Don't Get Sued: App Pre-Launch Checklist

Note: General info, not legal advice. Sanity-check specifics for your own case.

1. Claims — don't promise outcomes you can't back

• No regulated promises: medical · financial · legal · income · weight-loss
• Added "not medical / financial / legal advice" disclaimers where relevant
• No "clinically proven / FDA approved / guaranteed results" without real proof
• Any security or privacy claims are actually true ("encrypted," "we never sell your data")

2. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

• Privacy Policy live — in-app, store listing, and website
• Terms of Service / EULA live
• Both reflect what your app actually collects (audit the code first)
• Covers data use, retention, deletion rights, GDPR + CCPA

Prompt to generate them:

Scan my app's code for all user data I collect, store, or share. Based on exactly that, write a complete Privacy Policy and Terms of Service — data use, retention, deletion rights, GDPR + CCPA. Ask me for any missing details (company name, email, jurisdiction).

3. Intellectual property

• Searched the USPTO trademark database for any names/brands you use (tmsearch.uspto.gov)
• No trademarked names (e.g. "World Cup," "FIFA")
• No logos, fonts, images, or assets you don't have rights to
• Credited any open-source you built on, per its license

4. Liability shield

• Formed an LLC and run the app under it
• Business banking kept separate from personal

5. Security — protect user data

• Collect only what you need + get consent
• Database access locked down (RLS on)
• API keys & secrets server-side — never in client code
• Users can view and delete their own data

⚠️ Not a lawyer — general indie-app basics. Save this for your next build.