Terms of use

A free game for friendly competition

Cornered is a free strategy game for iPhone and iPad, available on the App Store. There are no ads or in-app purchases. Features and availability may change as the game develops.

Your account

Keep your sign-in details secure and use an account you are entitled to use. Do not impersonate another person or share access tokens. Guest identities can lose access if their device token is lost. Convert a guest to a registered account before changing devices or reinstalling if you want a recoverable sign-in. We do not silently merge different accounts.

Some online features require verified credentials and acknowledgement of public profile visibility. Your username, optional photo and rating summaries may be visible to other signed-in players as explained in the privacy policy. If you need a parent or guardian’s permission under applicable law, obtain it before using the service.

Play fairly and treat people well

Do not cheat, exploit bugs, automate competitive play, manipulate ratings, interfere with the service, try to access another player’s private data, or use the service unlawfully. Usernames and photos must not impersonate, harass, threaten or infringe someone else’s rights. You remain responsible for the content you provide.

You keep ownership of your photo and other content. You give us permission to store, process and display it only as needed to operate Cornered and its player features, including private abuse review. Use Report player in the app or contact freek@spatie.be for abuse or moderation concerns. Do not include passwords, access tokens or private invitation links in reports. Threats, hate, harassment, sexual or exploitative imagery and impersonation are not allowed.

We apply basic name safeguards and review reported content. Profile photos can become visible to other signed-in players immediately after upload, subject to profile visibility and blocking rules; they do not wait for moderator approval. Profile photos are subject to review, and inappropriate content may be removed. Photo decoding and re-encoding are security and formatting measures, not content approval. We may remove photos, replace names, hide public content, and restrict abusive accounts. Restricted accounts retain sign-in for account status, deletion and logout; contact the moderation address to appeal. Reporting is private and must not be used to harass others or submit knowingly false claims.

Block player prevents new contact and shared-lobby matching between the accounts and hides their public content. It does not cancel, rewrite or remove an existing game. Unblocking does not restore prior friendships or invitations.

Games, invitations and ratings

The server validates online moves and calculates game results. The rules guide in Cornered explains placement and scoring. Game formats and eligibility determine whether a game affects ratings; a casual or guest game is not a promise of ranked progress. Results, ratings and achievements are for enjoyment, not money or prizes.

A shared invitation link can be used by anyone who receives it. It does not reserve a seat. Joining requires the lobby still to be waiting with space available. Active online games use turn deadlines; a missed deadline can result in an automatic pass or resignation under the game’s rules. Notifications are not a guarantee that you will see a move or deadline.

Foreground online play automatically shares short-lived piece-placement drafts with eligible participants. A preview is not a legal or committed move, may be delayed by polling or connection issues, and disappears when it expires. The server’s committed board remains authoritative.

Availability and changes

We aim to keep Cornered useful and reliable, but cannot promise uninterrupted access, permanent availability of a feature, or recovery of every saved game. Maintenance, updates, connection problems and service changes can interrupt play. Private test builds may also expire under Apple’s TestFlight rules. Do not rely on the game to store information you cannot afford to lose.

We may restrict access where reasonably necessary to address abuse, security issues or legal requirements. We may change or discontinue features. These terms do not give us ownership of your personal content or remove your rights under data protection law.

Leaving Cornered

You can stop playing at any time. Use Delete account in the app to remove your online account, or email support if you cannot access it. Deletion revokes sign-in sessions and can resign active game seats. Shared history may retain anonymous boards and scores for the other players. The privacy policy explains deletion and retention in more detail.

Apple and your app licence

The licence for an App Store version of Cornered is governed by Apple’s Standard End User Licence Agreement unless a separate applicable licence is provided. These terms cover our online service and website and do not replace applicable Apple terms, TestFlight terms or your mandatory consumer rights. Apple does not operate Cornered’s online game service.

Your rights and our responsibility

To the extent permitted by law, the free service is provided as available without guarantees of uninterrupted or error-free operation. Nothing in these terms excludes responsibility that cannot legally be excluded, or limits mandatory consumer rights. If you have a concern, contact us so we can try to resolve it.

Changes and contact

We may update these terms and will publish the current version here with its date. For questions about Cornered, contact Spatie at support@spatie.be. You can also visit our support page.