Terms of Service

Welcome to Bhava, a product of Sphnix, Inc. ("Bhava," "we," "us," or "our"). These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Bhava mobile application, the website at bhavapp.com, and all related services (collectively, the "Service").

By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and any additional guidelines we may publish. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service. We record when you accept these Terms and which version you accepted.

PLEASE READ SECTION 15 (DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND ARBITRATION) CAREFULLY. IT CONTAINS A MANDATORY ARBITRATION PROVISION AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER THAT AFFECTS YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS.

• "Content" means any text, photos, images, messages, profile information, or other material you create, upload, or transmit through the Service.
• "Kundali" means a Vedic natal chart generated from your birth data (date, time, and place of birth), including planetary positions, house cusps, and derived astrological attributes.
• "Match" means a mutual connection formed when both users express interest in each other through the Service.
• "Compatibility Score" means the Ashta Kuta (8-factor) score out of 36 calculated by our system based on Vedic astrological principles.
• "Member" means a user with a profile who is looking for a match.
• "Family Account" means an account created by a family member of a Member to help with that Member's search, after the Member invites them. A user who uses a Family Account is a "Family Member."
• "Drop" means the small set of introductions the Service shows a Member each evening.
• "Bhava Plus" means our paid subscription.

To use the Service, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you are 18 or older.
• Be legally able to enter into a binding contract.
• Not be prohibited from using the Service under the laws of your jurisdiction.
• Not have been previously banned or removed from the Service by us.
• Not be required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction.
• Not have been convicted of a felony involving violence, sexual offenses, human trafficking, stalking, domestic abuse, or terrorism.

These requirements apply to Members and Family Members alike.

You must create an account to use the Service. Your account is authenticated via Sign in with Apple or Sign in with Google. You are responsible for maintaining the security of the third-party identity provider you choose and for all activity that occurs under your Bhava account.

• You may only maintain one active account at a time. A Member account cannot also be used as a Family Account.
• Members must add and verify a mobile phone number. Family Members verify a phone number when they join.
• You must provide accurate, current, and complete information, including your birth details (date, time, and place of birth) needed for astrological calculations.
• You must not share your account or let others access it on your behalf. To involve your family, invite them to create their own Family Account (see Section 5.3) instead of sharing your login. If you let anyone else use your account anyway, you remain solely responsible for all account activity.
• You must notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorized access to your account.

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to access and use the Service for personal, non-commercial purposes.

The Service includes features for receiving introductions, calculating Vedic astrological compatibility, liking and matching, communicating with matched users, and involving your family. Features, limits, and the times described below may be added, modified, or removed at any time without prior notice.

5.1 The Drop and Likes

• Each evening at 7 pm your local time, Members receive a Drop of introductions (currently 5, or 7 with Bhava Plus). Introductions are chosen automatically using compatibility, distance, activity, profile completeness, and other signals described in our Privacy Policy. We do not introduce people whose Compatibility Score is under 18 of 36.
• Bhava currently introduces Members only to Members of the opposite gender.
• Your partner preferences are shown on your profile so others know what you are looking for. They are not used to filter your Drop; distance affects the order of introductions.
• When you like someone, you can add a reply to one of their profile answers. If they like you back, your reply becomes the first message in your chat.
• Bhava Plus Members can undo a pass a limited number of times a week (currently 3).
• You can pause your profile at any time. While paused you are not shown in new Drops; your matches and chats stay.
• The app can remind you when your Drop opens. You can turn this off in Settings → Drop reminder.
• Daily vibe checks, daily profile questions, chat games, and similar features are optional and for fun. Your "this or that" answers keep your streak going and are not used for matching. Streaks have no monetary value.

5.2 Sharing from the App

The Service lets you create images and documents to share outside Bhava, such as your cosmic ID card, a match card (with your photo only), a family card about a match (first name and profile facts, with no photo or contact details), an introduction photo about you, and your own profile PDF. Your introduction photo and profile PDF share your own information and are created only when you choose to. You are responsible for what you share and who you share it with. You may share another Member's profile details only with your family for the purpose of considering a match, or with that Member's permission.

5.3 Family Accounts

• A Member can invite family members with a one-time code (currently 1 Family Member, or up to 5 with Bhava Plus). One Family Account can help more than one Member, such as several children. Family Members must accept these Terms and our family guidelines by ticking a checkbox when they join.
• A linked Family Member can see the Member's matches, the people the Member has liked who have not yet replied, Compatibility Scores, and how complete the Member's profile is. They can leave private notes and tags that only the Member (and the Family Member who wrote them) can see, and suggest people to the Member. They are notified when the Member gets a new match; the notification names only the Member, not the match. Family Members cannot see other people's exact birth details and cannot export another person's profile.
• Family Members cannot read the Member's chats, message anyone, like or pass on anyone, or act on the Member's behalf. A Family Member must not contact a Member's matches through Bhava, pretend to be the Member, or share profile information with anyone outside their family.
• The Member stays in control. A Member can remove a Family Member at any time (You → Family → Remove), and a Family Member can stop helping at any time. Decisions about matches are always the Member's.

5.4 Suggestions and "Check a Rishta"

Family Members can suggest someone to a Member, and can use "Check a rishta" to calculate a Compatibility Score from another person's name and date, time, and place of birth. These features involve information about people who may not use Bhava. Before using "Check a rishta," you must confirm in the app that you have permission. By entering anyone else's details, you confirm that you have that person's permission (or that of their family acting for them) to share their details with Bhava and the Member for this purpose. Do not enter details you obtained without permission. A score for someone who is not on Bhava is subject to the Vedic Astrology Disclaimer in Section 6. How we store this information is described in our Privacy Policy.

5.5 Photo Verification

• Photo verification is optional. To verify, you take one live selfie with your phone's front camera while copying a pose we choose at random.
• Your selfie is first screened automatically for explicit content, then a member of our team compares it with your profile photos by eye. We do not use automated face recognition. Your selfie is used only for verification, is never shown on your profile, and is deleted once it has been reviewed. See Privacy Policy, Section 12.
• If approved, a "Photo verified" badge is shown on your profile to other Members and their families. We may decline verification, and we may remove the badge later, for example if your photos no longer match your selfie or if we believe verification was obtained improperly.
• Submitting someone else's face, a photo of a photo or screen, or an edited, filtered, or AI-generated image is a breach of these Terms and may lead to suspension or termination of your account.
• The badge only means our team believed your selfie matched your profile photos when we reviewed it. It is not a background check, identity check, or criminal record check, and it is not a guarantee of anyone's identity, age, marital status, character, or intentions. Always take your own precautions (see Section 10).

• Astrological features are based on traditional Vedic astrology principles and the Swiss Ephemeris. We make no guarantees regarding the accuracy of astrological interpretations or the compatibility of any match.
• Compatibility Scores should not be used as the sole basis for important life decisions, including marriage decisions.
• Astrological readings are not a substitute for professional advice, including medical, psychological, financial, legal, or relationship counseling.
• Astrological calculations depend on the accuracy of the birth information you provide. We are not responsible for inaccurate results caused by incorrect birth data.
• Our Service will not predict death or lifespan, diagnose medical conditions, determine the sex of unborn children, or make specific financial predictions.

You agree not to:

• Harass, bully, stalk, intimidate, threaten, or defame any other user.
• Post or transmit content that is hateful, discriminatory, or promotes violence based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
• Impersonate another person or misrepresent your identity, age, marital status, or affiliation, including in photo verification.
• Enter another person's name, birth details, phone number, or other information (for example, in a suggestion or "Check a rishta") without their permission.
• As a Family Member, contact a Member's matches through Bhava, act as or for the Member, or share profile information outside your family.
• Post nudity, sexually explicit material, or pornographic content on your profile.
• Upload, share, request or link to any content that sexualises a minor, or use the Service to contact, groom or arrange to meet a minor. Bhava has zero tolerance for child sexual abuse and exploitation: we remove such content, permanently ban the accounts involved, and report apparent child sexual abuse material to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and to law enforcement. See our Child safety standards.
• Solicit money, commercial sexual services, or engage in romance scams.
• Promote commercial products, services, or pyramid schemes to other users.
• Share other users' private information (photos, messages, personal details) outside the Service without their consent.
• Create multiple accounts, use bots, automated tools, or scripts to interact with the Service.
• Scrape, harvest, or collect user data from the Service by any means.
• Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to derive the source code of the Service or our algorithms.
• Use the Service for any illegal purpose or in violation of any applicable laws.
• Circumvent, disable, or interfere with any security features of the Service.

We reserve the right to investigate and take appropriate action against anyone who violates these guidelines, including removing Content, suspending or terminating accounts, and reporting to law enforcement.

You retain ownership of the Content you create and share through the Service. However, by posting Content, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable license to use, copy, modify, display, reproduce, distribute, and create derivative works of your Content solely for the purpose of operating, developing, and improving the Service.

This license continues until you delete the Content or your account, except:

• Content that has been shared with or viewed by other users (e.g., messages sent to matches) may persist in their experience even after deletion from your account.
• We may retain copies in backups for a reasonable period as described in our Privacy Policy.

You represent and warrant that:

• You own or have the necessary rights to post your Content.
• Your Content does not infringe the intellectual property or privacy rights of any third party.
• Your Content is accurate and not misleading.

You may not copy, download, screenshot, or redistribute any other user's Content without their express consent, except as Section 5.2 allows.

Bhava offers a free plan and a paid subscription, Bhava Plus, available weekly, monthly, or yearly. Plus currently includes more introductions in each Drop, seeing everyone who likes you, a 7-day Boost, undoing a pass, starting conversations with matches, deeper compatibility reports, sharing your profile PDF, and linking more Family Members. Plus features may change over time. If you purchase a subscription:

• Auto-Renewal: Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of each billing period unless you cancel before the renewal date. By subscribing, you authorize us to charge your payment method on a recurring basis.
• Cancellation: You may cancel your subscription at any time through your device's app store (Apple App Store or Google Play). Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You will continue to have access to paid features until the period ends.
• Refunds: All purchases are generally final and non-refundable. Refund requests are handled by the applicable app store in accordance with their policies.
• Price Changes: We may change subscription prices with at least 30 days' notice. Continued use after the price change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the new price.
• State-Specific Rights: Residents of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin may cancel a new subscription within three (3) business days of purchase for a full refund.

While Bhava is designed to facilitate meaningful connections using Vedic astrological compatibility, we make no guarantee that:

• You will find compatible matches.
• Any match will result in a meeting, relationship, or marriage.
• Astrological compatibility indicates or predicts relationship success.
• Other users will respond to your messages or interest.
• You will receive a full Drop every evening.
• Other users' profiles are accurate, truthful, or complete, including profiles with a "Photo verified" badge.

You are solely responsible for your interactions with other users. We strongly recommend exercising caution and common sense when communicating with and meeting people through the Service, including meeting in public places and informing a friend or family member of your plans.

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

Without limiting the foregoing, we do not warrant that:

• The Service will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or available at any particular time.
• Astrological calculations, compatibility scores, or any content will be accurate, reliable, or complete.
• Any defects or errors in the Service will be corrected.
• The Service is free of viruses or other harmful components.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL BHAVA, ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.

Our total aggregate liability for any claims arising out of or related to the Service shall not exceed the amount you have paid to us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or one hundred dollars ($100), whichever is greater.

We are not liable for the conduct, actions, or content of any user, whether online or offline. This includes, without limitation, any emotional distress, physical harm, or property damage arising from interactions with other users.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages, so some of the above limitations may not apply to you.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Bhava, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to:

• Your breach of these Terms.
• Information about another person that you enter into the Service without their permission.
• Your Content posted on the Service.
• Your interactions with other users.
• Your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.
• Any false, misleading, or inaccurate information you provide, including birth data.

All content, features, and functionality of the Service — including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, icons, images, the Bhava name and logo, software, algorithms, astrological calculation methods, the lotus design, user interface elements, and the overall look and feel — are owned by Bhava or its licensors and are protected by copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws.

You may not:

• Copy, modify, or create derivative works based on the Service.
• Frame, mirror, or reproduce any portion of the Service.
• Use the Service for any commercial purpose without our written consent.
• Remove any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices from the Service.

Copyright Infringement (DMCA)

If you believe content on the Service infringes your copyright, please send a notice to legal@bhavapp.com containing: identification of the copyrighted work, identification of the infringing material, your contact information, a good-faith statement that the use is not authorized, and a statement under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate.

15.1 Informal Resolution

Before initiating any formal dispute resolution, you agree to first contact us at legal@bhavapp.com and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least sixty (60) days.

15.2 Binding Arbitration

If the dispute is not resolved informally, you and Bhava agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, rather than in court.

15.3 Class Action Waiver

You and Bhava agree that each may bring claims against the other only in your individual capacity and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, or representative action. You waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration.

15.4 Jury Trial Waiver

You and Bhava waive any right to a trial by jury.

15.5 Exceptions

• Claims of sexual assault or sexual harassment may be brought in court and are exempt from mandatory arbitration.
• Either party may seek injunctive or equitable relief in court to prevent infringement of intellectual property rights.
• Claims that qualify for small claims court may be brought there.
• This arbitration agreement does not apply to users in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or jurisdictions where mandatory arbitration is prohibited by law.

15.6 Opt-Out

You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by sending written notice to legal@bhavapp.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms. Your notice must include your name, email address, and a clear statement that you wish to opt out of arbitration.

By You: You may delete your account at any time through the app under You → Settings → Delete my account (Family Accounts: Settings → Delete my account). Termination does not entitle you to any refund of subscription fees already paid.

By Us: We may suspend, limit, or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, if:

• You violate these Terms or our Community Guidelines.
• You engage in conduct that we deem harmful, inappropriate, or unlawful.
• You are reported by other users and we determine action is warranted.
• We are required to do so by law or law enforcement.
• We reasonably believe your account is being used fraudulently or poses a safety risk.

Upon termination, your license to use the Service is revoked. You forfeit any remaining subscription time and premium features. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination shall survive, including Sections 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15.

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any legal action or proceeding not subject to arbitration shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Fairfax County, Virginia.

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will notify you by posting the updated Terms with a new effective date and, where appropriate, through in-app notification or email. We will provide at least 30 days' notice for material changes.

Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree to the modified Terms, you must stop using the Service and delete your account.

• Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Bhava regarding the Service.
• Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
• No Waiver: Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.
• Assignment: We may assign or transfer these Terms without restriction. You may not assign your rights under these Terms without our prior written consent.
• Force Majeure: We are not liable for any failure or delay in performance due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, war, government actions, internet or telecommunications failures, or pandemics.
• Third-Party Beneficiaries: These Terms do not confer any rights on any third party.

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us: