Sign-in and security

Your account keeps players, groups, and game history accessible from any device. This page covers everything from first sign-up to how login sessions expire.

Creating an account

Go to picklefriend.net and choose Create Free Account. The form asks for four things: your Full Name (display name shown to other players and organizers, 2–100 characters), a Username (your sign-in handle and the base of your referral link — 3–50 characters, letters/numbers/underscores only; unique across all accounts), your email address (used for verification, password reset, and any notification emails you opt into), and a password (at least 8 characters).

Two optional checkboxes cover email opt-ins: one for important technical announcements (security updates, maintenance, critical changes) and one for new features, tips, and product news. Neither is pre-checked, and you can change both at any time from your profile page.

You must accept the Terms and Conditions to complete registration. The form also runs a Cloudflare Turnstile bot check — if it stalls on mobile, try a different browser.

Arriving via a referral link

If you land on the sign-up page through someone's personal invite link (/r/username), a banner shows who invited you. The referral is recorded automatically — nothing changes about the form or what you get.

Claiming an existing player record

If an organizer added you to a group by name and email before you had an account, your registration page may arrive with a "Claiming your player profile" banner pre-filling your name and email. Finish the form normally and your full rating history is linked to the new account. You can edit the email field — the link still fires. If the banner says the profile is already linked to another account, use the existing account's Forgot password link instead.

Email verification

After you register, a verification email goes to the address you provided. The link is valid for 24 hours and single-use. If verification is required before accessing the dashboard, you'll land on a "Verify Your Email" waiting screen — check spam first, then press Resend.

Once verified, you won't be asked again unless you change your email address. Changing your email clears your verified status and the new address needs to be verified before it takes effect.

Signing in

Go to /auth/login. The login field accepts either your username or your email address interchangeably.

Remember me

Option	Cookie lifetime
Remember me unchecked	30 days
Remember me checked	90 days

The session uses sliding expiry — every dashboard page load resets the clock, as long as the visit falls within the active window. A week off won't sign you out; only the full cookie period with zero visits will.

Login rate limiting

After 5 failed attempts in a 15-minute window, the form blocks further tries until the window resets. The message reads: "Too many login attempts. Please try again in 15 minutes." The counter clears automatically after 15 minutes, or immediately on a successful sign-in.

Forgot your password?

Go to /auth/forgot-password (or press Forgot Password? on the login page) and enter your email address. You'll see:

"If an account with that email exists, a password reset link has been sent."

That response is intentionally the same whether the email is on file or not — it prevents anyone from testing which addresses have accounts.

The reset link is valid for 60 minutes and single-use. Once you submit a new password, the link stops working. After a successful reset you're redirected to the login page with your email pre-filled.

Changing your password

From Dashboard → Profile (sidebar or avatar menu in the top corner), the Change Password card asks for your current password then your new one twice. The new password must be at least 8 characters and contain at least one letter and one number.

Signing out

Press Logout from the avatar menu (top-right corner of the dashboard). The session cookie is cleared immediately. Other browsers or devices where you were also signed in will time out at their next request.

What's next

• Email preferences — which emails you receive, per-organizer settings, and universal unsubscribe.
• Creating and switching groups — the first thing to set up after you have an account.
• Accounts and data — what gets saved to your account vs what stays local to the device.