Privacy Protocol
Last updated: April 22, 2026
Introduction
BorderBeat is an iOS geography quiz game. This Privacy Policy explains what information BorderBeat collects, how it is used, and how it is stored. We have designed BorderBeat to collect the minimum data necessary to provide leaderboards, synced profiles, and game-balance tuning — and no more.
Data Stored Only on Your Device
The following data is stored locally on your device and is never transmitted off-device:
- App settings and preferences (audio, haptics, difficulty choice, display options).
- Per-country accuracy history used to personalize practice (PlayerCountryStatsStore).
- Debug and calibration reports (DebugReportStore) when Debug Mode is enabled.
- In-app purchase unlock state and music-track preferences.
- Your Quotidian daily-attempt history and streak.
If you delete the app, all locally stored game data is permanently removed.
Data Transmitted to Apple iCloud (CloudKit)
BorderBeat uses Apple's CloudKit in the public database of the iCloud.com.tylerfitch.borderbeat container. This data is hosted by Apple on your behalf — we do not operate our own servers, and access is governed by Apple's iCloud terms. The following records are written:
- Player account record — your chosen username, display name, an internal account identifier, an optional link to your Game Center player ID, your current skill-level estimate, and a reference to your iCloud user record. This record enables username reservation and lets you recover your profile on a new device.
- Username reservation record — the normalized form of your chosen username, used to prevent duplicate usernames across the player base.
- Leaderboard entries — scores, run mode (ARCHITECT or QUOTIDIAN), date key, and a reference to your account record. Leaderboard records are visible to other BorderBeat players through the in-app leaderboard UI.
- Anonymized gameplay events — for each answered question, a record containing: an anonymized profile identifier (not linked to your Apple ID, Game Center ID, or username), the country identifier and name, outcome, response time, difficulty band, active modifiers, room index, app version, and timestamp. These records are used only for difficulty calibration and cannot be used to identify you.
Apple Game Center
BorderBeat integrates with Apple Game Center. If you are signed in to Game Center on your device, your ARCHITECT and Quotidian best scores are submitted to Apple Game Center leaderboards, and unlocks are reported as Game Center achievements. Your Game Center profile, friends, and scores are managed by Apple. See Apple's Privacy Policy for how Apple handles Game Center data.
In-App Purchases
BorderBeat offers optional, non-consumable in-app purchases. All transactions are processed by Apple through the App Store. We do not collect, store, or have access to any payment information, billing details, or transaction records. The only thing BorderBeat records is which products you have purchased, stored locally and surfaced through StoreKit.
Analytics, Tracking & Advertising
BorderBeat does not use any third-party analytics SDKs, tracking tools, or advertising frameworks. We do not track you across apps or websites. We do not serve advertisements. The anonymized gameplay events described above are the only telemetry the app transmits, and they are not linked to your identity.
Children's Privacy
BorderBeat does not knowingly collect personal data from children. The app is compliant with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and similar regulations. The username you choose in-app is visible on leaderboards; please avoid choosing a username that contains real-world personal information.
Data Storage & Security
Local data is protected by iOS's standard storage security, including on-device encryption and biometric locks. CloudKit records are protected by Apple's iCloud encryption and access controls. Retention: account and leaderboard records persist until you delete them or we retire the relevant leaderboard; anonymized telemetry records are retained for difficulty-tuning analysis and have no user-initiated deletion path (they cannot be linked back to you).
Third-Party Services
The only third-party services BorderBeat integrates with are Apple iCloud (CloudKit) and Apple Game Center. No other third-party services are used.
Your Choices
You can sign out of Game Center on your device at any time to stop score submissions to Apple Game Center. Deleting the app removes local data; to have your CloudKit account and leaderboard records removed, contact us at the email below.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be reflected on this page with an updated "Last updated" date.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or BorderBeat's data practices, please contact us at: