Dumbi

Terms & Conditions

Last updated: 23 October 2026

1. Introduction

1.1 These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of the Dumbi mobile application ("the App"), available on iOS (Apple App Store) and Android (Google Play Store). The App is operated by the independent developer of Dumbi, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates ("we", "us", or "our").

1.2 You can contact us at [email protected].

1.3 When you create an account, you will be asked to confirm that you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy. By creating an account or using the App, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you must not use the App.

2. About the App

2.1 Dumbi is a community-driven mobile application that enables users to discover biryani restaurants, write and share reviews, rate dining experiences, interact with other users, earn points for contributions, and track personal dining achievements.

2.2 Core features include:

2.3 The App is currently free to download and use. We do not currently charge subscription fees or offer in-app purchases. We may in the future introduce advertising, sponsored content, optional premium features, or other revenue models. Users will be notified in advance of any material changes and we will update these Terms accordingly. Continued use of the App after such changes constitutes acceptance.

3. Licence to Use

3.1 Subject to these Terms, we grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the App on your personal device for your own personal, non-commercial use.

4. User Accounts and Registration

4.1 You must be at least 16 years of age to create an account and use the App. By creating an account, you represent and warrant that you are at least 16 years old. We ask for your date of birth when you create an account to confirm this. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 16.

4.2 If you are under 18 years of age, you represent and warrant that you have obtained the consent of a parent or legal guardian to use the App, and that they are aware of and have approved your acceptance of these Terms. You remain responsible for your use of the App. If you are a parent or legal guardian of a user aged 16 or 17, by permitting that user to use the App you accept responsibility for supervising their use.

4.3 Parental responsibility. Dumbi is a community platform where users interact with each other through reviews, comments, likes, and public profiles. We provide content moderation tools, including profanity filtering, reporting, and blocking features, but we cannot guarantee that all content on the App will be suitable for all audiences. Parents and legal guardians are solely responsible for monitoring and supervising their children's use of the App. If you permit a minor to use a device on which the App is installed, you accept full responsibility for their activity.

4.4 If we discover or reasonably believe that a user is under 16 years of age, we will suspend or terminate that account and delete all associated personal data.

4.5 You may create an account using:

4.6 You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials. You must not share your login details with any third party. You are liable for all activity that occurs under your account.

4.7 You agree to provide accurate and truthful information when creating your account. Your username must not impersonate another person, contain offensive language, infringe any third party's rights, or violate these Terms. Usernames must be unique; the App will reject a username that is already in use.

4.8 We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time without prior notice if you breach these Terms.

4.9 You may only hold one account. Creating multiple accounts to get around blocks, bans, or moderation decisions is strictly prohibited and may result in permanent banning from the App.

5. User-Generated Content

5.1 "User Content" means any content you submit, upload, or make available through the App, including but not limited to: reviews, ratings, comments, photographs, profile information (including your username, biography, pronouns, city and country, and profile picture), restaurant listings, Hidden Gems selections, and any custom biryani style names you create.

5.2 Ownership. You retain ownership of all intellectual property rights in your User Content. Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of your content to us.

5.3 Licence grant. By submitting User Content, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, reproduce, display, modify, adapt, and distribute your User Content for the purposes of operating, promoting, and improving the App, including the right to authorise our service providers (such as our cloud hosting and content delivery providers) to process the content on our behalf strictly for those purposes.

5.4 You represent and warrant that:

5.5 Your reviews are your opinions. Reviews and ratings you submit are your own genuine opinions, based on your personal experience. You are solely responsible for the User Content you post. We are a neutral host of user-generated opinions: we do not adopt, endorse, author, or verify any review as a statement of fact, and reviews should be understood by all users as personal opinion rather than statements of fact by us.

5.6 Content filtering. The App uses automated content filters that block submissions containing profanity, hate speech, racial slurs, and links. Content that triggers these filters is rejected and not published. These filters apply to reviews, comments, usernames, biographies, pronouns, city and country, custom style names, and restaurant names. We may update, modify, or expand these filters at any time without notice.

5.7 Content limits. To maintain quality and prevent misuse, the App enforces the following limits on user-submitted content:

These limits are enforced both in the App and on our servers. Content exceeding these limits will be shortened or rejected.

5.8 We do not pre-screen all User Content but reserve the right to review, moderate, or remove any User Content at our sole discretion, including content that we believe violates these Terms, is objectionable, or could expose us to legal liability.

5.9 Other users can view, like, and comment on your reviews. Your reviews are shown on the pages of the restaurants you review. Your privacy settings let you choose whether other users can see the list of your reviews and your Hidden Gems on your profile, and whether your city is shown on your profile; turning off "Show My Reviews" hides the list on your profile but does not remove your reviews from restaurant pages.

6. Acceptable Use Policy

6.1 You agree to use the App lawfully and in accordance with these Terms. You must not use the App to:

6.2 Zero tolerance. There is no tolerance on Dumbi for objectionable content or abusive users. You can report reviews, comments, and users with the in-app reporting tools, and you can block any user: blocked users' content is hidden from you. We review reports within 24 hours and, where content or behaviour breaks these Terms, we remove the content and suspend or permanently ban the user responsible.

6.3 We reserve the right to investigate suspected violations and to cooperate with law enforcement authorities or court orders requesting or directing us to disclose the identity or other information of anyone posting materials in violation of these Terms.

6.4 Notice and takedown. If you believe any User Content is unlawful or infringes your rights (for example, because it is defamatory or infringes your copyright), you may notify us at [email protected] with: your name and contact details; identification of the specific content complained of and where it appears in the App; and an explanation of why you consider it unlawful. On receiving a valid complaint, we will review it promptly and, where appropriate, contact the user who posted the content and/or remove or restrict access to the content. We may remove or restrict content that we reasonably consider to be unlawful while a complaint is being resolved. This process does not limit any other rights or remedies available to us or to you.

7. Points System and Achievements

7.1 The App includes a points system that awards points for certain contributions to the community, including:

7.2 Points are a measure of community contribution and carry no monetary value. Points cannot be exchanged, transferred, redeemed, or converted into cash, credit, or any form of currency or reward outside the App. We reserve the right to modify the points system, including the values awarded for specific actions and the limits described below, at any time without notice.

7.3 To keep ratings fair, if you review the same restaurant more than once, only your most recent review counts towards that restaurant's rating, and reviewing the same restaurant earns points at most once every 3 days. Other limits may apply to prevent abuse.

7.4 Points may be deducted when the underlying action is reversed (for example, if you delete a review, if another user removes a like from your review, or if a restaurant you added is removed). Points will never fall below zero.

7.5 Achievements are unlocked when your cumulative points reach certain thresholds. Achievement tiers and thresholds may be modified at any time at our discretion.

7.6 Any attempt to artificially inflate points or ratings through fraudulent activity (including but not limited to fake reviews, multiple accounts, coordinated liking schemes, or exploitation of bugs) is a violation of these Terms and may result in account suspension or termination and the forfeiture of all points and achievements.

8. Intellectual Property

8.1 The App and its original content (excluding User Content), features, functionality, design, graphics, logos, the "Dumbi" name and brand, and all associated intellectual property rights are and shall remain our exclusive property.

8.2 The App is protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws and international treaties.

8.3 You may not use our name, logo, or branding in any manner without our prior written consent, except as reasonably necessary to identify the App when sharing your own content on social media.

8.4 The App uses third-party services including:

Your use of these third-party services through the App is subject to the respective terms of service and privacy policies of those third parties.

9. Privacy and Data Protection

9.1 We are committed to protecting your privacy. Our collection and use of personal data is governed by our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms and is available within the App and at dumbiapp.com/privacy.

9.2 Our Privacy Policy sets out in full: the categories of personal data we collect; how and why we process it; the service providers who process data on our behalf; how long we retain it; and how we transfer data internationally. Please review it to understand our data practices in detail.

9.3 We process your personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021) and, where they apply to you, the EU and UK GDPR. You have rights including access, rectification, erasure, restriction, data portability, and objection, and — where our processing is based on your consent (such as device location or push notifications) — the right to withdraw that consent at any time. These rights, and how to exercise them, are described in the Privacy Policy.

9.4 We do not sell your personal data. We do not use it for third-party advertising, profiling, or cross-app tracking. If this ever changes, we will update our Privacy Policy and notify you before the change takes effect.

9.5 International transfers. Our service providers, including Firebase (operated by Google LLC), process data on servers located outside the United Arab Emirates, including in the United States and the European Economic Area, using the safeguards described in our Privacy Policy.

9.6 You can exercise your data rights, or delete your account and all associated data, through the App's Settings screen, at dumbiapp.com/delete-account, or by contacting us at [email protected]. See Section 16 (Termination) for account deletion.

10. Location Services

10.1 The App uses your device's location services (when you grant permission) to show your position on the map, to display nearby biryani restaurants, to show a "You're Here" prompt when you are at a restaurant listed in the App, and to enable location-based search and filtering.

10.2 Location access is optional. You can disable location services at any time through your device's settings, and you can turn off "You're Here" prompts in the App's Settings. Disabling location services may limit certain features; the App remains functional without location access.

10.3 Your precise location coordinates are used on your device and are not stored on our servers. When you add a restaurant, the point you place on the map becomes that restaurant's public location. How we handle location data — including the optional city and country shown on your profile — is described in our Privacy Policy.

10.4 Location and mapping data may be inaccurate. We are not liable for any real-world issues caused by inaccurate GPS or mapping data.

11. Photographs and Images

11.1 The App allows you to suggest photographs for restaurant listings and to upload a profile photograph. By uploading photographs, you confirm that:

11.2 Photo moderation operates as follows:

In both cases, we reserve the right to remove any photograph at our sole discretion, including content that we believe violates these Terms, is objectionable, or could expose us to legal liability.

11.3 Photographs are uploaded to our cloud storage (Firebase Storage by Google). They may be compressed, resized, and cropped for performance and storage efficiency.

12. Third-Party Services and Links

12.1 The App integrates with and relies upon the third-party services listed in Section 8.4, and on iPhone uses the Apple Push Notification service to deliver push notifications.

12.2 Your use of these third-party services is subject to their respective terms of service and privacy policies, which you are encouraged to review.

12.3 The App may open third-party mapping and navigation apps or websites (such as Apple Maps or Google Maps) when you ask for directions to a restaurant. These services are provided by third parties; we have no control over and accept no responsibility for their content, policies, or practices.

12.4 We do not endorse, warrant, or guarantee any third-party service, and we are not liable for any data breaches, loss, or damage arising from your use of them.

13. Disclaimers

13.1 The App is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory.

13.2 To the fullest extent permitted by law, and subject to Section 14.4 below, we disclaim all warranties, including but not limited to:

13.3 Restaurant information, ratings, and reviews on the App are provided by the community of users and are based on individual opinions and experiences. They do not constitute professional recommendations, food safety assessments, or endorsements by us. You use this information at your own risk and should exercise your own judgement when choosing where to eat.

13.4 We do not verify the identity of users, the accuracy of restaurant information, or the authenticity of reviews. We do not guarantee that any restaurant listed on the App is still open, operating at the address shown, or serving the food described.

13.5 While we use automated content filters and manual moderation, we do not guarantee that all objectionable, offensive, or harmful content will be detected or removed straight away. If you encounter User Content that you find offensive or inappropriate, please report it and, if you wish, block the user who posted it.

13.6 We are a neutral forum for user-generated opinions and are not liable for any claims of defamation, business loss, or emotional distress caused by User Content posted by users of the App.

14. Limitation of Liability

14.1 Subject to Section 14.4, and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, nor for any loss of profits, loss of data, loss of goodwill, business interruption, or other intangible losses that were not reasonably foreseeable to both you and us at the time you accepted these Terms, arising out of or in connection with:

14.2 Subject to Section 14.4, and except where a higher amount is required by applicable law, our total aggregate liability to you for all claims arising out of or in connection with these Terms or the App in any twelve (12) month period shall not exceed the greater of: (a) the amount you have paid us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim; or (b) five hundred UAE dirhams (AED 500).

14.3 The limitations in this section apply regardless of the legal theory on which the claim is based, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability, or otherwise, and even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

14.4 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for:

15. Indemnification

15.1 To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold us harmless from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with:

16. Termination

16.1 You may terminate your account at any time by:

16.2 Account deletion is permanent and irreversible. Once your account is deleted, your data cannot be recovered. Aggregate and anonymised data that cannot be used to identify you (such as a restaurant's average rating, which may have been influenced by your reviews) may be retained.

16.3 We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including but not limited to:

16.4 Upon termination, your right to use the App will immediately cease. Those sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination — including, without limitation, Sections 4.3 (Parental Responsibility), 5.2 (Ownership), 5.3 (Licence Grant), 5.5 (Your Reviews Are Your Opinions), 6 (Acceptable Use), 8 (Intellectual Property), 9 (Privacy and Data Protection), 13 (Disclaimers), 14 (Limitation of Liability), 15 (Indemnification), 17 (Governing Law and Disputes), and 18 (General Provisions) — shall survive.

16.5 Following account deletion, we will remove your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.

17. Governing Law and Disputes

17.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of the Emirate of Dubai and, where applicable, the federal laws of the United Arab Emirates.

17.2 If you have any complaint or dispute regarding the App, please contact us first at [email protected] so we can try to resolve it informally. We will acknowledge your complaint and try to resolve it in good faith within thirty (30) working days.

17.3 If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, it shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

17.4 Nothing in these Terms affects any rights you have as a consumer that cannot be excluded or limited by agreement under the law of the country where you live, including any right to bring proceedings in the courts of that country.

18. General Provisions

18.1 Entire agreement. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding the App and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.

18.2 Severability. If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that specific provision will be severed from these Terms. The remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

18.3 Waiver. Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

18.4 Assignment. We may assign or transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms to any successor in connection with a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or similar transaction, provided that the assignment does not materially reduce your rights under these Terms. You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms.

18.5 No third-party beneficiaries. These Terms do not confer any rights on any person or entity other than you and us, except as expressly stated in Sections 19 and 20.

18.6 Force majeure. We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations under these Terms where such failure or delay results from events beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, pandemics, acts of government, internet or telecommunications failures, or third-party service outages.

19. Apple App Store Terms

19.1 If you download the App from the Apple App Store, the following additional terms apply. These Terms are between you and us only, and not with Apple Inc. ("Apple"). We, not Apple, are solely responsible for the App and its content.

19.2 The licence granted to you for the App is limited to a non-transferable licence to use the App on any Apple-branded product that you own or control, as permitted by the Usage Rules set forth in the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions.

19.3 We, not Apple, are responsible for providing any maintenance and support services with respect to the App.

19.4 In the event of any failure of the App to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price (if any) you paid for the App. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Apple has no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the App, and any other claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, or expenses attributable to any failure to conform to any warranty will be our sole responsibility.

19.5 We, not Apple, are responsible for addressing any claims by you or any third party relating to the App or your possession and use of the App, including but not limited to: (a) product liability claims; (b) any claim that the App fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement; and (c) claims arising under consumer protection, privacy, or similar legislation.

19.6 In the event of any third-party claim that the App or your possession and use of the App infringes that third party's intellectual property rights, we, not Apple, will be solely responsible for the investigation, defence, settlement, and discharge of any such claim.

19.7 You represent and warrant that: (a) you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. Government embargo, or that has been designated by the U.S. Government as a "terrorist supporting" country; and (b) you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.

19.8 Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms. Upon your acceptance of these Terms, Apple will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms against you as a third-party beneficiary thereof.

20. Google Play Store Terms

20.1 If you download the App from the Google Play Store, the following additional terms apply. These Terms are between you and us only, and not with Google LLC ("Google"). We, not Google, are solely responsible for the App and its content.

20.2 The licence granted to you for the App is limited to a non-transferable licence to use the App on any Android device that you own or control, as permitted by the Google Play Terms of Service.

20.3 We, not Google, are responsible for providing any maintenance and support services with respect to the App.

20.4 Google is not responsible for addressing any claims by you or any third party relating to the App, including but not limited to product liability claims, any claim that the App fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement, and claims arising under consumer protection, privacy, or similar legislation.

20.5 In the event of any third-party claim that the App or your possession and use of the App infringes that third party's intellectual property rights, we, not Google, will be solely responsible for the investigation, defence, settlement, and discharge of any such claim.

20.6 Google and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms. Upon your acceptance of these Terms, Google will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms against you as a third-party beneficiary thereof.

21. Changes to These Terms

21.1 We reserve the right to modify or replace these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by:

21.2 Your continued use of the App after any changes to these Terms constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree with the updated Terms, you must stop using the App and delete your account.

21.3 For material changes that significantly affect your rights, we will endeavour to provide at least thirty (30) days' notice before the changes take effect.

22. Contact Us

22.1 If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about these Terms, the App, or our data practices, please email us at [email protected].

22.2 If you are not satisfied with our response to a complaint about your personal data, you may have the right to complain to the data protection authority in the country where you live, as described in our Privacy Policy.