Backgammon Reserve

Privacy Policy — Backgammon Reserve

Effective: May 20, 2026 Last updated: July 10, 2026

This policy describes what data Backgammon Reserve collects, how it's used, and the choices you have about it. The policy is written to be readable; if anything is unclear, email backgammonreserve@gmail.com and we'll explain.

The app uses a hosted backend (Supabase) to store your account, profile, ratings, match history, friends, and in-match chat so they persist across devices and can be delivered to your opponent. Online ranked multiplayer is live: matches are played against real players over that backend. We update this policy before any change to what we collect goes live, and bump the "Last updated" date.

1. Who we are

Backgammon Reserve is an iOS backgammon app built by an independent developer (referred to in this policy as "we" / "us"). You can reach us at backgammonreserve@gmail.com.

We're a single-person operation. There are no third-party advertising networks, no analytics SDKs, no data brokers, and no marketing emails.

2. What we collect

We try to collect as little as possible. As of the beta, this is the full list:

Information you give us when you sign up

• Apple user identifier — A stable, app-specific ID returned by Sign in with Apple. This is what lets us know you on return visits.
• Email address — Returned by Sign in with Apple. If you chose Apple's "Hide My Email" option, what we receive is a relay address ending in @privaterelay.appleid.com, not your real address. Either form is fine with us — we use it only for account management (e.g. recovering your account, contacting you about a problem).
• Display name (username) — You choose this at sign-up. Usernames are public within the app — other players can search for you by username and see it in match history, friends lists, and (once real online play ships) leaderboards.

We do not request or store your real name. Sign in with Apple is configured to ask only for your email.

Information you give us while using the app

• Avatar image (optional) — If you choose to set a profile photo, it is stored on your device and uploaded to our backend so it can follow you to a new device. Your avatar is visible to other players, like your username.
• Match outcomes, ratings, and history — Stored on your device and on our backend so your stats and history persist and (once real online play ships) so opponents can be matched and rated.
• In-match chat messages — In ranked matches only. Messages are transmitted through and stored on our backend so they can be delivered to the other player and so reports of abusive chat can be investigated; see §10 below.
• Moderation actions — If you report another player, the report (your account, theirs, the reason you chose, and a snapshot of the recent conversation) is stored on our backend for review. If you block a player, that block is stored so you are never matched together again.

Information we don't collect

We do not collect or access: your location, microphone, contacts, Bluetooth, calendar, health data, payment information, IP-address-derived location, device advertising identifier, browsing history, or analytics about how you use the app.

Apple's App Store Connect summary of our data practices is:

That's the entire summary.

3. How we use your data

We use the data above for:

• Authentication — Recognising you across sessions via Sign in with Apple.
• App functionality — Showing you your stats, history, friends, and letting other players find you by username.
• Account management — Contacting you (rarely) about your account.

We do not use it for advertising, profiling, behavioural targeting, or training machine-learning models.

4. Who we share data with

Nobody, beyond what's necessary to operate the app.

• Other players in the app can see your username, your rating, your avatar, and your public match history. That's the whole point of usernames in a competitive app.
• Apple receives the data you'd normally share with them anyway (Sign in with Apple identifier, TestFlight crash reports if you opt in).
• Supabase is our backend provider (database, authentication, and file storage). They store and process the data described in §5 on our behalf, as our data processor, and do not use it for their own purposes.
• We don't sell or rent data to anyone. We don't use third-party advertising networks. There is no analytics vendor.
• We may disclose data if required by law (a valid subpoena, court order, or similar). We'll push back on overbroad requests.

5. Where data lives

• On your device: a cached copy of your profile, avatar, match history, friend state, and rating, stored as JSON files in the app's Application Support directory, protected by iOS sandboxing and by your device passcode if you've set one. The app reads this cache first so it works instantly and offline.
• On our backend (Supabase): your username, rating, avatar, and match history. Access is governed by row-level security: these public profile fields are readable by other signed-in players (so they can find you and see leaderboards). Your email is held by our authentication provider for account management and is not exposed to other players. Supabase hosts this data on our behalf as our data processor.
• In iOS Keychain: your session token, stored using the Keychain's hardware-backed protection. This is why your session survives an app reinstall.

6. How long we keep it

• While the app is on your device: indefinitely, until you delete the app or sign out and clear data.
• Match history: capped at 500 entries on-device. Older matches roll off. Server-side match records persist until you delete your account.
• Chat messages: stored on our backend with the match they belong to and deleted when that match's server record is cleaned up. If a conversation is attached to an abuse report, the reported snapshot is retained until the report is resolved.
• Reports and blocks: reports are kept while under review and for a reasonable period afterwards; blocks persist until you remove them or delete your account.

7. Your rights

You can:

• See your data — Most of it is visible to you in the app (Profile, Friends, History). Email us if you want a copy of what we have.
• Edit your data — Change your display name on Profile.
• Delete your data — Use Profile → Delete Account in the app. This permanently deletes your account and all associated data — your profile, username, rating, match history, friends, avatar, and login — from our backend. It cannot be undone. You can also email backgammonreserve@gmail.com if you'd prefer we do it for you.
• Sign out — Profile → Sign Out. Your profile stays on your device in case you sign back in; nothing leaves the device.

Where applicable, residents of California (CCPA/CPRA) and the EU/UK (GDPR/UK-GDPR) have specific statutory rights — right of access, correction, deletion, portability, and to object to processing. To exercise any of them, email us. We aim to respond within 30 days.

8. Children's privacy

The app is rated 4+ on the App Store. It does not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you believe a child has signed in, email us and we'll delete the account. We will revisit the age rating if chat or user-generated content expands.

9. Sign in with Apple

We use Sign in with Apple as the only authentication method in the beta. Apple's own privacy practices apply to the sign-in flow itself; see apple.com/legal/privacy/. Specifically:

• If you choose Hide My Email, we never see your real email — only a relay address. Replies we send to that address are forwarded by Apple.
• You can revoke our access at any time via iPhone Settings → [your name] → Sign In With Apple → Backgammon Reserve → Stop Using Apple ID. Revoking does not delete the data we already hold — to remove that, use Profile → Delete Account (or email us).

10. In-match chat

Chat is available inside ranked matches only. Other modes (bot, pass-and-play) do not have chat.

• The message length cap is 250 characters.
• There is a 2-second cooldown between sends.
• A word filter refuses messages containing slurs or abusive language, and masks such words if they arrive from a modified client.
• You can mute an opponent — their messages stop appearing for you for the rest of the match.
• You can report an opponent — the report includes the reason you choose and a snapshot of the recent conversation, stored on our backend for review. Repeated valid reports can lead to loss of chat access or account suspension.
• You can block an opponent — they are muted for the rest of the match and the two of you will never be paired again, by matchmaking or by friend challenge.

11. Photos

If you choose to set a profile photo, the app uses your device's PhotoLibrary access for that single purpose (NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription: "Choose a profile photo for your Backgammon Reserve avatar."). The selected image is cropped on-device and uploaded to our backend so your avatar can follow you to a new device and be shown to other players next to your username. We do not analyse it or extract anything from it, and deleting your account deletes the stored image. You can revoke PhotoLibrary access for the app in iPhone Settings → Privacy & Security → Photos → Backgammon Reserve at any time.

12. Security

We use the security primitives iOS provides — sandboxing, file protection, Sign in with Apple's identity verification — and HTTPS for all network calls to our backend. Backend access is enforced by row-level security so each account can only reach its own data (with public profile fields readable by other signed-in players). Apple identity tokens are verified server-side by our authentication provider, session tokens live in the iOS Keychain, and dice, clocks, and match results in online ranked play are decided server-side so they can't be forged by a client.

No system is perfectly secure. If you discover a security issue, please email us and we will address it quickly.

13. International users

The app is currently developed by a US-based developer. If you use the app from outside the United States, the limited data we hold may be stored or processed in the United States. By using the app you consent to that transfer to the extent applicable law permits it.

We do not currently rely on Standard Contractual Clauses or any other formal international-transfer mechanism — there's simply not much data moving anywhere. We'll add the right paperwork before any real international expansion.

14. Changes to this policy

When we change this policy we'll bump the "Last updated" date at the top and, for any change that materially expands what we collect or how we use it, notify you in the app the next time you open it.

15. Contact

Questions, complaints, or requests: backgammonreserve@gmail.com

If you want a copy of your data, deletion of your account, or any other data-rights action, the same address reaches us.

This policy is written in plain English for clarity. It is not a substitute for legal advice. If you need a more formal version (e.g. for a specific jurisdiction's compliance regime) please consult a qualified lawyer.