Terms of Service & Privacy Policy

Summary (plain language — not a substitute for the full terms)

• · Relay automatically forwards the text messages you choose to the people you choose, and turns your mobile-money messages into a spending dashboard and reports.
• · Relay needs permission to read your SMS. Without it, the app cannot work.
• · You don't need your own airtime, SMS bundle, or gateway for forwarding — Relay sends messages through its own service as part of your package.
• · An internet connection is required throughout — to forward messages, to sync your figures, and to view your dashboard and reports.
• · Message content leaves your phone only when it matches a rule. Non-matching messages are never sent to us.
• · Relay is responsible for its own systems. If delivery fails on our side, we fix it and re-send at no charge.
• · You are responsible for keeping your phone able to send to us — powered on, out of flight mode, in coverage, with the app running and its permissions granted.
• · The organisation that set Relay up for you ("your Operator") configures your rules and can see your forwarded messages, logs, and transaction summaries.

Part A — Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of these Terms

By installing, linking, or using the Relay mobile application or web console (together, the "Service"), you agree to these Terms of Service and to the Privacy Policy in Part B. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

2. Definitions

• · "Service" — the Relay mobile app, web console, and related systems operated by Relay.
• · "Operator" — the organisation that provisions and administers Relay for you and configures your forwarding rules.
• · "Package" — the prepaid or subscription plan under which you use the Service, including its message allowance, features, and support level.
• · "You" / "User" — the individual using a linked device, and, where applicable, the Operator on whose behalf the device is used.
• · "Forwarded message" — an SMS that matches a rule and is sent onward through the Service.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old, or the age of majority where you live, and legally able to enter a contract. You must be the authorised holder of the SIM and user of the device on which Relay is installed.

4. What the Service does

The Service:

• · monitors incoming SMS on a linked device and forwards those that match rules configured for you;
• · delivers forwarded messages to designated recipients through Relay's messaging service, or through an Operator-designated sender where the Operator chooses that option;
• · reads mobile-money transaction messages on the device to produce money-in / money-out / net figures, transaction lists, and printable reports.

5. Your Operator

The Service is deployed and administered by your Operator. Your Operator:

• · decides which of your messages are forwarded and to whom, and how they are worded;
• · can view your forwarded messages, delivery logs, device status, and transaction summaries in its console;
• · can reset your join code, disable your access, or remove your account.

Your Operator is responsible for the configuration of the Service and for its own use of your data. Direct questions about why particular messages are forwarded, or who can see them, to your Operator.

6. Packages and delivery

• · The Service is provided under Packages. Your Package sets your message allowance, features, and support.
• · Delivery of forwarded messages is included in your Package. Relay sends forwarded messages through Relay's own messaging services and gateways. You do not need to provide your own SMS provider, API credentials, airtime, or SMS bundle for standard forwarding.
• · You are responsible only for your own mobile-data or Wi-Fi connectivity to reach Relay, for keeping your device and SIM operational, and for any charges your mobile network applies to that connectivity.
• · Messages attempted after your allowance is exhausted, or while a Package is expired, suspended, or unpaid, may be queued, delayed, or not sent. Allowances do not carry over between periods unless your Package states otherwise.
• · Where an Operator elects to route forwarding through its own designated phone or provider instead of Relay's service, that Operator bears the sending cost and the delivery responsibility for those messages.
• · Fees are non-refundable except where required by law or expressly provided in your Package terms.

7. Permissions and device requirements

To function, the Service requires that you:

• · grant permission to receive and read SMS;
• · grant permission to send SMS, if your device is designated to send messages on behalf of others;
• · optionally grant contacts access, used only to display names in place of numbers;
• · allow the app to run in the background, and, where prompted, exclude it from battery-optimisation and data-saver restrictions;
• · keep the device powered on, with the relevant SIM active and mobile data or Wi-Fi available.

You acknowledge that denying or later revoking any required permission, disabling background activity, or the device conditions listed in clause 10 will prevent or delay forwarding, and that the Service cannot deliver a message it does not receive.

8. Internet connection

Forwarding messages, synchronising transaction figures, viewing the money dashboard, and using the web console all require an active internet connection. Without one, the Service cannot forward messages, sync figures, or display current reports.

9. Relay's responsibility

• · Relay is responsible for the components of the Service that Relay operates: its servers, message processing, gateways, and the delivery of messages Relay has successfully received from your device.
• · If a forwarded message that reached Relay is not delivered, is materially delayed, or is duplicated because of a fault in Relay's systems, Relay will investigate and, as your exclusive remedy, re-send the affected message and/or credit the affected allowance, at no additional charge.
• · Relay will use reasonable efforts to keep the Service available, to restore it promptly after any outage on its side, and to provide support in line with your Package.
• · This responsibility applies to failures on Relay's side only. It does not extend to the conditions in clause 10, to your mobile network, or to the recipient's device or network.

10. Your responsibility

For Relay to receive and forward a message, your device must be in a state to send it to Relay. Relay is not responsible for any message that is not forwarded, is delayed, or is missed because, at the relevant time:

• · the phone was switched off, restarting, or out of battery;
• · the phone was in flight mode / aeroplane mode, or had both mobile data and Wi-Fi disabled;
• · the phone had no network coverage, or no service on the relevant SIM;
• · the Relay app was closed, swiped away, force-stopped, or blocked from running in the background (including by battery-optimisation, data-saver, or similar settings);
• · the app had been uninstalled, logged out, or unlinked;
• · the required permissions were denied, revoked, or never granted;
• · the SIM was removed, swapped, blocked, or without airtime for network access;
• · the message never arrived on the device, or was deleted before Relay processed it;
• · the device clock, storage, or operating system was faulty or interfering.

You are also responsible for: using the Service only with your own SIM and messages, or messages you are authorised to handle; obtaining any consent required by law from people whose messages you forward; and keeping your join code and device secure.

11. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• · use the Service with a SIM, device, or messages you are not authorised to use;
• · forward another person’s personal, financial, or authentication data without a lawful basis and, where required, their knowledge and consent;
• · use the Service for spam, fraud, impersonation, harassment, or any unlawful purpose;
• · attempt to access other users' data, circumvent security, reverse-engineer, overload, or disrupt the Service;
• · resell, sublicense, or white-label the Service without Relay's written permission.

You are responsible for compliance with all laws that apply to intercepting, storing, and forwarding communications and financial information in your jurisdiction.

12. Service availability and accuracy

The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. Subject to clause 9, Relay does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free, or that every message will be delivered or delivered on time — particularly where the cause is a condition in clause 10, the recipient’s network or device, or a change in a provider’s message format.

Transaction figures are derived automatically from the text of provider messages on your device. They may be incomplete or inaccurate and are for information only. They are not official records and are not a substitute for statements issued by your mobile-money provider.

13. Not a financial service; no provider affiliation

Relay is a messaging and information tool. It is not a bank, mobile-money operator, payment service, or financial adviser, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by any mobile-network or mobile-money provider. Relay does not hold funds, move money, or access any mobile-money account, wallet, or PIN. Provider and network names are used only to describe message formats.

14. Suspension and termination

Relay or your Operator may suspend or terminate your access at any time, including for breach of these Terms, non-payment, suspected misuse, or legal requirement. You may stop using the Service at any time by unlinking and uninstalling the app. Clauses 10–17 survive termination.

15. Intellectual property

The Service, including its software, design, and content, is owned by Relay and its licensors. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the app for its intended purpose under a valid Package. You retain ownership of your own message content and data.

16. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded by law, including for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud.

Subject to that: Relay's obligations for delivery failures caused by its own systems are limited to the remedy in clause 9.2, which is your exclusive remedy for such failures. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Relay is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential loss, or for loss of profits, revenue, business, data, or goodwill, and has no liability for messages or figures affected by any condition in clause 10, by your network, or by a recipient's device or network. Relay's total aggregate liability for all other claims arising from or relating to the Service is limited to [the total fees you paid Relay for the Service in the 3 months before the event giving rise to the claim].

17. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold Relay and your Operator harmless from claims, losses, and costs (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the Service, your breach of these Terms, your forwarding of content without a required consent or lawful basis, or your violation of any law or third-party right.

18. Changes to these Terms

Relay may update these Terms. Material changes will be notified through the app, the website, or your Operator, and take effect on the stated date. Continued use after that date is acceptance. If you do not accept a change, stop using the Service.

19. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of [JURISDICTION, e.g. the Republic of Zambia], without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. The courts of [PLACE] have exclusive jurisdiction, except that Relay may seek injunctive relief in any competent court.

20. General

These Terms, the Privacy Policy, and your Package form the entire agreement between you and Relay for the Service. If any provision is held unenforceable, the rest remains in effect. Relay's failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign your rights under these Terms; Relay may assign its rights to a successor.

21. Contact

[COMPANY LEGAL NAME] · [SUPPORT EMAIL] · [POSTAL ADDRESS]

Part B — Privacy Policy

This Policy explains what information the Service accesses, why, and what happens to it.

1. Who is responsible for your information

Your Operator decides why and how your information is used through the Service and is the controller of that information. Relay provides the software and infrastructure and processes information on the Operator's instructions (as a processor), except for limited operational purposes described below where Relay acts for itself. Where you use Relay without an Operator, Relay is the controller.

Contact for privacy questions: [PRIVACY EMAIL] (Relay) and your Operator.

2. Information the Service accesses on your device

The Service does not access your call log, photos, location, microphone, browsing, or the contents of other apps.

3. Information created when you use the Service

• · Forwarded-message records — the original message text, sender, contact name (if any), time, SIM, device label, the rule that matched, the recipient(s), and the send status and any error.
• · Transaction records — as described above, dated by the time in the message.
• · Monthly summaries — totals retained as a longer-term record.
• · Account and device records — your name and phone number as entered by your Operator, your device, code, and package status, and administrative actions taken on your account.

4. How the information is used

• · To forward the messages you have chosen and deliver them to recipients.
• · To produce your dashboards, transaction lists, and reports.
• · To show your Operator the forwarded messages, delivery logs, device status, and summaries needed to run the service for you.
• · To operate, secure, support, and improve the Service, and to enforce Packages and these Terms.
• · To comply with law and respond to lawful requests.

Relay does not sell your information and does not use message content or transaction data for advertising.

5. Legal basis

Depending on your location, processing relies on: performance of a contract (your Package and these Terms), your consent (device permissions, which you can withdraw at any time in your phone settings), legitimate interests (operating and securing the Service), and legal obligation. Where your Operator is the controller, it is responsible for identifying the lawful basis for its use, including any consent required from people whose messages are forwarded.

6. Who your information is shared with

• · Your Operator and its authorised administrators or staff.
• · Message and gateway partners that carry the messages Relay sends on your behalf.
• · Hosting and infrastructure providers that run Relay's servers and store its data.
• · Recipients you or your Operator have designated for a rule.
• · Authorities or third parties where required by law, to protect rights or safety, or in connection with a merger or sale of the business.

All service providers act under contract and only on Relay's instructions.

7. International processing

Relay's servers and service providers may be located outside your country. Where information is transferred across borders, Relay uses providers and safeguards intended to protect it consistently with this Policy and applicable law.

8. Retention

• · Forwarded-message records are kept on a rolling basis and older records are automatically removed once the stored volume limit is reached.
• · Transaction records are similarly capped and the oldest are removed over time.
• · Monthly summaries are kept longer as an ongoing record.
• · Your Operator may delete your user account and associated records at any time; doing so removes them from the console.
• · Backups and legally required records may persist for a limited additional period.

9. Security

• · Information in transit between the app, the servers, and the console is encrypted.
• · Your device credential is held in the phone's protected storage.
• · Access to the console is restricted by account, role, and session controls, with rate-limiting and an audit trail of administrative actions.
• · No system is perfectly secure; you are responsible for protecting your device, screen lock, and join code.

10. Your choices and rights

• · Permissions: you can review or revoke SMS and contacts access in your phone's settings at any time. Revoking permissions stops the related features.
• · Stop using Relay: unlink the device in Settings and uninstall the app.
• · Access, correction, deletion, objection, portability: subject to local law, contact your Operator (as controller) or Relay at [PRIVACY EMAIL]. Relay will assist the Operator in responding.
• · Complaints: you may contact your local data-protection authority where one exists.

11. Children

The Service is not directed to, and must not be used by, anyone under 18. Relay does not knowingly collect information from children.

12. Changes to this Policy

Relay may update this Policy. Material changes will be notified through the app, the website, or your Operator, with a revised effective date.

13. Contact

[COMPANY LEGAL NAME] — Privacy

[PRIVACY EMAIL] · [POSTAL ADDRESS] · [DATA PROTECTION CONTACT, if appointed]

Part C — Permissions the app asks for

If a required permission is denied or later turned off, forwarding and the money dashboard stop working until it is restored.