Safety

Using the strobe responsibly

• Warn people present before you start. Everyone who can see it is exposed.
• Do not use it around anyone with epilepsy, or anyone who has not consented.
• Never aim it at a driver, a cyclist, a pilot, or anyone operating machinery.
• Do not use it in a crowd, where a startled reaction can cause a crush or a fall.
• Do not shine it into anyone's eyes at close range.
• Do not use it as a prank. It is an emergency and signalling feature.

The strobe is a beacon, not a defence

This is a beacon for being seen and found — signalling a search party, a passing vehicle, or anyone looking for you. It is not a weapon and not a self-defence tool. In daylight it does almost nothing. Relying on it to stop someone in a dangerous situation would be a serious mistake. Treat it as a way to be seen, not as a way to affect anyone else.

Battery and heat

Running the torch at full power heats the phone and drains the battery. An emergency tool that flattens the battery you need for a 911 call has failed at its job, so the strobe stops automatically after a set duration and must be deliberately re-armed. A thirty-second burst costs well under 1% of a charge. Some warmth during use is normal. If the phone becomes uncomfortably hot, stop and let it cool.

Hearing

The silent mode transmits at 18.5 kHz — above most adults' hearing, but not above everyone's. Children, teenagers and many younger adults hear it clearly, and it can be genuinely unpleasant to them. Dogs and cats hear it easily and may be distressed by it. Do not hold either phone close to anyone's ear in Tone or Silent mode, and keep the volume moderate.

This is not an emergency service

Morse Buddy does not contact emergency services. It cannot call 911, it cannot text anyone, and it does not need or use a network. It flashes the camera torch in Morse code, which reaches somebody only if they are already within sight of you and reading it. If nobody is looking, nothing happens.

Use it alongside a phone call, a whistle, or anything else that reaches further — never instead of them. If you have signal, call for help first. Use this app to be found, or to signal across a distance where shouting will not carry — as a supplement, never as the plan.

Range and conditions

Optical signalling needs line of sight. It is tested and decoding at 125 feet outdoors at night with zoom, 35 feet outdoors without it, and about 30 feet indoors in daylight. What matters most is not distance but what is behind the sending phone: a bright window behind it will defeat the receiver at a range that works easily when re-aimed away. Silent audio carries about six metres in a quiet room and as little as seven feet outdoors near a road. Neither mode passes through walls. Plan on the assumption that the app will do less than you hope, not more.

Reporting a safety concern

If you encounter a safety problem with the app, tell us and we will treat it as a priority over everything else in the backlog.

morsebuddy [at] sparky1.live
(509) 800-7631

Sparky1 LLC, Spokane, WA, United States