Privacy Policy

What is Wall Chess?

Wall Chess is an online strategy game you can play in the browser and in our iPhone app. You can play against the computer or pass-and-play without an account; you create an account to play rated or private games online, keep your rating and history, and add friends. This policy covers the website and the app: what we collect, how we use it, and your choices.

Information we collect

Account data

• Username — identifies you in matches and on leaderboards.
• Email address — used for account recovery and service communication when needed.
• Password (if you sign up with email) — stored using industry-standard one-way hashing; we do not store your password in plain text.
• Email confirmation and reset codes — when you sign up with email or reset your password we email you a 6-digit code. Codes are stored hashed and expire after a short time. Email sign-ups that are never confirmed are deleted after 24 hours.
• Sign in with Apple and Google — if you choose one of these, Apple or Google confirms who you are and shares a unique account identifier and your email address with us (Apple may give us a private relay address if you choose “Hide My Email”). We never see your Apple or Google password. For Sign in with Apple we also keep a token that lets us disconnect the link when you delete your account.

Friends and other players

• Your friends list, friend requests you send and receive, and players you block. Other players can find you by username.
• While you have the app open, your friends can see that you are online, and you can receive game challenges from them.
• Personal invite links: a link you share contains a code that identifies your account, so the person who signs up through it becomes your friend.
• Reports: if you report a player we store who reported whom, the reason and any details you add, so we can review it. The reported player is not told who reported them.

Gameplay data

• Match records, player pairings, and game outcomes (wins, losses, draws where applicable).
• Moves and board state processed by our servers to run fair, synchronized games.
• Clock/timer snapshots, resignations, timeouts, and disconnect-related results as determined by our game rules.
• Private room and invite metadata (for example room codes, invite links, expiry) so you can play with friends.
• Games against the computer and league progress, saved to your account when you are signed in so they appear in your match history.

Technical data

• IP address and related network data may be processed by us or our hosting providers for security, abuse prevention, and diagnostics.
• Device and browser type (for example from standard HTTP headers or client-reported platform hints) to improve compatibility and understand how the service is used.
• Server and application logs to troubleshoot issues and protect the service.

Local storage

When you sign in, the site stores session tokens (access and refresh tokens) in your browser's local storage so you stay logged in across visits. This is required for account-based play and is not used to track you across unrelated sites.

The iPhone app

The Wall Chess iPhone app uses the same account and servers as the website. In addition:

• No ads, no tracking. The app does not use Google Analytics or any advertising or tracking tools, and does not track you across other apps or websites.
• On your device the app stores your sign-in tokens, your settings (sound, haptics), and statistics of games you play offline. They are removed when you delete the app.
• Error reports. If something goes wrong in the app, it sends a technical report to our own servers: the error message, the screen it happened on, the app version and the device type, and your account ID if you are signed in. We use these only to find and fix bugs, delete them after 90 days, and never share them.
• Push notifications. If you turn them on, we store a token for your device and send it, with the text of each notification, to Apple so it can be delivered (for example when a friend challenges you). You can turn them off at any time in the app or in iPhone Settings, and signing out stops them on that device.
• No access to your contacts, photos, location, camera or microphone. When you share an invite link, iOS's share sheet sends it; we do not see who you send it to.

Analytics — Google Analytics & Google Tag Manager

The Wall Chess website uses Google Analytics (loaded through Google Tag Manager) to understand how the site is used, if you accept analytics cookies. The iPhone app does not use Google Analytics.

Google Analytics may collect:

• Pages visited and navigation paths
• Session duration and engagement events
• Device type, browser, and operating system
• Approximate geographic location (country/city level, derived from IP)
• Traffic source (how you arrived at the site)
• Technical performance data

We do not send passwords, full email addresses, or sensitive personal data to Google Analytics. Analytics data is used to improve the game, pages, and overall experience.

Google Analytics may use cookies or similar technologies to recognize returning visitors. You can control cookies through your browser settings. You may also use Google's Analytics opt-out browser add-on to prevent data collection. For more information on how Google uses this data, see Google's Privacy Policy.

Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies and similar browser storage for the following purposes:

• Essential/functional — session tokens stored in local storage to keep you logged in and to protect your account. These cannot be disabled as they are required for the site to work.
• Analytics — cookies set by Google Analytics via Google Tag Manager to measure site usage. These are only active if you accept analytics when prompted, or have accepted them via Cookie settings.
• Advertising (future) — advertising cookies are not currently active. We store your advertising consent preference so it is ready if ads are ever enabled.

Managing your cookie preferences

On your first visit, a consent banner lets you accept all, reject non-essential, or manage individual choices. You can change your preferences at any time by clicking Cookie settings in the page footer. Your choices are stored in your browser's local storage and applied before any analytics tags load. You can also manage or delete cookies through your browser settings at any time. Deleting or rejecting analytics cookies does not affect your ability to play or use your account.

Advertising (including Google AdSense)

Wall Chess does not currently show ads. We may add third-party advertising in the future (for example through Google AdSense). If we do, ad partners may use cookies, pixels, or similar technologies to measure performance and personalize ads. We will update this policy and, where required by law, obtain your consent before enabling non-essential advertising cookies. We do not sell your personal data.

How we use information

• To create and maintain your account.
• To operate matchmaking, private rooms, online gameplay, friends and challenges.
• To review reports, act on abusive accounts (for example renaming or removing them), and enforce blocks.
• To detect fraud, cheating, abuse, and to secure the service.
• To improve reliability, fix bugs, and develop features.
• To understand how the site is used and improve the experience (via Google Analytics).
• To comply with law and respond to lawful requests.

Sharing

We share data only with vendors that help us run the service, subject to appropriate safeguards: cloud hosting (Amazon Web Services), email delivery for codes and service messages (Google Gmail or Amazon SES), sign-in providers you choose (Apple, Google), and website analytics (Google Analytics, website only). We may disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights, safety, or integrity of our users and the service. We do not sell your personal data.

Your choices and account deletion

You have several options regarding your data:

• Delete your account — if you are signed in, you can permanently delete your account from Settings (in the app: Profile → Settings → Delete account). Deleting your account removes your personal information, removes you from other players' friends lists, and disconnects Sign in with Apple if you used it. Past game records may be retained in anonymized form as required for service integrity and legal obligations.
• Access, correction, or export — contact us to request access to, correction of, or a copy of your personal data where applicable.
• Analytics opt-out — click Cookie settings in the footer to reject analytics at any time, or use Google's Analytics opt-out tool (see Analytics section above).
• Cookie management — manage or delete cookies through your browser settings, or use the Cookie settings panel in the footer to control what Wall Chess activates.

To submit a privacy or data request, visit our Contact page.

Children

Wall Chess is not directed at young children. Users should meet any minimum age required in their country to use online services. Parents and guardians are responsible for supervising minors.

Contact

For privacy questions or requests, see our Contact page. You may also email us at playwallchess@gmail.com.