sharing. Subscription pricing is listed in the app and may change with notice under section 12. Subscriptions are processed through in-app purchase on iOS and Android. You are never required to pay, and the free tier is a fully functional product, not a trial.
We use a combination of automated tools and human review to detect and remove prohibited content, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM). All moderation is performed entirely within EU-based infrastructure — your content is never transferred outside the European Union as part of this process. Content that is flagged may be removed without notice where required by law. Users can report content directly within the app; reports are reviewed promptly. We do not browse or review your circles or messages except in response to reports or automated flags.
We will also act in response to valid legal orders from competent EU authorities, user reports, or where content clearly falls within the prohibited categories in section 5.
Where we take action, we will where possible notify the affected user and explain the reason, unless doing so is prohibited by law. You may appeal a moderation decision by contacting notices@acini.app.
To report content or submit a legal notice: notices@acini.app
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the data we hold. In the event of a personal data breach that poses a risk to your rights, we will notify the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours as required by GDPR Article 33, and affected users as required by Article 34.
Because Acini uses passkey authentication, we do not hold passwords. A server-side breach cannot expose your login credentials. We do hold your photos, circle memberships, and messages — and we take that responsibility seriously.
We aim to provide a reliable service. Acini is provided on a best-efforts basis. Planned maintenance may cause temporary downtime; we will communicate this in advance where possible. We are a small operation and do not offer uptime guarantees.
If we make material changes to these terms, we will notify you in the app and by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect. If you do not agree with the changes, you may close your account and export your data before they take effect. Continuing to use Acini after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
We will not assign our rights or obligations under these terms to a third party without giving you at least 30 days' advance notice and the opportunity to close your account and export your data.
You may close your account at any time from within the app. When you do:
The 72-hour window exists solely to protect against accidental closure. It is not a backup — once deletion runs, data cannot be recovered.
We may suspend or terminate your account if you materially breach these terms, if continued provision would violate applicable law, or if it is necessary to protect the security of the service. Where reasonable and lawful, we will notify you before taking action.
If you are a consumer in the European Union, you have mandatory rights under EU consumer protection law. Nothing in these terms limits or excludes those rights.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, our liability for direct damages is limited to the amount you paid to us in the 12 months preceding the event, or €100 if you paid nothing. We are not liable for indirect or consequential losses.
We are liable for breaches of your personal data that we are responsible for, to the extent required by the GDPR and applicable law.
These terms are governed by the laws of the Netherlands. Disputes will be submitted to the competent courts of the Netherlands, unless you are a consumer entitled to bring proceedings before the courts of your country of residence under applicable EU law.
When you download Acini from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, the following additional terms apply. These are required by the platform providers and supplement the rest of these terms.
Between you and us. These terms are between you and Michiel Berger (the developer), not with Apple Inc. or Google LLC. We, not the platform provider, are solely responsible for the app and its content.
Licence scope. You receive a non-transferable licence to use Acini on devices you own or control, as permitted by the platform's usage rules.
Support. We are responsible for any maintenance and support for Acini. The platform provider has no obligation to provide support.
Warranty. We are responsible for any product warranties, whether express or implied by law. If the app fails to conform to an applicable warranty, the platform provider may refund the purchase price (if any). Beyond that refund, the platform provider has no warranty obligation.
Claims and compliance. We, not the platform provider, are responsible for addressing any claims relating to the app, including product liability claims, claims that the app does not conform to legal or regulatory requirements, and claims arising under consumer protection, privacy, or similar legislation.
Intellectual property. If a third party claims the app infringes their intellectual property rights, we — not the platform provider — are responsible for investigating, defending, and settling that claim.
Legal compliance. You represent and warrant that you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. Government embargo or that has been designated by the U.S. Government as a "terrorist supporting" country, and that you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
Third-party terms. When using the app, you must comply with any applicable third-party terms of agreement, including the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions or the Google Play Terms of Service.
Third-party beneficiary. Apple Inc. and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these terms when you download the app from the Apple App Store. Upon your acceptance of these terms, Apple has the right to enforce them against you as a third-party beneficiary. The same applies to Google LLC and its subsidiaries for the Google Play Store.
Michiel Berger Deltastraat 8, 1823 DP Alkmaar, The Netherlands Phone: +31 6 17083484
General: hello@acini.app Privacy: privacy@acini.app Legal notices: notices@acini.app