BChat Terms of Service

Effective date: September 28, 2026

Welcome to BChat. These Terms of Service ("Terms") are an agreement between you and the BChat team ("BChat," "we," "us"), a group of student developers who build and run the BChat app. By creating an account or using BChat, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, don't use the app.

BChat is an independent student project. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) or the Regents of the University of California. "UCLA" is used only to describe who the app is for.

1. Who can use BChat

To use BChat, you must:

• be a current UCLA student with a valid UCLA email address (@ucla.edu or @g.ucla.edu);
• be at least 13 years old; and
• if you are under 18, have permission from a parent or legal guardian to use BChat and agree to these Terms.

You may not use BChat if we have previously banned you.

2. Your account

You sign in with your UCLA Google account. You are responsible for everything that happens under your account, so keep your device and Google account secure. Don't share your account, create accounts for other people, or impersonate anyone.

3. How BChat works

When you add your courses, BChat automatically adds you to a group chat for each class. Everything you post in a chat — messages, photos, videos, reactions, and your display name and profile picture — is visible to every member of that chat. Treat class chats like a room full of classmates, not a private conversation.

4. Zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive users

BChat has zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive behavior. You agree not to post, send, or share anything that:

• harasses, bullies, threatens, stalks, or intimidates anyone;
• is hateful or discriminatory based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic;
• is sexually explicit, pornographic, or sexualizes anyone, or involves minors in any sexual way;
• promotes violence, self-harm, or illegal activity;
• shares someone else's private information (such as their address, phone number, or photos) without permission;
• is spam, scams, advertising, or repetitive unwanted messages;
• infringes someone else's copyright, trademark, or other rights (for example, posting copyrighted course materials you don't have the right to share); or
• impersonates another person or misrepresents your affiliation with anyone.

You also agree not to:

• use BChat to violate the UCLA Student Conduct Code or academic integrity rules, including sharing exam or quiz answers during an assessment;
• use bots, scripts, or automated tools to access or post to BChat;
• try to access other users' accounts or chats you aren't a member of; or
• interfere with, overload, reverse-engineer, or probe the security of the app or its servers.

5. Reporting and blocking

If you see content or a user that breaks these Terms, report it using the report option in the app. You can also block users so you no longer see their messages.

We review reports and act on objectionable content within 24 hours. Depending on what happened, we may remove the content, warn the user, restrict their account, or permanently ban them. Anyone who posts objectionable content may be removed from BChat immediately and without warning.

6. Your content

You own the messages, photos, and videos you post ("Your Content"). By posting it, you give BChat a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, display, and deliver Your Content to the members of the chats you post it in, only as needed to run the app.

You are responsible for Your Content and confirm that you have the right to share it. We may remove any content at any time if we believe it violates these Terms or could harm other users.

7. Notifications

If you allow them, BChat sends push notifications about new messages and replies. You can change notification settings in the app or turn them off in your device settings.

8. Ending your account

You can stop using BChat at any time and delete your account from the app's Settings. Deleting your account removes your profile and personal information. For more about what happens to your data, see our Privacy Policy.

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time if you break these Terms, if required by law, or to protect other users or the app.

9. Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains what information we collect and how we use it. By using BChat, you agree to that Privacy Policy.

10. Changes to BChat and these Terms

BChat is a student project and may change, pause, or shut down at any time. We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make significant changes, we will let you know in the app. If you keep using BChat after the changes take effect, you accept the updated Terms.

11. Disclaimers

BChat is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We don't guarantee that the app will always be available, secure, or error-free, or that messages will always be delivered.

We don't check what users post before it appears, and we aren't responsible for content posted by other users. Information shared by classmates (for example, about assignments or exams) may be wrong; always rely on your instructor and official course materials.

12. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent allowed by law, BChat and its team members will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, arising from your use of the app. Our total liability for any claim related to BChat will not exceed $50 USD.

Some jurisdictions don't allow certain limitations, so some of the above may not apply to you.

13. Apple App Store

If you downloaded BChat from the Apple App Store:

• These Terms are between you and BChat, not Apple. Apple is not responsible for the app or its content.
• Apple has no obligation to provide maintenance or support for the app.
• If the app fails to meet any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple may refund the purchase price (if any). Apple has no other warranty obligation for the app.
• Apple is not responsible for addressing any claims relating to the app, including product liability claims, claims that the app fails to meet legal or regulatory requirements, or consumer protection claims.
• If a third party claims the app infringes their intellectual property, BChat, not Apple, is responsible for handling that claim.
• You confirm that you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. government embargo and are not on any U.S. government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
• You must also follow any applicable third-party terms (such as your wireless carrier's) when using the app.
• Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and may enforce them against you.

14. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be handled in the state or federal courts located in Los Angeles County, California.

15. Contact us

Questions or concerns about these Terms? Email us at bchatdevx@gmail.com.