Terms of use
Last updated 2026-10-04
Effective date: October 4, 2026
These terms cover the StrandScout app and the StrandScout website. StrandScout is made and sold by Viral Tandel, who publishes apps as Viral Labs ("we", "us", "our"). By downloading or using StrandScout, you agree to these terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the app.
The short version
StrandScout gives an AI estimate from photos, not a diagnosis. It is not a doctor and not medical advice.
Sudden heavy shedding, round bald patches, or a red, painful or itchy scalp: see a dermatologist. Do not wait for an app.
Subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel in your Apple account settings.
Refunds are handled by Apple.
1. What StrandScout is, and what it is not
StrandScout looks at photos of your hairline, temples and crown, together with anything you tell it, and gives general information: a stage on the Norwood or Ludwig scale as a range, a coverage score for each zone, possible findings, a comparison with your earlier check-ins, and a suggested next step.
StrandScout is not a doctor, a dermatologist or a trichologist, and does not give medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Using it does not create a doctor-patient relationship.
It is not a medical device. It does not identify, name or rule out any condition, recommend medicines or doses, or replace an examination, a magnifier or a blood test. Many causes of hair loss cannot be seen in a photo.
Results come from an AI model and can be wrong or incomplete. Lighting, wet hair, a fresh haircut, product, head tilt and photo quality all affect them. A reassuring result does not mean nothing is happening, and a worrying one does not mean something is.
Always use your own judgment and ask a dermatologist about your hair and scalp. Never delay or skip care because of something StrandScout said or did not say.
2. When not to wait
If you notice sudden heavy shedding over a few weeks, smooth round bald patches, a scalp that is red, painful, burning, itchy or scaly, a shiny bald area with no visible pores, hair loss in a child, loss of eyebrows, lashes or body hair, or hair loss that began within months of starting a new medication, see a dermatologist this week. Do not stop a prescribed medication on your own; ask the prescriber.
3. No account, and your data on your phone
StrandScout does not need an account. Your timeline is stored on your device, so you are responsible for your device and its backups. If you delete the app or use Delete my data, your timeline is erased and we cannot recover it.
4. Free check-ins and StrandScout Pro
Free use includes 2 check-ins in total (a baseline and one comparison), the timeline and the full guide. We may change what the free version includes in a future update.
StrandScout Pro adds unlimited monthly check-ins (subject to fair use, below), coverage trends, compare any two check-ins, and the dermatologist PDF report.
Pro is sold as a yearly subscription, a monthly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase, at the prices shown in the app before you buy.
All purchases are made through Apple's App Store and are also subject to Apple's Media Services Terms and Conditions.
5. Subscriptions, auto-renewal and free trials
Payment. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account when you confirm the purchase.
Auto-renewal. Subscriptions renew automatically for the same period and price unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for the renewal within 24 hours before the current period ends.
Free trial. The yearly plan may include a 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers. If you do not cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends, the yearly subscription starts and you are charged. Any unused part of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription.
Cancelling. Open iPhone Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, choose StrandScout and tap Cancel Subscription. Cancelling stops the next renewal; Pro stays on until the end of the period you paid for. Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription.
Price changes. If a subscription price changes, Apple tells you in advance and, where required, asks for your agreement before the new price applies.
Lifetime. The lifetime option is a one-time purchase that does not renew. It unlocks Pro on devices signed in with your Apple ID for as long as StrandScout is available.
Restoring. Use Restore purchases in the app to get Pro back on a new device or after reinstalling.
6. Refunds
Apple handles all payments, so refunds are handled by Apple under its policies. You can request one at reportaproblem.apple.com. We cannot issue refunds ourselves, but if something went wrong, email us and we will help where we can. Nothing in these terms limits your rights under consumer law where you live.
7. Acceptable use and fair use
You agree to:
use StrandScout only for lawful purposes, for your own hair or that of someone who has asked you to help;
upload only photos you have the right to use, and not upload photos of other people without their consent, private information, or anything illegal, hateful or sexual;
not copy, resell, reverse engineer or interfere with the app or its server, and not try to get around the free check-in limit or rate limits;
not use bots, scripts or automated tools to send check-ins; and
not present StrandScout's output as the opinion of a doctor, or use it to provide paid medical or cosmetic services.
Unlimited check-ins in Pro are for normal personal use, which for this app means about one check-in a month. To keep the service working for everyone, we may limit unusually heavy or automated use.
8. Your photos and our content
You keep all rights to your photos. You give us a limited permission to send each photo to our server and to Google Gemini only to produce your read. We do not keep it.
The app, its text and guide, and the StrandScout name and design belong to Viral Tandel (Viral Labs). We give you a personal, non-transferable, non-exclusive license to use the app on Apple devices you own or control, for your own non-commercial use.
9. Third-party services
StrandScout relies on Apple (App Store and payments), Google (the Gemini API for reading photos), RevenueCat (purchase management) and Cloudflare (hosting). Their services are covered by their own terms. We are not responsible for their outages or changes, though we will do our best to keep StrandScout working.
10. Changes to the app
We may update, change or remove features, including the AI provider we use. We will try to give notice in the app before removing a paid feature.
11. Disclaimer of warranties
To the fullest extent the law allows, StrandScout is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy and non-infringement. We do not promise that the app will be free of errors, always available, or that any read will be correct or complete.
12. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, Viral Tandel (Viral Labs) is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for any health outcome, medical or cosmetic costs, or other losses arising from your use of, or reliance on, StrandScout. Our total liability for any claim related to the app is limited to the amount you paid for StrandScout in the 12 months before the claim, or US $50 if you paid nothing. Some places do not allow these limits, so they may not fully apply to you. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law.
13. Apple
These terms supplement Apple's standard Licensed Application End User License Agreement. They are between you and us, not Apple. Apple is not responsible for StrandScout or its content and has no obligation to provide maintenance or support for it. If the app fails to meet any warranty that applies, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price (if any); to the extent the law allows, Apple has no other warranty obligation for the app. Apple is not responsible for handling any claims about the app, including product liability claims, claims that it fails to meet a legal or regulatory requirement, consumer protection claims, or intellectual property claims. You confirm that you are not located in a country subject to a US government embargo and are not on any US government list of prohibited or restricted parties. You must also follow any third-party terms that apply when you use the app, such as your mobile carrier's. Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these terms and may enforce them against you.
14. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. The courts located in California have jurisdiction over any dispute, except where the law of the country you live in gives you the right to bring a claim where you live. If you live in the EU, the UK or another country with mandatory consumer protections, you keep those protections.
15. Ending use
You can stop using StrandScout at any time by deleting it. Remember to cancel any subscription in your Apple account settings, because deleting the app does not cancel it. We may suspend access to check-ins if you break these terms.
16. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms. When we do, the effective date at the top changes, and if a change is significant we will mention it in the app. Using StrandScout after a change means you accept the updated terms.
17. Contact
Viral Tandel (Viral Labs). Email: viral.b.tandel@gmail.com