Your games.
Your privacy.

Games and iCloud

Offline play does not require a separate app account. Games and move history are stored locally with SwiftData. When iCloud is available, the app synchronizes saved games through your private Apple CloudKit database so they can appear on devices using the same iCloud account. Sync requires a network connection and may take time; gameplay and local saving work offline.

Learning progress, achievements, preferences, and the currently selected game remain local to each device. The developer cannot browse your private iCloud game database. Online rooms use a separate service described below. Apple processes iCloud data under its own privacy practices.

Optional accounts and your private profile

You can play offline and learn without signing in. Online play requires an app account, including an anonymous guest account. If you choose Continue with Apple, Continue with Google, or Continue as guest in Profile, Supabase provides authentication. Apple and Google may share an account identifier, email address, name, and profile-picture URL, depending on your provider and consent. Guest sign-in creates an anonymous app account without a name or email. Supabase stores the app account identifier, available provider name and email, profile-picture URL, linked providers, account status, and creation/update times to authenticate you and manage your account. Provider credentials and security/session information are processed by the sign-in services. The app stores its session securely in your device Keychain; passwords are not requested or stored by this app.

Your account details in Supabase are private: the app allows you to read only your own account record. A provider name can suggest your display name. Your chosen display name and chess avatar are saved separately on device and in a private CloudKit profile, together with a profile identifier and your app account identifier. Profile sync requires the same app account and iCloud account on each device. Profiles are not public. Online matchmaking uses account identifiers to connect players; it does not publish your private profile, name, email, or provider photo. Provider picture URLs are retained as account details; the app uses its own chess avatars and does not automatically download provider photos.

These details are used for sign-in, account linking, profile display and private synchronization. They are not sent to Firebase as custom user data, sold, or used for advertising. Authentication providers may process security logs and technical request information under their own practices, including outside your country. See Supabase's privacy policy, Apple's privacy policy, and Google's privacy policy.

Online rooms and matchmaking

Version 0.3 uses a developer-operated service on Cloudflare Workers, Durable Objects, and D1. The app sends a Supabase authentication token and account identifier to authorize access. The service processes room and seat identifiers, room codes, matchmaking requests, clock settings, move coordinates and promotions, draw and resignation actions, command identifiers, game state, and results. This gameplay content is linked to your app account to run and restore your games. Your opponent receives the shared game state and random seat identifiers, not your private account details.

Waiting rooms last up to 24 hours. Active rooms expire after 30 days without an accepted move; finished, cancelled, and expired room history is retained for 30 days. Cleanup may complete after these deadlines. Exported or offline copies are managed separately. Cloudflare also processes technical request information to deliver and secure the service. See Cloudflare’s privacy policy. Data may be processed outside your country.

Scanning a room QR code uses the camera on your device. Camera images are not uploaded by the app; only the decoded invitation is used to join. You can enter a room code without camera permission.

Fourfold Plus and Study

Apple handles optional monthly and yearly subscriptions through StoreKit. The app checks verified purchase and entitlement information on your device to unlock Plus. We do not receive your payment-card details or send StoreKit transactions or receipts to our Supabase or Cloudflare services. The app does not send StoreKit purchase events to Firebase. Apple processes purchases under its own privacy practices.

Study reviews, practice attempts, notes, collections, and insights are stored locally, scoped to the current app account where applicable. They are not sent to the online game server. Subscription expiry does not erase saved Study work; feature access changes. Manage purchases and renewal with Apple. Deleting the app or your app account does not cancel an Apple subscription.

Account deletion

In Profile, open Account settings and choose Delete account. Linked accounts may require recent Apple or Google sign-in to confirm ownership. Confirmed deletion removes your Supabase account and its private account-details record. The app then deletes that account's private profile from the currently available iCloud account. If iCloud is unavailable, cleanup is queued and retried when available; profile copies in other iCloud accounts may need separate removal. If automatic Apple authorization revocation is unavailable, follow the app's guidance to stop using Sign in with Apple in Apple Account settings.

Confirmed deletion clears that account’s local online-room history and Study data. Server cleanup is queued and retried: it cancels matchmaking, closes online sessions, removes private account-to-room mappings and receipts, and abandons unfinished shared games without a winner. Your opponent’s replay retains random seat and command identifiers until the room’s retention period ends. Minimal account and room deletion markers remain to reject late requests and prevent deleted state from returning; these security records currently have no automatic expiry. Cleanup is not an immediate erasure of all shared history.

Offline saved games, basic learning progress, exports, backups, support correspondence, and previously collected diagnostics are managed separately. Signing out does not delete your account or its cloud data.

Analytics and crash reports

The app uses Google Firebase Analytics to understand app usage and Firebase Crashlytics to diagnose failures and improve reliability. The release version enables collection automatically. These services can process app-instance and installation identifiers, sessions and engagement events, approximate location derived from masked IP addresses, device and operating-system information, crash stack traces, application state, and technical diagnostic and performance information. Analytics events may accompany crash reports as breadcrumbs.

Identifiers allow reports to be associated with an app installation; this is not anonymous collection. We do not set a Firebase user ID or send your saved games, moves, player names, email address, or iCloud account identifiers to Firebase as custom events or logs. The app has no advertisements, uses Analytics without IDFA support, disables IDFV collection and ad-network registration, and disables advertising storage and personalization consent.

We use these reports for product analytics and app reliability, not cross-app advertising or sale of personal data. Google processes this information using its Firebase and Analytics services. Retention varies by service and configuration; see Firebase privacy and security and Google's privacy policy. Reports may be processed outside your country.

Exports, backups, and your choices

If you export a game, you choose its destination through the system file interface. The destination app or service handles the exported file; the developer does not receive a copy. Your operating system may include local app data in backups according to your settings.

You can manage iCloud access and stored iCloud data in your device's Apple Account settings. Removing the app removes its local data but does not necessarily remove iCloud data, exported files, backups, or previously submitted diagnostics. Manage those separately with the relevant service. This version does not offer an in-app analytics switch. For privacy questions or deletion requests, contact support; we may not be able to identify an individual SDK installation without additional information.

Email support

If you email TesserMate@proton.me, we receive your email address, message, and attachments. We use them to respond and investigate problems. Support correspondence is handled through Proton Mail and retained as needed to resolve requests or meet applicable obligations. You can request deletion of support correspondence.

Please avoid sending passwords, payment information, or unnecessary personal information. Sign-in and profile creation are optional and are not required for lessons or offline gameplay. A parent or guardian can contact support about information a child has provided.

This website

This support website is hosted using OpenAI Sites. We have not added advertising, analytics scripts or tracking cookies. The community contribution form prepares a draft in your email app; it does not upload or store your text on this website. Nothing is sent until you choose to send the email. Email contributions are handled as support correspondence. We confirm permission and attribution before publishing a contribution; approved content and the agreed credit become publicly accessible. You can request correction or removal by email. The hosting provider may process technical request information, such as IP addresses and browser information, to deliver and secure the website.

Changes and contact

We may update this policy when the app or its practices change. The date above identifies the current version. For questions, access or deletion requests, email TesserMate@proton.me.