Terms of use

As of 17 October 2026 · provisional version

This English version is a courtesy translation. The German version is the legally binding one.

1. Scope and provider

These terms of use apply to your use of the PrepGuard app for iOS and Android and of the website prepguard.de, including the Premium subscription.

The provider is:

Barking Cat UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Am Schwalbenloch 15
76229 Karlsruhe
Germany
represented by its managing director Patrick Schnoor
Register court Mannheim, HRB 759821
Email: support@prepguard.de

You will find further details in the Imprint. How we handle your data is described in the Privacy policy.

If you download the app from Apple’s App Store, Apple’s standard licence agreement for apps also applies (Licensed Application End User License Agreement). Purchases are also subject to the terms of the respective store.

2. What PrepGuard offers

PrepGuard helps you and your household prepare for emergencies and crises. In particular, the app offers:

• recommendations for emergency supplies and an overview of your preparedness level, based on the recommendations of the responsible authorities;
• management of your supplies with quantities and expiry dates, plus a packing list for the emergency bag;
• display of official warnings for where you live and, if you consent, notifications about them;
• first-aid instructions and guidance on how to act that are also available without internet.

Where the warnings come from: For Germany we use the federal warning data provided by the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), which is also used by the NINA warning app (Modular Warning System MoWaS, German Weather Service, KATWARN, BIWAPP). For Austria and Switzerland we currently use weather warnings only, via MeteoAlarm (data from GeoSphere Austria and MeteoSwiss respectively); warnings from these countries’ civil protection authorities are not included. Our server retrieves the sources regularly, currently about every five minutes.

The basic features are free, in particular entering supplies by hand, the preparedness level, tasks, warnings including warning notifications, and first aid. Additional features are available with the Premium subscription (Section 7).

3. Important: not a substitute for official warnings and emergency calls

PrepGuard is a tool for preparedness. The app does not replace official means of warning or instructions from authorities, police, fire brigade or emergency services.

• In an emergency, always follow the instructions of the authorities and emergency services on the spot. They take precedence over any guidance in the app.
• Also use the official means of warning, for example sirens, cell broadcast, radio and the authorities’ warning apps (in Germany, for example, NINA).
• We do not guarantee that warnings are displayed or delivered on time, completely or at all. Warnings may arrive late or not at all, for example because of faults at the sources, on our server, with the delivery service (Google Firebase), on the mobile network or on your device, because notifications are switched off, because of battery-saving mode or because there is no internet connection. We only send notifications from the warning level “Moderate” upwards and only for the place of residence you have set in the app, not for where you currently are.
• The content of warnings comes from the respective authorities and weather services. We pass it on, but we do not check its content.
• First-aid content replaces neither an emergency call nor medical advice. In an emergency, call the emergency number 112 straight away (in Austria and Switzerland also the ambulance service on 144). The instructions are not a substitute for a first-aid course.
• Recommendations for supplies, the preparedness level and badges are general guidance. They do not take every personal situation into account and are no guarantee that you will be adequately provided for in an emergency.

4. Using the app without and with an account

You can use PrepGuard entirely without an account. Your data is then only on your device. If you lose the device or delete the app, it is lost.

An account is optional. With it you can back up your data and use it on several devices. You register with an email address and password or sign in with Apple or Google. When you register with email, you confirm your address with a code that we send you by email. We automatically delete accounts that are not confirmed within seven days.

When you complete registration, a contract between you and us for the use of the account comes into being, free of charge. There is no entitlement to registration.

5. Your obligations

• Give truthful details when you register and keep your email address up to date.
• Keep your password secret and protect your device against unauthorised access. If you suspect that someone unauthorised is using your account, change your password and let us know.
• Only enter details about other people, such as household members, if you are entitled to do so.
• Do not misuse the app. In particular, you must not make automated requests on a large scale, circumvent security measures or disrupt operation. You must not use the app to fake or spread warnings that do not come from an authority.

6. Availability and further development

We make an effort to provide PrepGuard with as few disruptions as possible. We cannot promise uninterrupted availability of the server, the warning sources or the delivery services; maintenance, technical faults and events beyond our control may cause interruptions. The features stored on your device remain usable without internet.

We keep developing the app and may change, add or discontinue features where there is a good reason, such as changed sources, legal requirements or security. We do not significantly restrict features you have paid for in the Premium subscription during the current subscription period without good reason. For the app to work safely and reliably, it may be necessary to update to a current version.

7. Premium subscription

7.1 Scope

The Premium subscription unlocks additional features. At present these are:

• unlimited barcode scanning (without a subscription, 3 scans are free), including several products in a row;
• all scenario analyses (without a subscription, the “Evacuation” scenario is available);
• reminders about expiry dates and about checking your supplies.

Safety features, that is warnings, warning notifications, first aid, the preparedness level and entering supplies by hand, always remain free. Data you have entered with Premium features stays with you after the subscription ends.

7.2 Terms, purchase and billing

• There is a monthly and an annual subscription.
• Purchase and payment are handled exclusively through Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Billing goes through your store account under the terms of the respective store.
• The store shows you the current price and term before you buy. The price shown there applies, including statutory VAT.
• There is no free trial.
• The subscription applies per person, tied to the store account you buy with. Family sharing is not possible. On further devices with the same store account, for example after switching devices, you restore your subscription with “Restore purchases” in the app.

7.3 Renewal and cancellation

The subscription renews automatically for the same term (one month or one year) unless you cancel it at least 24 hours before the current term ends. The renewal is charged to your store account within 24 hours before the term ends.

You cancel the subscription in the subscription settings of your store account (iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions; Android: Google Play → Profile → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions). The app offers a direct route to the store’s subscription management. After cancellation, Premium stays active until the end of the paid term.

Deleting your PrepGuard account or the app does not cancel the subscription. Please also cancel it in the store.

7.4 Refunds

Refunds are governed by the rules of the respective store. You apply to Apple or Google, because we have no access to billing. Your statutory rights remain unaffected.

7.5 Right of withdrawal

Consumers in the EU generally have a statutory right of withdrawal of 14 days for contracts for digital content and digital services. Because the purchase is processed through the App Store or Google Play, exercising and handling the withdrawal are governed by the terms of the respective store; you declare the withdrawal there, for example through Apple’s page for reporting a problem or through Google Play. The right of withdrawal can lapse early if performance begins with your express consent before the withdrawal period has ended and you have confirmed that you are aware of this, to the extent the law provides for it. Your mandatory statutory rights remain unaffected in any case.

8. Affiliate links

For some supply gaps, the app shows a link marked “Affiliate link” to an online shop (currently Amazon). If you buy there, we may receive a commission; the price does not change for you. The purchase contract is concluded solely with the shop. The shop is responsible for offers, prices and delivery. We do not show affiliate links in warnings, in the crisis view or in first aid.

9. Rights in the app and in content

We grant you the simple, non-transferable right to use the app for private purposes. The app, its texts, graphics and instructions are protected by copyright. You may not modify, reverse-engineer or redistribute them, unless the law expressly permits it. Warning content comes from the respective authorities and weather services; product data partly from Open Food Facts; postcode data from GeoNames. The licences of the respective sources apply to this content.

The data you enter into the app belongs to you. We only use it to provide the app to you, as described in the Privacy policy.

10. Termination and deletion of the account

You can stop using the app at any time. You delete your account in the app under “Household” (household icon) → “Account” section → “Delete account”, or on the page Delete account. This ends the contract for use, and we delete your account data as described in the Privacy policy. A running Premium subscription is not affected and has to be cancelled in the store (Section 7.3).

We can terminate the contract for use of the account with four weeks’ notice, for example if we discontinue the app. Paid subscription periods remain unaffected. Both sides keep the right to terminate without notice for good cause; for us, good cause exists in particular in the event of a serious breach of these terms, such as faking warnings or attacks on our systems.

11. Liability

We are liable without limit for intent and gross negligence, for culpable injury to life, body or health, under the Product Liability Act and to the extent of a guarantee we have given.

In the event of a slightly negligent breach of an essential contractual obligation, we are only liable for the foreseeable damage typical for this type of contract. Essential contractual obligations (cardinal obligations) are obligations whose fulfilment makes proper performance of the contract possible in the first place and on which you can regularly rely.

Otherwise, liability for slight negligence is excluded. For the free features we are, as far as legally permissible, only liable for intent and gross negligence; the unlimited liability under the first paragraph remains unaffected.

The respective providers are responsible for the content and availability of the official warning sources, the delivery services, the stores and linked third-party websites. The limitations of liability also apply to our legal representatives and vicarious agents.

12. Changes to these terms of use

We may change these terms of use where there is an objective reason, for example new features, a change in the law or case law. We will inform you in good time beforehand in the app or by email. Changes that affect essential rights and obligations, in particular the scope and price of the Premium subscription, only apply with your consent. If you do not agree to a change, you can stop using the app and delete your account.

13. Governing law and place of jurisdiction

The law of the Federal Republic of Germany applies, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. If you are a consumer habitually resident in another country, for example Austria or Switzerland, the mandatory consumer protection provisions of that country remain applicable where they protect you more strongly.

If you are a merchant, a legal entity under public law or a special fund under public law, the place of jurisdiction is Karlsruhe. For consumers the statutory places of jurisdiction apply.

14. Dispute resolution

We are not willing and not obliged to take part in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board. If you have a concern or a complaint, write to us at support@prepguard.de; we will take care of it.

15. Final provisions

If any provision of these terms of use is invalid, the remaining provisions stay valid. The statutory rules take the place of the invalid provision.

We are happy to answer questions about these terms: support@prepguard.de · Support · Privacy policy · Imprint