picklechess privacy policy
Last updated: August 5, 2026
picklechess is operated by Alexander Wheelock. This policy explains what information picklechess handles to run the game, accounts, matchmaking, ratings, bots, shared game links, and related support.
Contact
For privacy questions or data requests, email playpicklechess@gmail.com.
What picklechess does not do
picklechess does not include in-app chat, direct messaging, ads, ad identifiers, third-party tracking profiles, passwords, contact access, camera access, microphone access, or location access. The Android wrapper declares Internet access only.
Account information
You can play some modes without an account. Ranked play and some account-based features use an email address, username, one-time email codes, session tokens, classic and fairy PvP Elo, classic and fairy Bot Elo, bot-game counts, and rating history. Login codes and session tokens are stored as hashes on the server, not as plaintext codes or plaintext tokens.
Your username and rating may be visible to opponents, spectators, or shared-game viewers in account-based game contexts. Do not choose a username that you want to keep private.
Game and room information
To operate games, picklechess may store room codes, game settings, piece choices, board states, moves and other accepted game actions, draw offers, resignations, outcomes, timestamps, bot level, match type, hashed anonymous visitor and session ids for aggregate funnel analytics, snapshots for undo and review, and analysis summaries used to understand balance and improve the game.
Friend room codes and browser rejoin tokens work like access keys. Shared game links let recipients view a game; controlling a live game requires the original browser token or the signed-in account that owns a seat.
Browser storage
picklechess does not set cookies. The app uses browser local storage for room rejoin tokens, account session tokens, parked bot game references, the last active room code, an anonymous analytics visitor id, and UI preferences such as sound, haptics, coordinates, animations, and piece descriptions. The app may use session storage for an anonymous analytics session id and to avoid repeated refreshes while updating the client.
Clearing site data in your browser removes locally stored tokens and preferences from that browser. It does not delete server-side account or game records.
Technical information
Like most online services, picklechess and its hosting providers may process technical information such as IP address, browser or device details, request times, socket connection details, error logs, security logs, and performance diagnostics. This information is used to operate, secure, debug, rate-limit, and protect the service.
Email and external services
Account sign-in and sign-up codes are sent through Resend. picklechess may link to external services such as Discord and Patreon. If you open or use those services, their own terms and privacy policies apply.
Payments and subscriptions
picklechess does not currently collect payment information in the app. If subscriptions or premium features are added later, payments may be handled by platform billing systems or another payment provider. In that case, picklechess may receive limited purchase information needed to activate and manage paid features, such as account identifiers, product identifiers, transaction identifiers, subscription status, renewal status, and related support records. Payment card or bank details should be handled by the payment provider, not directly by picklechess.
How information is used
Information is used to provide the game, authenticate accounts, reconnect players, run matchmaking, calculate ratings, support bot play, show shared games, prevent abuse, debug problems, understand new-user activation and retention in aggregate, improve game balance, respond to support requests, and comply with legal or platform requirements.
Sharing
picklechess does not sell personal information and does not share personal information for advertising. Information may be processed by service providers that help run the service, such as hosting providers and email delivery providers. Information may also be disclosed if required by law, to protect the service or users, or as part of a user-requested action such as opening an external link.
Retention and deletion
Game records may be retained to support game review, ratings, debugging, abuse prevention, and balance analysis. Account records are kept while the account exists. Some technical logs may be retained for a limited time by picklechess or its hosting providers.
To request account deletion, email playpicklechess@gmail.com from the account email address when possible and include your username. Account deletion will remove account-identifying data and anonymize retained game records so they are no longer tied to your account. Some records may be retained when needed for security, fraud prevention, legal compliance, or aggregate/non-personal game analysis.
Security
picklechess uses reasonable technical safeguards for a small online game, including hashed secret tokens, passwordless email codes, server-side action validation, rate limits, security headers, and restricted cross-origin socket handling. No online service can guarantee perfect security.
Children
picklechess is not directed to children under 13 and does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information, contact playpicklechess@gmail.com.
Changes
This policy may be updated as picklechess changes. The date above shows when the latest version was posted.