Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

The Backyard mobile app and the website at thebackyardapp.com (together, the "Service") are operated by Backyard LLC, a Washington limited liability company ("we", "us", or "our"). Questions about this policy can be sent to legal@thebackyardapp.com.

2. What we collect

We collect the minimum we need to run a stats-tracking app for friend groups:

• Account information: email address, first name, last name, optional username, and avatar initial color (derived from your name).
• Group membership: which groups you create or join and your role in each (member or admin).
• Match data: game type, players, teams, scores, timestamps, and any optional metadata your group's scoring screen records (for example, shot-by-shot notes for beer pong or hand history for spades).
• Authentication tokens: session tokens issued by our authentication provider after you sign in. We do not store your password — we use email magic links and, in the future, Sign in with Apple and Google.
• Technical data: standard request logs (IP address, user agent, timestamp) kept for security and troubleshooting. We do not use third-party advertising or analytics SDKs at this time.

3. What we do not collect

• No location data.
• No contacts, photos, microphone, or camera access.
• No advertising identifiers (IDFA / Android Ad ID).
• No payment card details — purchases run through Apple / Google.

4. How we use it

• To create and maintain your account.
• To compute the stats, leaderboards, head-to-head splits, and tournament brackets that the app displays.
• To send transactional emails (magic links, account changes).
• To investigate abuse, fraud, and security incidents.

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, and we do not use your match data to train models or share it with advertisers. California residents have a right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information under the CCPA / CPRA; because we do not engage in those practices, there is nothing to opt out of, but you may still confirm this by emailing legal@thebackyardapp.com.

5. Who we share it with

We share data only with the sub-processors that help us run the Service:

• Supabase, Inc. (United States) — hosts our database, handles authentication, and stores match and account data on our behalf.
• Vercel Inc. (United States) — hosts the website at thebackyardapp.com and serves it via a content delivery network. Receives standard request logs (IP, user agent, URL).
• Expo (650 Industries, Inc.) (United States) — provides our mobile build pipeline and push-notification delivery. If you enable push notifications, an opaque device token is held by Expo to route notifications to your device.
• Apple Inc. and Google LLC — process Sign in with Apple, Sign in with Google, and any in-app purchases. Their handling of that data is governed by their own privacy policies.

We do not currently use third-party analytics, advertising, attribution, or crash-reporting SDKs. If we add any (for example, Sentry for crash diagnostics), we will update this list before they go live and notify users of material changes.

Some of these providers are based in the United States, which means your data may be transferred to and processed in the U.S. We rely on their standard contractual clauses and the protections their published privacy programs provide.

Inside the Service, other members of a group you join can see your display name, avatar, match history within that group, and your group-level stats. They cannot see your email address.

6. Cookies, local storage, and similar technologies

Website (thebackyardapp.com): we use only essential cookies set by our hosting provider (Vercel) to operate the site and protect against abuse. We do not run advertising, analytics, or tracking cookies. We do not need a consent banner under EU / UK ePrivacy rules because we use only strictly necessary cookies.

Mobile app: the app stores your sign-in session token and a small amount of UI state on your device using the platform's standard secure storage (Keychain on iOS, EncryptedSharedPreferences / AsyncStorage on Android). This data lives on your device and is removed when you sign out or delete the app.

7. How long we keep it

We keep your account data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, your personal profile is removed and your public display name is replaced with "Deleted Player". Match records that involved other participants are retained in anonymized form so co-participants' stats remain accurate.

8. How to delete your data

You can delete your account at any time from inside the app (Profile → Settings → Delete account). You can also email legal@thebackyardapp.com to request deletion. We will action verified requests within 30 days.

9. Children

The Service is restricted to adults of legal drinking age in their jurisdiction (21+ in the United States). It is not intended for and must not be used by children. If you believe we hold information about a child, contact legal@thebackyardapp.com and we will delete it.

10. Security

All traffic is encrypted in transit (TLS). Database storage is encrypted at rest by our hosting provider. Access to production systems is limited to authorized personnel. No system is impenetrable; we will notify affected users without unreasonable delay in the event of a confirmed breach.

11. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights under laws like GDPR, UK GDPR, or the CCPA — including the right to access, correct, export, or delete your personal information. To exercise any of these rights, email legal@thebackyardapp.com.

12. Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy as the Service evolves. Material changes will be announced through the app or by email. The "Last updated" date at the top of the page will always reflect the most recent revision.

13. Contact

Backyard LLC
Email: legal@thebackyardapp.com
Website: thebackyardapp.com