RaceToTop — Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

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Section IUpdated App Overview

Online Tables

Create or join shared online rooms using a table code. Firebase Anonymous Authentication and Cloud Firestore synchronize players, ready states, turns, cards, passes, reactions, rankings, and room state.

Local AI Mode

Play on one device against AI opponents without creating an online room. Local and AI-assisted games use casual Game Center scoring.

Game Center

The app authenticates with Apple Game Center and submits the local player’s current cumulative score to the RaceToTop leaderboard.

Multi-Round Matches

Hosts can choose 1 to 10 rounds. After every round, players ready up again. The final screen shows ultimate rankings by cumulative points.

Winner’s Choice

From round two onward, the previous round’s winner may either go first or take the highest card from the last-place player and return one card.

Casino Table Feel

The build includes landscape play, animated card movement, avatars, haptic feedback, sound effects, optional background music, reactions, and short table messages.

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Section IIGameplay Rules and Room Flow

1. Entering the App

Players choose an avatar and display name before entering the game lobby. The app does not require an email address, password, phone number, or real name.

2. Creating or Joining a Table

A player can create a new table and share the generated table number, or join an existing table by entering the table number shown by the host.

3. Host Settings

The host may set the maximum number of players, within the app limit of 2 to 5 players, and choose the match length from 1 to 10 rounds.

4. Ready and Start

The host can start when at least two players are present and all required players are ready. Between rounds, everyone must ready up again before play continues.

5. Round Order and Winner’s Choice

The first player of round one is randomized. From round two onward, the previous round winner receives a choice before the new round begins: Go First, or Take Highest Card from the previous round’s last-place player and return one selected card.

6. Turn Timer

Each turn has a one-minute timer. When only ten seconds remain, a countdown appears at the center of the table. If the player does not act before time runs out, the game automatically passes or advances the turn.

7. End of Match

After the final round, RaceToTop displays the ultimate ranking by cumulative points and applies the Game Center score delta for each human player.

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Section IIIGame Center and Scoring

Important: RaceToTop points are cumulative and may decrease. The Game Center leaderboard should store the player’s current cumulative score, not only an all-time best score.

Human-Only Online Players	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Mid-Game Exit
5 players	+10	+8	+6	+4	-5	-5
4 players	+8	+6	+4	-3	—	-3
3 players	+6	+4	-2	—	—	-2
2 players	+8	-8	—	—	—	-8

Local / Any-AI Casual Games	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Mid-Game Exit
5 players	+5	+4	+3	+2	-4	-4
4 players	+4	+3	+2	-3	—	-3
3 players	+3	+2	-2	—	—	-2
2 players	+4	-4	—	—	—	-4

Ultimate-Winner Bonus

Multi-round matches with at least two rounds award an additional ultimate-winner bonus based on cumulative round scores. Human-only matches award 2 points per selected round. Local or any-AI casual matches award 1 point per selected round. If ultimate winners tie, the bonus is split evenly among the tied human winners and rounded up.

Leaderboard Search and Badges

The in-app leaderboard can show the local player, global entries, search results, and paginated next/previous controls. Badge tiers are based on cumulative score, with higher visual tiers as scores increase.

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Section IVLanguages and Accessibility

Supported Languages

The app includes a custom in-app language selector and localized game text for the following languages:

Device Experience

RaceToTop is designed for iOS landscape play. The app uses haptic feedback, short system sounds, card animations, optional background music, and avatar states to make the table feel responsive while keeping gameplay clear.

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Section VPrivacy Policy

Effective Date: May 2026

Summary: RaceToTop does not require a user account. Online multiplayer uses anonymous Firebase authentication and Cloud Firestore to operate shared rooms. Local AI mode stays on your device except for ordinary platform-level diagnostics handled by Apple or Firebase services.

1. Information We Collect

When you use online tables, the app may process:

Your anonymous Firebase player ID generated for online play
Your display name and selected avatar
The table number and seat position for your active session
Lobby status, including whether you are ready
Gameplay state, including hands, played cards, passes, turns, rankings, and score deltas
Public reactions or short messages you choose to send
Technical information needed to synchronize turns, prevent duplicate actions, reconnect users, and troubleshoot gameplay issues

2. Information We Do Not Collect

We do not ask you to provide a real name, email address, password, phone number, payment card, contacts, photos, calendar data, or precise GPS location. RaceToTop is not designed to collect sensitive personal information.

3. How We Use Information

We use game information only to operate RaceToTop: create and join tables, seat players, synchronize room state, validate plays, run timers, display rankings, submit Game Center scores for the local signed-in player, prevent duplicate actions, debug crashes, and maintain security.

4. Firebase and Apple Game Center

Online multiplayer uses Firebase Anonymous Authentication and Cloud Firestore as service providers. These services help assign a temporary anonymous identity and synchronize live room state. Game Center functionality is provided by Apple and may use your Apple Game Center profile according to Apple’s own terms and privacy practices.

5. What Other Players Can See

Players at the same table can see your display name, avatar, seat, ready status, number of cards remaining, cards you play, whether you pass, your public reactions or short messages, and final ranking. Do not use sensitive personal information in your display name or in table messages.

6. Local AI Mode

Local mode is designed for play against AI opponents on your device. It does not require an online table and does not intentionally share local gameplay with other players. Local and AI-assisted games may still update the local player’s Game Center score after a completed match.

7. Data Retention

Online table data is kept only as long as reasonably necessary to operate gameplay, allow brief reconnection, troubleshoot problems, preserve game integrity, or comply with legal obligations. Local game state is temporary and tied to your app session.

8. Your Rights — CCPA, GDPR, and Similar Laws

Depending on where you live, including California, the EEA, and the UK, you may have rights to know, access, correct, delete, export, restrict, or object to certain processing of personal information. You may also have the right to withdraw consent where consent is used and to avoid discrimination for exercising privacy rights.

Because the app uses anonymous authentication, linking a specific record to you may require you to provide the Firebase anonymous UID associated with your session.

9. No Sale or Cross-Context Advertising Sharing

We do not sell personal information and do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. This build of RaceToTop does not use targeted advertising.

10. Legal Basis for Processing

For users in the EEA and UK, processing is based on providing the game service you request, legitimate interests in security, debugging, and gameplay integrity, and compliance with legal obligations where applicable.

11. Children

Under-13 Policy: RaceToTop is not intended to collect personal information from children under 13, or the relevant age threshold in your jurisdiction. If you believe a child provided personal information through the app, contact support through the App Store listing or distribution page so deletion can be requested.

12. Security

We use Firebase security rules, anonymous authentication, and table-based access controls to reduce unauthorized access. No system is perfectly secure, so avoid sharing sensitive information in display names, reactions, or messages.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in the app, legal requirements, or service providers. The effective date above will be updated when material changes are made.

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Section VITerms of Use

Effective Date: May 2026

By downloading or using RaceToTop, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not install or use the app.

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms govern your access to and use of RaceToTop, an iOS card game inspired by 争上游. By installing, accessing, or playing the app, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms and the Privacy Policy.

2. Description of the App

RaceToTop offers online multiplayer tables, local AI play, animated avatars, reactions, language selection, Game Center leaderboard scoring, and multi-round card-game matches. The app is for entertainment only and does not involve real money, gambling, betting, prizes, or wagering.

3. Eligibility

You must comply with the App Store age rating and all laws that apply to you. For online multiplayer features involving interactions with other users, players under 18 should use the app with the knowledge and supervision of a parent or legal guardian.

4. License Grant

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, you receive a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to download, install, and use RaceToTop on your personal iOS device for personal, non-commercial entertainment.

5. Player Conduct

You agree not to harass other players, impersonate others, share sensitive personal information, exploit bugs, interfere with online rooms, attempt unauthorized access, manipulate scoring, or use the app for unlawful purposes.

6. Online Multiplayer and Reconnection

Online play depends on your internet connection, Firebase services, and Apple platform services. We do not guarantee uninterrupted online play. If a player exits or disconnects, the game may continue according to the app’s rules, and leaving midway may apply the relevant last-place penalty.

7. Game Center Scores

RaceToTop may submit the signed-in local player’s cumulative score to Apple Game Center after completed matches. Placement points and bonuses are part of the game design and may change in future versions. Because points can go down, your leaderboard score may decrease after losses or exits.

8. User-Visible Content

Your display name, avatar choice, reactions, and short messages may be visible to other players at the same table. You are responsible for the content you choose to display or send.

9. No Gambling or Cash Value

Cards, rankings, points, badges, and leaderboard positions have no cash value. RaceToTop does not offer real-money gambling, cash prizes, sweepstakes, or redemption of virtual scores for money or goods.

10. Intellectual Property

RaceToTop, including its design, artwork, code, rules implementation, text, sounds, and other materials, is owned by Frederick Liu or used under appropriate rights. You may not copy, distribute, reverse-engineer, or create derivative works from the app except as allowed by law.

11. Third-Party Services

The app uses Apple services, including Game Center, and Google Firebase services for online multiplayer. Your use of those services may also be governed by the applicable third-party terms and privacy policies.

12. Disclaimers

The app is provided “as is” and “as available.” To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, uninterrupted operation, error-free gameplay, and availability of online services.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, including lost data, lost progress, service interruptions, or device issues arising from or related to use of the app.

14. Termination

We may suspend or terminate access to online features if we reasonably believe a user has violated these Terms, interfered with the game, exploited vulnerabilities, or harmed other players.

15. Changes to the App or Terms

We may update the app, scoring rules, features, privacy practices, or these Terms from time to time. Continued use after an update means you accept the updated Terms.

16. Severability and No Waiver

If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect. Failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of the right to enforce it later.

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Section VIIContact and Requests

Privacy Requests

To exercise privacy rights, request deletion, report a concern, or ask a question about RaceToTop, use the support contact listed on the App Store page or distribution page. Include enough information to identify the relevant session, such as the approximate date of use and your Firebase anonymous UID if known.

General Questions

For questions about the app, rules, online play, Game Center scoring, or these legal terms, use the same support contact. Response times may vary because RaceToTop is a solo-developed app.