BaatMesh Terms of Use

Version 1.0 · Effective date: 29 October 2026 · App: BaatMesh (com.baatmesh.app) · Provider: Wontonee Digitalcraft LLP (LLPIN ABZ-3920)

These Terms of Use govern your use of BaatMesh. Related: BaatMesh Privacy Policy.

Summary in plain words

• BaatMesh is a free, open-source app that lets nearby phones pass messages over Bluetooth when there is little or no internet.
• You do not need an account. Most chats stay on phones; we do not run a central chat server that stores your messages.
• The public room is not private — anyone nearby on the mesh can read it. Direct messages use end-to-end encryption. Private pods are shared with members only (not sealed end-to-end groups).
• BaatMesh is not an emergency service. Do not rely on it alone in a crisis. Call your local emergency number when you can.
• Bluetooth signals can be detected by nearby devices. The app is not anonymous or untraceable.
• By tapping Agree and continue, you accept these Terms and the Privacy Policy.
• You must be at least 13 years old (or have a parent/guardian's consent where the law requires it).

सारांश साधारण शब्दों में (Hindi)

• BaatMesh एक मुफ़्त, ओपन-सोर्स ऐप है जो आस-पास के फ़ोनों को ब्लूटूथ से संदेश भेजने देता है — इंटरनेट कम या न होने पर भी।
• खाता नहीं चाहिए। ज़्यादातर चैट फ़ोन पर रहती हैं; हम कोई केंद्रीय चैट सर्वर नहीं चलाते जो आपके संदेश रखे।
• सार्वजनिक कमरा निजी नहीं है — मेश पर पास का कोई भी पढ़ सकता है। सीधी बातें एंड-टू-एंड एन्क्रिप्ट होती हैं। प्राइवेट पॉड सिर्फ़ सदस्यों तक (पूरी तरह सील E2E समूह नहीं)।
• BaatMesh आपातकालीन सेवा नहीं है। संकट में सिर्फ़ इसी पर निर्भर न रहें। जहाँ संभव हो, स्थानीय आपातकालीन नंबर पर कॉल करें।
• ब्लूटूथ सिग्नल पास के डिवाइस पहचान सकते हैं। ऐप गुमनाम या अज्ञात नहीं है।
• सहमत हूँ और आगे बढ़ें दबाकर आप इन शर्तों और गोपनीयता नीति को स्वीकार करते हैं।
• उम्र कम से कम 13 वर्ष होनी चाहिए (या जहाँ कानून माँगे, अभिभावक की सहमति)।

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1. Acceptance of these Terms

1.1. These Terms of Use ("Terms") are a legal agreement between you and Wontonee Digitalcraft LLP ("Wontonee", "we", "us") for your use of the BaatMesh mobile application and related websites or services we provide (together, the "App" or "Service").

1.2. By downloading, installing, or using BaatMesh, or by tapping Agree and continue (or a similar button) in the App, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the App — use I don't agree / Exit.

1.3. If you use the App on behalf of an organisation, you confirm you have authority to bind that organisation to these Terms.

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2. Who may use BaatMesh (eligibility)

2.1. You must be at least 13 years old to use BaatMesh.

2.2. If you are under the age of majority where you live, you may use the App only with a parent or guardian's permission where local law requires it.

2.3. We may update the minimum age if law or our Play / App Store settings require it. The in-app Welcome screen and Privacy Policy state the current age rule.

2.4. You must be able to form a binding contract under applicable law, and you must not be barred from using the App under Indian law or the laws of your country.

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3. What BaatMesh is

3.1. BaatMesh is a free messaging app that primarily uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) so nearby phones can discover each other and relay messages in a mesh, including when there is little or no internet.

3.2. Key features (which may change over time):

• Public room — messages visible to anyone nearby on the mesh (not private).
• Direct messages (DMs) — end-to-end encrypted with the Noise protocol between the two devices.
• Private pods — small fan-out groups (up to about 12 members). Messages go to members over BLE; pods are not sealed end-to-end group encryption.
• Media — voice notes, photos, and short video, stored on device unless you send them.
• SOS and location sharing — optional; location is asked only when you use Area chat or share location with SOS.
• Privacy & Safety hub — PIN, duress PIN, trusted contacts, and related tools on your device.
• Optional Area chat — local channels that may use internet relays and approximate location (geohash).
• Optional BitChat public-text bridge — may share public-room text with nearby BitChat users (third-party network; off by default).
• Optional crash reports and usage analytics — via Firebase; off by default; never includes chat content, keys, contacts, or precise location for analytics.

3.3. No accounts. You do not create a Wontonee login. Identity keys and nicknames live on your device.

3.4. No central chat server. We do not operate a server that stores your mesh chats. Messages are stored on user devices and may be relayed by other users' phones. Optional internet features (Area relays, Firebase if you opt in) are described in the Privacy Policy.

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4. Open-source code vs these Terms

4.1. The source code of BaatMesh is published under the MIT License. That licence covers how others may use, copy, modify, and redistribute the code.

4.2. These Terms of Use govern how you may use the Service we distribute (the App from Google Play or our builds, our branding, our hosted Privacy/Terms pages, and any optional online features we operate or link).

4.3. Using or forking the open-source code under the MIT License does not by itself give you the right to use the BaatMesh name, logo, or Play listing as if you were Wontonee. See Section 14 (Intellectual property).

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5. Licence to use the App

5.1. We grant you a personal, limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to install and use BaatMesh on devices you own or control, for lawful personal or community use, in line with these Terms.

5.2. You must not: reverse-engineer the App except where law allows; remove copyright or trademark notices from official builds; redistribute official Play/App Store builds as your own product; or use our name or marks to suggest sponsorship without written permission.

5.3. Open-source components retain their own licences (including MIT for BaatMesh code). Third-party libraries keep their licence terms.

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6. Acceptable use / user conduct

6.1. You agree not to use BaatMesh to:

• Break any law, including Indian law and the law of the place where you use the App.
• Share or solicit child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or any sexual content involving minors.
• Harass, threaten, stalk, or abuse others.
• Send spam, floods, or automated junk that harms the mesh or other users' devices.
• Impersonate another person, organisation, or emergency service.
• Send a false SOS or fake emergency alert intending to mislead.
• Incite or organise violence, terrorism, or serious harm.
• Distribute malware, spyware, or anything designed to damage devices or steal data.
• Probe, attack, or overload other users' devices or any relays beyond ordinary mesh use.
• Circumvent safety, block, mute, or PIN features in a way that harms others.
• Use the App in any way that creates unreasonable risk to life, safety, or critical infrastructure while presenting BaatMesh as a guaranteed emergency channel.

6.2. We may refuse support, disable optional online features we control, or seek legal remedies where use clearly violates these Terms or law. Because chats live on devices, we usually cannot delete content from other people's phones (see Section 8).

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7. Your content and permission to relay

7.1. You own the messages, media, and other content you create ("Your Content").

7.2. To make the mesh work, you grant every user whose device relays or receives packets in the ordinary course of the mesh a limited, royalty-free permission to store, forward, and display those packets as the protocol requires — including public-room text that others can read, and encrypted packets for DMs/pods that recipients can decrypt with their keys.

7.3. Relaying devices may temporarily hold encrypted or public packets. That is how offline mesh messaging works. We do not claim ownership of Your Content.

7.4. You confirm you have the rights needed to send Your Content and that it does not violate these Terms or others' rights (privacy, publicity, copyright, etc.).

7.5. Nickname and public keys are visible to nearby users so people can recognise you on the mesh.

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8. Moderation limits (honest about a mesh app)

8.1. We cannot see or delete most messages on other users' devices. There is no central chat inbox for Wontonee staff to moderate like a classic social network.

8.2. Tools on your device include block, mute, report-by-email, PIN / duress PIN, and (where available) delete-all-data on this phone. Use them.

8.3. To report abuse, illegal content, or a Terms concern, email [email protected] (and the Grievance Officer in Section 18 when named). Include enough detail for us to understand the issue (approximate time, nature of content, screenshots if safe). We cannot promise removal from every phone on the mesh.

8.4. For optional features we operate (for example certain Area relays or our websites), we may restrict access where required by law or these Terms.

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9. Emergency and reliability disclaimer (read carefully)

BaatMesh is NOT an emergency service, NOT a substitute for police, fire, ambulance, or other official emergency channels, and NOT a guaranteed communications system.

9.1. Message delivery, range, timing, and battery life are not guaranteed. Bluetooth range is often tens of metres per hop and depends on walls, interference, phone hardware, and how many nearby phones are running the App. Background operation can fail after force-close, OEM battery limits, or OS changes.

9.2. Do not rely solely on BaatMesh for medical emergencies, evacuation, crime reporting, or life-safety decisions. Where telephone or official channels are available, call your local emergency numbers.

9.3. SOS and location-share features are best-effort tools between devices that have the App and are in range (or using optional relays you enable). They do not dispatch responders.

9.4. To the fullest extent allowed by law, we are not liable for harm arising from failed, delayed, misrouted, or intercepted messages, or from someone relying on the App as if it were an official emergency system.

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10. Security and privacy limits (honest claims only)

10.1. Bluetooth signals can be detected by nearby devices and specialised equipment. Using BaatMesh does not make you anonymous, invisible, or untraceable.

10.2. The public room is not private. Anyone on the local mesh can read it. Optional BitChat bridging may expose public-room text to another network.

10.3. DMs use Noise end-to-end encryption between the two devices. Pods are private fan-out to members — not sealed end-to-end group encryption. Do not describe pods as "sealed E2E groups".

10.4. Keep your device locked, updated, and under your control. Protect your PIN. The duress PIN shows a decoy state; it does not make you invisible to radio observers.

10.5. Full data practices are in the Privacy Policy. Personal data processing under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) is described there.

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11. Third-party services

11.1. The App may interact with services we do not control, including:

• Google Play (distribution, updates, Play policies).
• Firebase (Crashlytics / Analytics) — only if you opt in.
• Internet relays used for optional Area chat.
• BitChat or other mesh networks — only if you enable a bridge; their networks have their own operators and terms.

11.2. Those services are governed by their terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for their outages, policy changes, or data practices beyond what we describe in our Privacy Policy for data we send when you opt in.

11.3. Open-source dependencies and OS Bluetooth stacks also sit outside our full control.

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12. Optional features and defaults

12.1. Crash reports, usage analytics, BitChat public-text bridge, and Area chat / location are off or deferred until you choose them (see in-app Privacy onboarding and Settings → Privacy & Safety).

12.2. You can change optional toggles later in Settings. Turning analytics off stops new collection; it does not erase historical data already held by Google Firebase — see the Privacy Policy.

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13. Fees

13.1. BaatMesh is currently offered free of charge. We do not sell your chat content.

13.2. Your mobile carrier or Wi-Fi provider may charge for data if you use optional internet features. Bluetooth mesh use does not require a mobile data plan, but the phone still needs power and Bluetooth permission.

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14. Intellectual property and trademarks

14.1. The BaatMesh name, logo, and related marks are trademarks or branding of Wontonee Digitalcraft LLP (or used under licence). You may not use them in a way that confuses people about who publishes the official App.

14.2. Subject to the MIT License for source code and third-party licences, Wontonee and its licensors retain rights in official builds, documentation, and hosted websites.

14.3. Feedback you send us may be used to improve the App without obligation to you.

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15. Disclaimer of warranties

15.1. THE APP IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE", WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY — INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT — TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

15.2. We do not warrant that the App will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure against all threats, available at any range, or suitable as an emergency or critical communications system.

15.3. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits rights that cannot be excluded under applicable consumer protection law (including rights you may have as a consumer in India). Where a warranty cannot be excluded, our liability for breach is limited to re-supply of the App or a lawful equivalent remedy where permitted.

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16. Limitation of liability

16.1. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Wontonee and its partners, officers, and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, punitive, or exemplary damages; loss of profits, data, goodwill, or device availability; or cost of substitute communications — arising from your use of (or inability to use) the App — whether based on contract, tort, statute, or otherwise, even if advised of the possibility.

16.2. To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total liability for all claims relating to the App or these Terms is limited to INR 1,000 (one thousand Indian Rupees) or the amount you paid us for the App in the 12 months before the claim (if any), whichever is higher. Since the App is free, this will often mean INR 1,000 where such a cap is enforceable.

16.3. These limits do not apply where Indian law (or other mandatory law) forbids them, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence where such exclusion is void, or for fraud or wilful misconduct.

16.4. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations; in those places, our liability is limited to the fullest extent still allowed.

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17. Indemnity

17.1. You agree to defend and indemnify Wontonee and its officers and agents against claims, damages, losses, and reasonable costs (including legal fees) arising from: Your Content; your misuse of the App; your violation of these Terms or law; or your infringement of someone else's rights — to the extent permitted by law and except where caused by our wilful misconduct.

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18. Grievance officer (IT Act / Intermediary Guidelines)

18.1. BaatMesh is provided by Wontonee Digitalcraft LLP. For complaints about the App, these Terms, or matters under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (as amended), contact:

Grievance Officer	To be appointed (interim contact below)
Email	[email protected] (interim)
Postal	605 C, Jaina Tower 1, District Centre, Janakpuri, New Delhi - 110058, India

18.2. Under the Rules as updated (including the February 2026 amendment), the Grievance Officer shall acknowledge a complaint within twenty-four (24) hours and resolve it within seven (7) days of receipt, unless a shorter statutory timeline applies (for example certain requests to remove prohibited content, which may require action within thirty-six (36) hours, or other special categories under the Rules).

18.3. Because mesh content often exists only on user devices, "resolution" may include guidance, account/feature restriction on services we control, cooperation with lawful orders, or explanation of technical limits — not always deletion from every phone.

18.4. This section does not waive any right you have to approach a court or regulator.

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19. Privacy and DPDP Act, 2023

19.1. How we handle personal data is explained in the Privacy Policy. That policy addresses practices relevant to India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and related rules, as applicable.

19.2. Agreeing to these Terms includes acknowledging the Privacy Policy. Optional processing (analytics, crash reports) needs a separate in-app opt-in.

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20. Export, sanctions, and lawful use abroad

20.1. You must not use or export the App in violation of applicable export-control or sanctions laws.

20.2. You are responsible for complying with local radio, telecom, and content laws where you use Bluetooth or optional internet features. Conflict zones and restricted territories may have extra rules; the App does not authorise unlawful radio use.

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21. Suspension, termination, and deleting your data

21.1. You may stop using BaatMesh at any time by uninstalling the App.

21.2. Settings → Privacy & Safety → Delete all data on this phone (or equivalent) wipes local chats, keys, media, and consent on that device and returns you to the Welcome flow. Uninstalling also removes local app data subject to OS behaviour. This does not erase copies already on other people's devices or optional Firebase data already sent while opted in (see Privacy Policy).

21.3. We may suspend or restrict optional online features we operate, or stop distributing the App, if required by law, security risk, or material breach of these Terms.

21.4. Sections that by nature should survive (including 9, 10, 14–17, 22–25) survive termination.

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22. Changes to these Terms

22.1. We may update these Terms. The Version and Effective date at the top will change when we do.

22.2. Material changes will be shown in the App (for example a re-acceptance screen) and/or by updating the hosted page at the Terms URL. Continued use after the effective date, or tapping Agree on the update screen, means you accept the new Terms.

22.3. The App stores an accepted privacy.terms_version (see Privacy onboarding spec). When kCurrentTermsVersion increases, users who already onboarded are asked to accept again (same pattern as policy updates).

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23. Governing law and disputes

23.1. These Terms are governed by the laws of India, without regard to conflict-of-law rules that would apply another jurisdiction's law.

23.2. Subject to mandatory consumer protections and the grievance process in Section 18, courts at New Delhi, India have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes arising from these Terms or the App.

23.3. Nothing here limits any non-waivable right you have under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 or other mandatory Indian law.

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24. Severability, waiver, entire agreement

24.1. If a court finds any part of these Terms unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.

24.2. If we do not enforce a provision once, that is not a waiver of our right to enforce it later.

24.3. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any in-app consents you give, are the entire agreement between you and us about the App, and replace prior oral or written terms on the same subject. The MIT License still governs use of the source code as software.

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25. Contact

Provider	Wontonee Digitalcraft LLP (LLPIN ABZ-3920)
Registered office	605 C, Jaina Tower 1, District Centre, Janakpuri, New Delhi - 110058, India
General / support	[email protected]
Privacy Policy	https://wontonee.com/baatmesh/privacy
Terms (proposed)	https://wontonee.com/baatmesh/terms
Grievance Officer	See Section 18

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