Terms of Service

Effective Date: January 19, 2026

Welcome to Bunechat! These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Bunechat mobile application and related services (collectively, the "Service"). By using Bunechat, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account or using Bunechat, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you are using Bunechat on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use Bunechat. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that:

• You are at least 13 years of age
• You have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms
• You are not prohibited from using the Service under applicable laws
• Your use of the Service does not violate any laws or regulations in your jurisdiction

If you are under 18, you must have permission from a parent or legal guardian to use Bunechat.

3. Account Registration and Security

3.1 Account Creation

To use Bunechat, you must create an account by providing:

• A valid phone number for verification
• A username (which must be unique and appropriate)
• Optional profile information (display name, photo, status)

3.2 Account Security

You are responsible for:

• Maintaining the security of your account and device
• All activities that occur under your account
• Keeping your login credentials confidential
• Notifying us immediately of any unauthorized access or security breach

3.3 Account Accuracy

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to update it as necessary. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts with false or misleading information.

4. Acceptable Use

4.1 Permitted Uses

Bunechat is designed to help Habesha communities connect worldwide through messaging, voice and video calls, stories, and other communication features.

4.2 Prohibited Activities

You agree NOT to use Bunechat to:

• Violate any local, national, or international laws or regulations
• Send spam, unsolicited messages, or engage in harassment
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation
• Share content that is illegal, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, or otherwise objectionable
• Share content that infringes on intellectual property rights or privacy rights
• Distribute viruses, malware, or any harmful code
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other accounts, servers, or networks
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers
• Use automated systems (bots) to access the Service
• Collect or harvest personal information from other users
• Engage in any fraudulent activity or scams
• Promote violence, terrorism, or hate speech
• Share sexually explicit content involving minors
• Sell or transfer your account to another person

5. Content Ownership and Rights

5.1 Your Content

You retain ownership of all content you create, upload, or share through Bunechat ("User Content"), including:

• Messages, photos, videos, and voice messages
• Stories and highlights
• Profile information and status updates
• Any other content you post or share

5.2 License to Bunechat

By posting User Content, you grant Bunechat a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to:

• Store, process, and transmit your content to provide the Service
• Display your content to users you choose to share it with
• Make backup copies for reliability and disaster recovery

Important: We do not claim ownership of your content, and this license ends when you delete your content or account, except for content shared with others that they have saved.

5.3 Bunechat's Intellectual Property

The Bunechat app, including its design, features, trademarks, logos, and all underlying technology, is owned by Bunechat and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not:

• Copy, modify, or create derivative works of the app
• Reverse engineer or decompile the app
• Use our trademarks or branding without permission

6. Messaging and Communication Features

6.1 Private Messaging

Messages sent through Bunechat are private communications between you and the recipients. We do not monitor the content of your private messages except as required by law or to enforce these Terms.

6.2 Disappearing Messages

When you enable disappearing messages, messages will be automatically deleted after the set duration. However:

• Recipients can save messages before they disappear
• Recipients can take screenshots or photos of messages
• Disappearing messages may still exist in backups temporarily

6.3 Stories and Highlights

• Stories: Content posted as stories will automatically delete after 24 hours
• Highlights: Content posted as highlights remains on your profile until you manually delete it
• You control who can view your stories and highlights through privacy settings

7. Voice and Video Calls

7.1 In-App Calls

Bunechat provides voice and video calling between users. Call quality depends on your internet connection. We are not responsible for:

• Poor call quality due to network conditions
• Dropped calls or connection failures
• Data charges from your mobile carrier

7.2 International Calling

Bunechat offers international calling to designated locations (primarily Ethiopia and Eritrea) through our self-hosted infrastructure. Terms include:

• Calls are charged based on published rates
• You must purchase calling credits in advance
• Credits do not expire but are non-refundable
• Call quality and availability may vary
• We reserve the right to modify rates without notice
• Fraudulent use will result in account suspension

8. Premium Subscriptions and Payments

8.1 Bunechat Premium

Bunechat offers optional premium subscriptions with enhanced features. Subscription terms:

• Subscriptions are billed through Google Play or Apple App Store
• Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled
• You can cancel anytime through your app store account
• Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period
• No partial refunds for unused subscription time

8.2 In-App Purchases

In-app purchases (calling credits, etc.) are processed through Google Play or Apple App Store. All purchases are final and non-refundable except as required by law.

8.3 Price Changes

We reserve the right to change subscription prices or calling rates. Price changes for existing subscriptions will be communicated at least 30 days in advance.

9. AI Features and Translation

Bunechat includes AI-powered features such as:

• Language translation (Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromiffa, and others)
• AI assistant for content creation and help

AI translations may not always be accurate. You should verify important translations. We are not responsible for miscommunications due to translation errors.

10. Content Moderation

We reserve the right to:

• Monitor public content (stories, highlights, community posts) for Terms violations
• Remove content that violates these Terms
• Suspend or terminate accounts that repeatedly violate Terms
• Report illegal activity to law enforcement
• Cooperate with legal investigations

We do not actively monitor private messages except when reported or as required by law.

11. Termination

11.1 Termination by You

You may delete your account at any time through the app settings. Upon deletion:

• Your profile and account information will be permanently deleted
• Messages you sent to others will remain visible to recipients
• Unused calling credits and subscriptions are non-refundable

11.2 Termination by Bunechat

We may suspend or terminate your account if you:

• Violate these Terms or our Privacy Policy
• Engage in fraudulent or illegal activity
• Abuse or harass other users
• Create multiple accounts to evade bans
• Cause harm to the Service or other users

Termination may be immediate without prior notice for severe violations.

12. Disclaimers and Limitations of Liability

12.1 Service "As Is"

Bunechat is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to:

• Warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose
• Guarantees of uninterrupted or error-free service
• Accuracy or reliability of content or translations
• Security against unauthorized access or data loss

12.2 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Bunechat and its affiliates, officers, employees, and partners shall not be liable for:

• Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
• Loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunities
• Service interruptions or data loss
• Actions or content of other users
• Unauthorized access to your account or data
• Translation errors or miscommunications

Our total liability for any claims related to the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid to Bunechat in the 12 months preceding the claim, or $100, whichever is greater.

12.3 User Responsibility

You are solely responsible for:

• Your use of the Service and any consequences
• Content you post or share
• Compliance with applicable laws
• Backing up important data
• Your interactions with other users

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Bunechat, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

• Your use or misuse of the Service
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any rights of another person or entity
• Content you post or share

14. Third-Party Services

Bunechat uses third-party services including:

• Firebase (Google) for backend infrastructure
• Stream.io for video calling
• Google Play Billing for payments

Your use of these services is subject to their respective terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for third-party service failures or data handling practices.

15. Data Usage and Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. By using Bunechat, you consent to our data practices as described in the Privacy Policy.

Key points:

• We do not sell your personal information
• Messages are stored encrypted on secure servers
• You can delete your account and data at any time
• See our full Privacy Policy for complete details

16. Changes to the Service

We continuously improve Bunechat and may:

• Add, modify, or remove features
• Change how the Service works
• Introduce new premium features
• Discontinue features or the Service entirely

We reserve the right to make these changes at any time without prior notice.

17. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect:

• Changes in our practices or services
• Legal or regulatory requirements
• Security or safety improvements

When we make changes:

• We will update the "Effective Date" at the top
• Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance
• If you don't agree to the new Terms, you should stop using Bunechat

18. Governing Law and Disputes

18.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, without regard to conflict of law principles.

18.2 Dispute Resolution

If you have a dispute with Bunechat:

• First, contact us at legal@bunechat.com to resolve the matter informally
• We will attempt to resolve disputes within 30 days
• If informal resolution fails, disputes may be resolved through binding arbitration or small claims court

18.3 Class Action Waiver

You agree to resolve disputes with Bunechat on an individual basis. You waive any right to participate in class action lawsuits or class-wide arbitration.

19. International Users

Bunechat is designed to connect Habesha communities worldwide. If you use Bunechat outside your home country:

• You are responsible for compliance with local laws
• You consent to your data being transferred and processed internationally
• Some features may not be available in all countries
• Calling rates and availability vary by destination

20. Accessibility

We strive to make Bunechat accessible to all users.

21. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

22. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Bunechat regarding the Service and supersede any prior agreements.

23. No Waiver

Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other provision.

24. Assignment

You may not transfer or assign your rights under these Terms. We may assign our rights to any affiliate or successor without your consent.

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Last updated: January 19, 2026