BNWAS — Support

BNWAS is a personal watch-discipline timer for mariners, yacht skippers, and watchkeepers. This page is the official support resource for the iOS app.

Contact

For any bug report, question, or suggestion, please email:

tymur.rudov@icloud.com

I read every message and try to reply within a few days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BNWAS a certified Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm System?

No. BNWAS is a personal watch-discipline tool inspired by the BNWAS concept. It is not certified equipment and does not comply with IMO Resolution MSC.128(75), SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 19, or any flag-state carriage requirement. It must never be used as a substitute for approved, type-certified BNWAS hardware where regulations require one.

On vessels subject to SOLAS or equivalent national rules, the certified installed BNWAS is the only acceptable means of compliance.

Who is this app for?

Yacht and small-craft skippers on long single-handed passages.
Merchant mariners who want a personal cross-check alongside certified equipment.
Instructors and cadets studying the BNWAS concept.
Anyone on a solitary night watch who needs an external prod to stay alert.

How does it work?

Choose an interval: 3, 6, 9, or 12 minutes.
Press START WATCH. The app counts down silently.
When the timer expires, the screen begins flashing red (Stage 1 — visual warning).
If you do not acknowledge within one minute, the audible alarm starts (Stage 2).
Tap I’M HERE at any time — from the app or the lock screen — to reset the timer and start the next cycle.

Does the alarm work when the phone is locked?

Yes. BNWAS uses the iOS background-audio capability solely to deliver the on-device alarm tone when the iPhone is locked. Now Playing controls appear on the lock screen so you can acknowledge without unlocking.

Does BNWAS collect any data?

No. The app runs entirely on-device. It has no accounts, no analytics, no network requests, no ads, and no third-party SDKs. There is nothing to opt out of because there is nothing being collected.

What happens on first launch?

You are shown a full-screen disclaimer explaining that BNWAS is a personal tool and not certified safety equipment. You must explicitly accept the disclaimer before the app becomes usable. The disclaimer is shown only once.

The screen goes dark during a watch. Is that normal?

No — BNWAS keeps the screen awake while a watch is running. If the screen still dims on your device, check that Low Power Mode is off and that no MDM profile is forcing display-off behaviour.

I tapped I’M HERE on the lock screen but the timer did not reset.

Make sure the Now Playing card from BNWAS is visible (not another audio app). Tap the pause/play button on the BNWAS Now Playing tile — in BNWAS, these buttons are wired as an acknowledgement, not as playback control. If the problem persists, email me with your iOS version and device model.

Can I change the interval to something other than 3, 6, 9, 12 minutes?

Not in version 1.0. These four presets cover the ranges expected by most watchkeeping practices. If you have a concrete use case for a different interval, please email — I am open to adding presets in a future version.

How do I report a bug?

Email tymur.rudov@icloud.com with:

Your iPhone model.
Your iOS version (Settings → General → About → Software Version).
BNWAS version (shown at the bottom of the app — or “1.0” for the initial release).
A short description of what happened and what you expected.
If relevant, a screenshot or screen recording.

Privacy

BNWAS does not collect, transmit, or store any personal data. No analytics. No crash reporting. No network calls. No account. There is no privacy policy because there is nothing to describe — the app simply does not touch the network.

Legal

BNWAS is provided “as is”, without warranty of any kind. The operator is solely responsible for the safe navigation of the vessel. The developer accepts no liability for any loss, damage, injury, or regulatory consequence arising from the use of this app.

By using BNWAS you acknowledge that you understand and accept these limitations.