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Legal

Terms of Service

Version 1.0 · Effective 2026-08-10

The short version: Freediving Buddy is a training log and learning tool. It is not a coach standing next to you, not a dive computer, not a safety device, and not a substitute for a trained buddy. Freediving is dangerous. When you get in the water, that risk is yours, not ours. Never dive alone. Never train in water alone. If you can't accept that, don't use the app.

These Terms govern your use of the Freediving Buddy mobile application (the "App"), its watch apps, and the freedivingbuddy.app website (together, the "Services"), operated by the independent developer behind Freediving Buddy ("we", "us"). By creating an account, signing in as a guest, or using the Services, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Services.

1. Who can use the App

You must be at least 18 years old. Freediving is an inherently dangerous activity and the App is not designed for minors. By using the App you confirm you are 18 or older and legally able to enter into this agreement.

2. Your license to use the App

We grant you a personal, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the App for your own non-commercial purposes, subject to these Terms.

If you downloaded the App from the Apple App Store or Google Play, their terms also apply. Apple and Google are not parties to these Terms and are not responsible for the App or its content, but each is a third-party beneficiary of this section and may enforce it against you. We, not Apple or Google, are responsible for the App, its maintenance, and any claims relating to it.

3. Freediving is dangerous: you assume the risk

Read this section slowly. It is the most important one.

FREEDIVING, BREATH-HOLD (APNEA) TRAINING, AND RELATED IN-WATER ACTIVITIES ARE INHERENTLY DANGEROUS AND CAN RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH, including from hypoxic blackout (including shallow-water blackout), loss of motor control (samba), hyperventilation, drowning, barotrauma to the ears, sinuses, or lungs, heart attack and other cardiovascular events, panic, hypothermia, exhaustion, waves, tides, currents, poor visibility, equipment failure, boat traffic, marine life, and other hazards, any of which may not be visible, known, or anticipated. Dive sites may be remote, in time or distance or both, from emergency medical care.

BY USING THE SERVICES YOU VOLUNTARILY ASSUME ALL RISKS ARISING FROM YOUR FREEDIVING AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES, WHETHER FORESEEN OR UNFORESEEN, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ACTIVITIES DONE WHILE FOLLOWING ANY TRAINING PROGRAM, APNEA TABLE, AI-GENERATED GUIDANCE, OR OTHER RECOMMENDATION AVAILABLE IN THE SERVICES. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, WE CANNOT AND DO NOT ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PERSONAL INJURY, DEATH, OR PROPERTY DAMAGE RESULTING FROM YOUR ACTIVITIES OR YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES.

You agree that this acknowledgment is contractual, not a mere recital, and that it is intended to be as broad as applicable law permits. (Section 15 explains what the law never lets us exclude.)

4. The safety rules we assume you follow

The App is built on the assumption that you follow the safety norms every freediving organization teaches:

  • Never dive alone. Always freedive with a trained buddy providing direct supervision: someone watching your dive, not just someone nearby.
  • Never do breath-holds in water alone. That includes pools and bathtubs. Wet training requires a dedicated, trained safety buddy whose only job is watching you. Use the App's guided sessions for dry training only, unless a safety buddy is present.
  • Don't look at your phone underwater. The App's timers and audio cues are for the surface and for dry training. They are not designed to pace an in-water maximum attempt.
  • The App is not a dive computer, depth gauge, safety device, rescue device, or emergency service. It cannot detect blackout, samba, hypoxia, or any other emergency, and it must never be relied on for any safety-critical measurement or decision.
  • The App is not instruction. It does not replace a certification course or supervision by a qualified instructor. Train within your certification level.
  • You are always responsible for your own safety. No app changes that.

5. Not medical advice

Everything in the Services (training programs, apnea tables, activity data, metrics, articles, AI answers) is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it is not a substitute for a consultation with a qualified physician. Metrics shown in the App (including heart-rate figures from a watch) are estimates, not clinical measurements.

Consult a physician, ideally one familiar with diving medicine, before starting breath-hold training, and especially if you have any cardiac, respiratory, or neurological condition, diabetes, epilepsy or a seizure history, are pregnant, take regular medication, have had a diving accident or decompression sickness, or have any condition that could affect your safety or judgment in or around water. The App's optional medical screening is a checklist, not a medical opinion: it is not reviewed by a professional and it will not stop you from training.

6. Dive sites, community info, and buddies

Dive-site information in the Services (locations, depths, entry points, conditions, hazards, access notes) comes from editors, third parties, and other users. We do not verify it, and we are not liable for inaccuracies. The ocean does not read our database: actual real-world conditions can and will differ from what the Services show, and conditions change constantly. Always independently verify a site's conditions, hazards, access, and legality before diving, and never rely on the Services for any purpose requiring precise location, depth, or direction.

The same goes for people. Statements made by other users, about sites, technique, gear, or their own experience and certifications, are their statements, not ours, and may be inaccurate or false. The buddy directory is a notice board, not a vetting service: listing in the directory does not mean we have verified anyone's identity, competence, training, or reliability as a safety buddy. Choosing and vetting a buddy is your responsibility, exactly as it would be without the App.

7. Your account

You're responsible for keeping access to your account secure (your email inbox and any linked Apple/Google account), and for everything that happens under it. Tell us immediately at hello@freedivingbuddy.app if you suspect unauthorized access. Guest sessions are tied to your device and can't be transferred. Register an account before you rely on the App to keep your training history safe.

8. Subscriptions

The App offers an optional paid subscription. Prices are shown on the in-app paywall and are set through Apple or Google for your region.

  • Trial. A free trial may be offered, subject to Apple's or Google's eligibility rules. It converts to a paid subscription automatically unless you cancel before it ends.
  • Renewal and cancellation. Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled in your platform's subscription settings (iOS: Settings → your name → Subscriptions; Android: Play Store → Subscriptions). Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current period.
  • Refunds are handled by Apple and Google under their policies; we can't process them directly. Nothing here limits any refund or withdrawal rights you have by law. In the EU/UK you have a 14-day withdrawal right for digital purchases, which the platforms implement, and which you consent to waive for content supplied immediately.
  • Restore purchases after a reinstall via Settings → Subscription → Restore Purchases.
  • We may change subscription prices with reasonable advance notice; changes apply from your next renewal.

9. Your content

You own what you create: your training data, dive logs, photos, bio, and anything else you put into the Services. So that the Services can function, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, adapt, display, and distribute your content for the purpose of operating, improving, and promoting the Services.

One deliberate exception: contributions you make to the public dive-site directory (site suggestions and site photos) stay in the directory even if you later delete your account. A map with holes helps nobody. Everything else disappears with your account, as the Privacy Policy describes.

You promise that content you submit is yours to submit and doesn't violate anyone's rights, and that site information you contribute is honest to the best of your knowledge. We may remove any content at our discretion, particularly content that misleads about safety.

10. AI features

The App's AI features generate responses from your prompt plus a built-in safety-oriented system prompt. No human reviews AI output before you see it. It can be wrong, incomplete, or outdated; it must never be treated as medical advice; and it must never be used to make in-water safety decisions. You are responsible for evaluating AI output before acting on it. We may set and change usage limits on AI features at any time.

11. Acceptable use

Don't:

  • use the Services for anything unlawful;
  • reverse-engineer, decompile, scrape, or attempt to extract source code, data sets, or API keys;
  • circumvent rate limits, subscription gates, or authentication;
  • impersonate anyone, misrepresent your certifications or records with intent to deceive, or submit false dive-site information;
  • upload content that is defamatory, obscene, threatening, abusive, discriminatory, or that promotes dangerous "challenge" behavior;
  • use the AI features to generate content promoting unsafe diving practices or self-harm, or content targeting minors;
  • resell, rent, or commercially exploit the Services without our written agreement.

12. Our stuff

The Services (the app, the site, the branding, the design, and all content we created) belong to us and our licensors. These Terms give you a license to use them, not ownership of anything.

13. Termination: by you, by us, or by reality

You can stop any time: delete your account in Settings → Account → Delete Account (or via freedivingbuddy.app/delete-account). The Privacy Policy describes what gets erased.

We may suspend or terminate your account if you materially breach these Terms, if your account is used unlawfully or in a way that endangers other users, if your account is compromised, or if it has been inactive for more than 12 months. Where the law requires it, we'll give you notice and a reason; in serious cases (safety, fraud, legal compulsion) we may act immediately.

Reality: we may modify or discontinue the Services, in whole or in part. If we ever shut down for good, we'll give reasonable notice so you can export your training history. The export tool is in Settings → Safety & Privacy, and honestly, exporting a backup once in a while is a good habit regardless.

Sections 3, 5, 6, 9, and 14–18 survive termination.

14. No warranties

The Services are provided "as is" and "as available", with all faults and without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and any warranty about accuracy, reliability, or availability. We don't promise the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure. Some jurisdictions don't allow certain warranty exclusions, so parts of this section may not apply to you.

15. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

  • we are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising out of or relating to the Services;
  • our total aggregate liability for all claims relating to the Services is capped at the greater of (a) USD 100 or (b) the amount you paid us in subscription fees in the 12 months before the claim arose.

What this section does not do: nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, for gross negligence or willful misconduct, or for anything else that applicable law does not allow us to exclude or limit. If you live in the EU, EEA, or UK, these Terms do not affect your mandatory statutory rights as a consumer in your country of residence.

16. Indemnity

If someone brings a claim against us because you broke these Terms, broke the law, or violated someone's rights while using the Services, you agree to indemnify us for the resulting losses, liabilities, and reasonable legal costs.

17. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Before either of us goes to court, we agree to try to resolve any dispute informally first: email us, and we'll spend at least 60 days looking for a solution together. Most problems are solvable with one honest email.

If you are a consumer in the EU, EEA, or UK, nothing in this section deprives you of the protection of the mandatory laws of your country of residence or of your right to bring proceedings in your local courts.

18. Boilerplate that matters

  • Severability. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, that part is trimmed to the minimum extent necessary and the rest stands. Each clause is intended to be as broad as applicable law permits, and no broader.
  • Entire agreement. These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the whole agreement between us about the Services.
  • Assignment. You can't transfer your rights under these Terms; we may assign ours in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
  • No waiver. If we don't enforce a provision today, we haven't given up the right to enforce it tomorrow.
  • Force majeure. Neither of us is liable for delays caused by events beyond reasonable control.

19. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms. For material changes, the App will ask you to re-accept before continuing, and the version stamp in Settings → Legal always shows which version you agreed to.

20. Contact

Questions about these Terms: hello@freedivingbuddy.app

Effective: 2026-08-10 Version: 1.0

Dive safe. Never alone.