Terms of Use

Effective date: 24 October 2026 · Version 1

1. Agreement

These terms apply to your use of www.mymapcodes.com, its tools, shared links and the free Excel converter (together, "MyMapcodes"), which are provided by Leon Schnell, a sole proprietor trading as MyMapcodes.com ("we", "us"). By using MyMapcodes you agree to these terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you don’t agree, please don’t use the site. If you use MyMapcodes for an organisation, you confirm you may accept these terms for it.

2. About MyMapcodes and mapcodes

MyMapcodes helps you find, share and navigate to places using mapcodes. Our tools are free unless a price is shown. Mapcodes are an open system created by the Stichting Mapcode Foundation (https://www.mapcode.com), whose software is released under the Apache License 2.0. MyMapcodes is independent: we are not the Mapcode Foundation, and we are not endorsed by or affiliated with Google, Waze, WhatsApp or any other service we link to.

3. Accuracy and your safety

• Results depend on what is typed, on your device’s GPS and compass, on map and address data from third parties such as Google, and on internet connections. Any of these can be wrong, out of date or unavailable. Always check that a location makes sense before you rely on it.
• MyMapcodes is a convenience tool. Do not rely on it as your only means of finding a place where a mistake could cause harm, and never use it to call or guide emergency services instead of the official emergency number.
• Never use your phone while driving or riding. Set up your route before you set off, follow road signs and traffic laws, and let a passenger handle the phone.
• The Off-road Navigator points in a straight line to a place. It does not know about cliffs, water, fences, roads, wildlife, weather or private land. You alone decide whether a route is safe and legal, and you are responsible for getting permission to enter any property.
• Directions and travel times from Google Maps, Waze or other services are their responsibility and subject to their terms.

4. Google Maps

MyMapcodes includes Google Maps features and content. Your use of them is subject to the current Google Maps/Google Earth Additional Terms of Service and the Google Privacy Policy.

5. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• use MyMapcodes for anything unlawful, or to stalk, track, harass or harm anyone, or to share another person’s location without their permission;
• send automated or bulk requests to the site or its tools, scrape it, or try to get around limits, robot checks or security measures (the Mapcode Foundation and others offer proper services for bulk conversion);
• try to break into, overload, probe or interfere with the site, its servers or other users, or upload malicious code;
• misuse "Share by email", problem reports or forms to send spam or abuse;
• copy or reuse our design, text, logo or code except as the law or an open-source licence allows.

We may limit, block or end access for anyone who breaks these terms, and report unlawful activity to the authorities.

6. What you send us

You are responsible for what you send or share using MyMapcodes, including links and messages. When you send a problem report, comment or suggestion, you let us use it to run and improve MyMapcodes (we handle any personal information in it as our Privacy Policy describes). Please don’t send anything confidential or anything you don’t have the right to share.

7. Our content

The MyMapcodes name, logo, design, text, guides and our own code are owned by us or our licensors and protected by law. Third-party software is used under its own licences. You may share links to MyMapcodes and use the free Excel converter for your own purposes.

8. Paid services

Some services, such as custom mapcode work, are paid. We will agree the description, price (in South African rand) and time frame with you before you pay. Prices are final. We are not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added. Payment is made by card on iKhokha’s secure payment page; we never see your card details. You may cancel within 7 days of payment for a full refund, unless we have already started the work with your agreement (Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, section 44). This does not limit your other rights under the Consumer Protection Act. To ask for a refund or complain, contact us using the details in section 15.

9. No guarantees

To the extent the law allows, MyMapcodes is provided "as is" and "as available", without any promise that it will be accurate, complete, uninterrupted, error-free or suitable for a particular purpose. We may change, pause or stop any part of it at any time.

10. Limit of our responsibility

To the extent the law allows, we are not responsible for any loss or damage (including injury, damage to property, lost time, lost income or data, or indirect or consequential loss) that results from using or not being able to use MyMapcodes, from relying on any location, direction or information it gives, or from third-party services. If we are found responsible despite this, our total responsibility is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, or R500 if you paid nothing. Nothing in these terms excludes responsibility that cannot be excluded by law, such as for gross negligence, fraud, or your rights under the Consumer Protection Act.

11. Indemnity

To the extent the law allows, you agree to cover any loss, claim or cost (including reasonable legal costs) we suffer because you broke these terms, broke the law, or misused MyMapcodes.

12. Other websites

Links to other websites and apps are for convenience. We don’t control them and are not responsible for their content, availability or privacy practices.

13. Law and disputes

These terms are governed by the law of the Republic of South Africa. Disputes will be decided by the South African courts with jurisdiction in Johannesburg, Gauteng, unless the law of the country where you live as a consumer gives you the right to bring a claim there. Please contact us first: most problems can be solved quickly.

14. General

If any part of these terms is invalid, the rest still applies. If we don’t enforce a term straight away, we can still enforce it later. These terms and the Privacy Policy are the whole agreement between you and us about using the free parts of MyMapcodes; paid services also include what we agree with you in writing. We may update these terms; the effective date at the top shows when they last changed, and using MyMapcodes after a change means you accept the new terms. You can save or print this page at any time.

15. Website information (ECTA section 43)