Terms of Use

These terms govern your use of the Sterna app ("Sterna: German for Healthcare") and this website. By downloading or using the app you agree to them. They are written to be read, not skimmed — the whole document takes a few minutes.

Who we are

Sterna is operated by Alps Capital LLC, 135 Birchwood Ter, Wayne, NJ 07470-3836, United States. You can reach us at contact@alpscapital.co.

What Sterna is

Sterna is a subscription learning app that teaches workplace German to internationally trained healthcare professionals. It provides a structured day-by-day journey of vocabulary, dialogues, audio, quizzes and review exercises, together with progress tracking such as streaks and a readiness score. Content and features may evolve over time as we improve the app.

Eligibility

Sterna is a professional training tool for working adults. You must be at least 16 years old to use it. By using the app you confirm that you meet this requirement and that you are legally able to enter into these terms.

Your account

Sterna uses anonymous accounts — no name, email or password is required. An anonymous identifier is created on your device so your subscription and settings can be recognized. Because the account is tied to your device and Apple account, you are responsible for the device you use it on. You can delete your account at any time in the Profile section of the app; see the Privacy Policy for what deletion covers.

Subscriptions and billing

• Access to the full journey requires a paid subscription (weekly, monthly or annual). All payments are processed by Apple through your App Store account — we never see your card details.
• Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the period ends.
• You can cancel at any time in your iPhone settings under Settings > your name > Subscriptions. Cancelling stops the next renewal; you keep access until the end of the period you already paid for.
• If we change subscription prices, the new price applies only from your next renewal, and Apple notifies you in advance as required by App Store rules. Where Apple requires your consent to a price increase, the subscription does not renew at the new price without it.
• Refunds for App Store purchases are handled by Apple under Apple's refund policies. You can request a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com.

The first 3 days

Every plan starts with 3 free days — enough to complete the first three days of the journey before you pay anything. If you do not want to continue, cancel before the free days end and you will not be charged. If you continue, the subscription you selected begins automatically when the free days are over.

Acceptable use

When using Sterna, you agree not to:

• copy, scrape, extract or redistribute the app's content (terms, dialogues, audio, exercises) outside the app;
• reverse engineer, decompile or otherwise attempt to derive the app's source code, except where the law expressly permits it;
• resell, rent out or share access to your subscription beyond what Apple's family sharing rules allow;
• use the app in any way that violates applicable law or interferes with the service or other users.

Intellectual property

All content in the app and on this website — including the learning journey, term cards, dialogues, audio recordings, exercises, the Sterna name and the Sterna mark — is owned by Alps Capital LLC and protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Your subscription gives you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the app and its content for your own learning. It does not transfer any ownership to you.

Educational purpose — not medical advice

Sterna is a language education tool. It teaches German vocabulary and communication used in healthcare settings. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment guidance, and it is not a substitute for professional clinical training, official exam preparation materials or the judgment of qualified practitioners. Clinical scenarios in the app exist to teach language, not medicine. While our content is prepared and reviewed with care, we cannot guarantee that every term or phrasing matches the conventions of every workplace, region or examination body — always follow the standards of your employer and your licensing authority.

Disclaimers and limitation of liability

The app and website are provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose or uninterrupted availability. We do not guarantee that using Sterna will lead to any particular exam result or employment outcome.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Alps Capital LLC is not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising from your use of the app, and our total liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid for the subscription in the 12 months before the claim arose. Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law, including mandatory consumer protections in your country of residence.

Termination

You can stop using Sterna at any time by cancelling your subscription and deleting your account in the app. We may suspend or terminate access if you materially breach these terms — for example by redistributing our content — after informing you where reasonably possible. Sections that by their nature should survive (intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, governing law) survive termination.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. If you are a consumer in the European Union or another jurisdiction with mandatory consumer protection rules, you keep the protections of the law of your country of residence.

Changes to these terms

If we change these terms, we will publish the updated version on this page with a new effective date. For significant changes we will also inform you inside the app before the change takes effect. Continuing to use Sterna after a change takes effect means you accept the updated terms.