The ones worth asking.
Sixteen questions, grouped by what they are about: the app itself, what it costs, and what happens to the coursework you put into it.
01 / The app
What it does, and what it will not do.
als is a tutor that reads one library, the one you built. Almost everything surprising about it follows from that single constraint.
More on the thinking behind it on the about page.
What does als actually do?
You file your own lecture notes, slides, PDFs and past papers under the unit they belong to. als reads that library and answers your questions from it, naming the lecture and page each answer came from.
How is this different from a general AI chatbot?
A general chatbot answers from the whole internet and has never seen your syllabus. als answers only from the material you filed, so a plausible answer and a correct one stop being indistinguishable: you can open the page it cited and check.
What can I upload?
PDFs, lecture slides, images and photographs of handwritten notes. A scanned page has to be legible to you before it can be legible to the tutor. File size limits depend on your plan and are listed on the pricing page.
What happens if my library has nothing on a topic?
als tells you so, and lists the lectures it does have on file, rather than inventing an answer. That refusal is deliberate and it is the feature that took the most work.
Can the tutor be wrong?
Yes. It can miss context and it can misread a badly scanned page. Every answer carries the source it used so you can check it, and checking it is the point rather than a footnote.
02 / Plans and payment
Student money, priced like it.
Three plans, no card on file, and nothing that renews behind your back. The limits for each are set out in full on the pricing page.
Prices and limits live on the pricing page; the billing rules are in the terms of service.
Will I be charged automatically?
No. Nothing auto-renews and no card sits on file. When the 30 days are up, access drops to the free limits until you choose to pay again.
How do I pay?
Payment goes through Paystack, which takes M-Pesa, Airtel Money and cards. als never sees your card number or M-Pesa PIN; that happens on the Paystack page, not inside the app.
What happens when a plan ends?
You keep everything. Reading, exporting and deleting your own material works at every tier, including after a plan lapses. What pauses is the metered part: new questions, new quizzes, new uploads.
Can I move up mid-month?
Yes. The new plan starts a fresh 30 days from the day you pay, and the higher limits apply from that moment.
How does the Friends plan work?
One person pays KES 1,250 and receives a code that seats four others, which works out at KES 250 each. A Friends plan shares the bill, not the library: every member keeps a private library the others cannot open.
Do you refund?
The 14-day free trial exists so you can decide before paying, so a period that has begun is not usually refunded. If the service was materially broken or you were charged in error, write to support within 14 days of the payment and we will put it right.
03 / Your coursework
Who can see it, and how to remove it.
The answers here are the short form. The binding version is the privacy policy, and it says the same things at greater length.
Full detail in the privacy policy and on the account deletion page.
Do you train AI models on my coursework?
No. Your notes, files, questions and answers are never used to train any model, ours or anyone else's. They are not sold, not rented, and not shared with advertisers.
Can anyone else see my notes?
No. Nobody else on a Friends plan can open your library, the payer included. Staff access is restricted to what is needed to answer a support request you have raised.
How do I delete my account?
In the app, Profile then Settings then Delete account, which takes effect immediately. If you cannot open the app, email privacy@ardena.co.ke and we will action it within 7 days. The account deletion page lists exactly what is removed and what is kept.
Why can I only use one device at a time?
So that a plan bought by one student covers one student. Signing in on a new phone signs the previous one out, which also means a stolen handset loses access straight away.
Is there an iPhone version?
Not yet. als is on Android first. The App Store button on this site is marked coming soon rather than linked, and it will change the day there is something to link to.
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