Scope and contact
This policy covers chronotrace.net, the ChronoTrace game for iOS and Android, and its optional online services. For privacy questions, contact [email protected].
When you visit this website
The website has no advertising, analytics trackers or contact form. The online account-deletion form uses a necessary, short-lived session cookie to verify a recovery code and protect the confirmation request. The private content administration area uses a separate necessary session. The website does not set tracking cookies or store your language choice. Pages, images and scripts are served from this domain without third-party advertising or font services.
The hosting infrastructure necessarily processes connection information, such as your IP address, the requested page and browser information, to deliver and protect the website. Infrastructure providers may retain technical logs under their operating and security practices.
Game data, content updates and sharing
Playing the chapter journey and practising against the computer does not require a ChronoTrace online account. Progress, local achievements, preferences and workshop maps are stored on your device. On iOS, progress can sync through Apple iCloud between devices using the same Apple ID; Apple manages that storage. Android may back up app data according to your Google settings. Optional online accounts and competition records use the separate ChronoTrace server described below.
The game does not request contacts, microphone, camera or GPS location access. If you choose to share an image, animated replay or map code, the selected content is passed to the app or recipient you choose. The game reads the clipboard only when you choose to paste a map code, progress-transfer code or online recovery code. Copy progress code writes a code containing saved progress, achievements and puzzle records to the clipboard. You can transfer this code between iOS and Android; ChronoTrace does not upload it to a publisher-operated server. The progress-transfer code does not contain online sign-in credentials or a recovery code. Treat it as a copy of your progress and share it only with someone you choose.
The app connects to chronotrace.net to download signed puzzle content. This request exposes ordinary connection information, including an IP address, to the hosting infrastructure. Local playtest records remain on the device unless you choose to export and share them.
Optional online account and game records
Arena, the ranked Daily sheet and individual-sheet rankings share one optional ChronoTrace account. Availability of each online feature depends on the app version. The server assigns a player identifier and an initial generated alias, and you choose an icon from a fixed set. No email, real name, phone number or free-text public profile is required. We store the identifier, alias, icon, language, creation and activity dates, rating, rated-match count, visibility choice, and cryptographic hashes used for sign-in and recovery. These are pseudonymous data, not anonymous data. Keep your recovery code private; it controls access to the account.
After the adult online check, you may separately choose to use your authenticated Game Center nickname or Play Games gamer tag as your ChronoTrace online name, when that service is available. Existing players must also agree before the name is sent. We store the nickname with your existing online profile and show it to opponents and wherever you have chosen to publish rankings. Only the nickname is sent to our server, not a platform account identifier, email or authentication token. Names are limited to 32 Unicode code points and unsafe control characters are rejected. This does not link accounts, verify identity or replace the recovery code. In Account, choosing to keep the current name stops future updates; the last saved name remains until changed or the online account is deleted. Without platform sign-in or this choice, your existing alias remains.
The server stores room and matchmaking participation, Arena match results and submitted move sequences, and ranked Daily sheet dates, puzzle fingerprints, attempts, timing events, assistance markers, results and scores. It validates moves and records repeat submissions to avoid counting them twice. Server-measured time and game records are needed to run online competition; they do not prove that a person played without outside help. Rival players can see your alias, icon, rating and the round replays still available after a round.
Individual-sheet rankings
Optional rankings for individual sheets use this same online account. The service records the sheet and content version, timed attempts, submitted moves, recorded use of help and the best eligible result. Ranked time starts when the server sends the puzzle and continues during thinking, menus and time in the background; network delay can affect it. Fewer moves rank first; a faster time breaks a tie in moves. Practice and repeated attempts are allowed. Guided attempts and attempts using hints or answers do not enter the rankings.
If public leaderboard display is enabled, your current online name and chosen icon appear with the eligible time and move count. Other players cannot see the account recovery code. Your best results remain while the online account exists. Deleting that account also removes its timed attempts, submitted moves and best results.
Public rooms and limited profiles
New rooms are private by default and can be joined with an invitation code. Choosing a public room temporarily lists its generated room label, your alias, icon, Arena rating, rated-match count, puzzle pool and seat count to signed-in online players. Your invitation code is not included in the directory. Listing requires a waiting, unexpired room and a recent connection from its host. The default room list shows rooms that can be joined. In newer app versions, the All rooms filter also shows full waiting rooms and rooms counting down before a match, including seat counts, readiness counts and countdown status. A room leaves the directory when its match starts, it closes or expires, or its host is no longer recently connected. Other people may already have seen or saved information that was public.
Room members can open one another’s limited profiles. A visitor can inspect the host of a currently listed public room, or a player currently shown on the published leaderboard. A profile contains only the player identifier, alias, fixed icon, rating and rated-match count. Public leaderboard display is off by default and is a separate choice from making a room public. Creating a public room does not enable leaderboard display. There is no free-text chat or searchable directory of all accounts.
Before either player is ready, the host can remove a guest. We then store a link between that room and the removed account to prevent it from immediately rejoining the same room. The restriction ends when the room expires; its stored record is removed when the room or account is deleted. It is not an IP-address or device ban.
Delete an online account
You can confirm deletion from the online Account screen or the recovery-code form on this website. Deletion removes your online profile, sign-in and recovery hashes, Daily sheet attempts, scores and assistance records, individual-sheet attempts and best results, submitted move sequences and personal replays. Rooms containing your account, your matchmaking entry and room-specific removal records are removed. Deleting during a match counts as a forfeit. In a retained opponent match, your old identifier is replaced separately for that match and your personal replay and rating change are removed; the opponent keeps their own result and rating. A confirmation is shown only after server deletion completes. If the request fails temporarily, retry or contact support.
Request online account deletion
This does not delete offline progress, device backups, platform records managed by Apple or Google, or copies other people have already saved. A recovery code is sent in the protected form body, not in a link. Do not send it by email or include it in a screenshot.
Apple Game Center and daily reminders
On iOS, the game supports Apple Game Center. If you sign in, it submits earned achievements and eligible leaderboard results, including stars, puzzles completed without help and daily puzzle times. Apple manages the Game Center account and these records. Your Game Center profile and leaderboard results may be visible to other players under Apple’s settings. Google Play Games sign-in and online leaderboards are not enabled in the current Android release. Apple Game Center privacy information
Daily reminders are optional and off by default. When you enable them, the game asks for notification permission and schedules reminders locally on your device. It does not send a push-notification token to a ChronoTrace server. You can disable reminders in the game or system notification settings.
The ChronoTrace online Daily sheet leaderboard is separate from Apple Game Center and Google Play Games. Availability depends on the app version.
Advertising in the game
The current build integrates Google AdMob and UMP consent tools. Depending on the platform, configuration and choices, advertising services may process IP addresses, approximate location derived from IP, device or app identifiers, ad interactions, diagnostics and performance data for advertising, measurement and fraud prevention. Non-personalized ads can still involve data processing.
ChronoTrace configures ad requests for child-directed treatment, sets the maximum ad content rating to G, and disables ad personalization and the SDK’s publisher first-party ID. These settings apply to all players. On iOS, the game does not request tracking permission.
The game refreshes its UMP privacy status before loading ads and requests ads only when the SDK allows them. Where available, you can review advertising choices in Settings under Ad privacy choices.
Google Privacy Policy How Google uses information from apps
No advertisements are shown inside Arena, the online Daily sheet or an active individual-sheet ranked attempt. The advertising SDK can initialize elsewhere in the app. The advertising settings described above do not mean advertising services process no data.
Children and families
ChronoTrace is intended for a mixed-age audience, including children under 13. Parents or guardians should contact support on a child’s behalf. Do not send a child’s full name, address, school or contact details, or include these in map names or shared content.
If you believe a child has sent personal information to the publisher, contact us so we can review and address it. Advertising checks on devices and store privacy declarations are still being completed before public release. Information for parents
Starting with version 1.1.0 (build 16), ChronoTrace accounts, Arena, the ranked Daily sheet and individual-sheet rankings are available only to players aged 18 or older. Before using these services, the app asks for the player’s birth month and year without selecting an answer in advance. It processes that answer on the device and saves only an eligibility category, not the birth month or year. This category is excluded from cloud backups and progress-transfer codes. Players under 18, or with no completed age check, can continue the chapter journey and computer practice without using a ChronoTrace online account. This self-declaration does not verify identity or parental consent. Existing accounts are not deleted by the age check; the website account-deletion page remains available. Apple Game Center and advertising are separate services described above. Older test builds may not include this check; update before using online features.
Support email, retention and service providers
When you email us, we receive your email address, message and any attachments you choose to send. We use them to respond, investigate issues and handle related obligations. Please provide only information needed for your request. Support correspondence is retained for as long as needed for those purposes and applicable obligations; you may request deletion.
Hosting, email and advertising providers process data to provide their services and under their own policies. Data may be processed outside your country. Local game data remains until it is changed or deleted on your device; operating-system backups are managed separately.
Current online retention
Automatic age-based expiry of online accounts, moves and results is not currently enabled. The service retains these records to operate accounts, matches and rankings until an applicable deletion is completed. Room expiry stops access and discovery, but does not by itself physically erase the room record. You can use the deletion controls above. Any future automatic-expiry policy will be published before activation. We do not currently promise a fixed maximum age for infrastructure logs or backups; those require separately verified hosting controls.
Your choices and rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct or delete personal data, restrict or object to processing, or withdraw consent. Contact the publisher using the email above. We may request only the information reasonably needed to verify and handle your request. You can also use Apple’s and Google’s account and privacy settings for data managed by those services, including cloud backups and Game Center records.
Uninstalling the game does not delete your ChronoTrace online account, support correspondence or information already received by other services. The in-game reset control resets campaign progress; deleting all app storage and managing system backups are separate steps.
Updates
We will update this page and its effective date when the website or game’s data practices change. Where renewed consent is required, it must be handled through the appropriate in-app flow.