The rules
Before you can post in team chat, the game asks you to accept these rules. They apply to nicknames, team names, and messages.
Public and social features are for players age 13 and older, subject to any higher local age or parental-permission requirement. Limited child privacy mode does not enable team chat.
- Be decent. Don’t threaten, harass, bully, or target another person.
- Keep it clean. Don’t post hate, sexual exploitation, illegal content, or anything that endangers a child.
- Protect your privacy, and everyone else’s. Don’t share personal information, school schedules, passwords, or precise locations. Don’t use your real name as your nickname.
- Be real. Don’t spam, impersonate another person or organization, or try to get around a block or moderation action.
- Play fair. No cheating, automation, exploiting bugs, or tampering with results. Leaderboards are in-game results, not independently verified athletic records.
Messages containing words on our profanity list are automatically replaced. That doesn’t make prohibited behavior okay.
Reporting and blocking
Long-press another player’s message to report the message, report the player, or block and hide them. A report saves the selected message and limited identity and timing evidence for review. Blocking hides that player’s messages from you; it does not remove them from the team. You can also email Aether Support at aethertechnologiesut@gmail.com with “Hay Bales Heat team chat” in the subject. Include the issue and available message or team details without posting private information publicly.
If someone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services first.
Aether Support handles reports and review requests. It is not an emergency or continuously staffed service. Do not assume a report has been reviewed immediately after you send it.
What happens when rules are broken
Depending on what happened, we may remove a message or name, replace a nickname with a pseudonymous fallback, remove a player from a team, restrict chat, or suspend an account. We keep relevant records when needed to protect players or comply with the law. If you think we made a mistake, email us and we’ll take another look.
For team owners
Team owners and admins can manage membership. Pick a team name that’s fun, not personal: no school names paired with schedules, no real names, nothing you wouldn’t want on a public leaderboard. Team rosters and chat are visible only to current members, and direct messages are turned off for everyone.
These guidelines are part of our Terms of Service.