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Support and FAQ

Answers to the common questions, and a real person when you need one. Cut the Nets is made by one developer, so give a reply a day or two.

Contact

Questions, bugs, ideas and name removal requests all go to the same inbox.

We will never ask for your password, Apple Account details or payment information. Please don't send them.

Questions

Is Cut the Nets free?

Yes. It's free to download and play, and it shows ads. Remove Ads is a one-time in-app purchase that turns them off. Its price is shown in the App Store before you buy.

Which devices does it run on?

iPhone and iPad running iOS or iPadOS 15.0 or later. The steps on this page are written for iPhone and iPad.

Can I play on a computer?

Yes. Play Cut the Nets in your browser at play.cutthenets.io, with no download. The browser version is free and shows occasional ads. It has no Game Center, and its save stays in that browser. It doesn't move to the iPhone or iPad app. To move a browser save to another browser, use Export save file or Copy Legacy code in its Settings.

Do I need an account?

No. There's no sign-up. Game Center is optional: if you're signed in, your daily score, streak and weekly gauntlet score post to the leaderboards.

Are the games real results?

No. Every game is a statistical simulation. The seasons, seeds and players come from tournament history. What happens on the court is decided by the model, not the record.

How many players and seasons are in the game?

20,000+ real players and 82 playable seasons of tournament history, back to 1944.

Why do older seasons start partway through the bracket?

Only seasons from 1985 on are full 64-team fields. Earlier tournaments were smaller, so those seasons start partway into a smaller bracket.

How does the swap budget work?

In the browser game and iPhone/iPad version 1.1.0, Rewrite mode offers free roster swaps before tip-off. Choose Budget Challenge for seed-based limits. Older app versions use the earlier budget system; update the app to access the new modes. See how a run works.

What is the daily bracket?

A new bracket every day. Play it to keep your streak alive, and if you're signed in to Game Center, your score and streak go on the leaderboards.

When do ads appear?

Full-screen ads can appear between games. Buy Remove Ads once and they stop for good on your Apple Account. Restore it from Settings on a new device.

The browser version at play.cutthenets.io also shows occasional full-screen ads between games, served by Google AdSense, never during a game. It has no Remove Ads option, and Remove Ads bought in the app doesn't carry over to it. To review or change how your data is used for ads, tap Ad privacy choices on its Home screen, or use the ad privacy options in its Settings. See Ads, cookies and consent.

Why does the app ask to track me?

Apple requires apps to ask before they use your device's advertising identifier. Cut the Nets asks once you've finished or skipped the short introduction, before any ads load. The game works the same either way, and you can change your answer in iOS Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking (on iOS 15: Settings > Privacy > Tracking).

Does my progress sync to a new phone or iPad?

Yes, from version 1.0.1. Your career ledger (finished runs), achievements, pinned runs, scenario records, profile and look settings sync through iCloud to your iPhone and iPad signed in to the same Apple Account. Saved brackets in progress, the daily reminder and Remove Ads don't sync; restore Remove Ads from Settings. Game Center scores stay with your Game Center account.

How do I turn the announcer on or off?

The play-by-play announcer starts off for new players. Turn it on in Settings under Broadcast, or during a game from the gear menu, where you can also switch sound effects off. If you played before version 1.0.1, your announcer setting stays as it was.

Does the app use school logos?

No. There are no school logos or mascots in Cut the Nets. Historical team and player names appear as factual references.

Is Cut the Nets affiliated with a league or school?

No. It's an independent game, not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any league, conference, school, athletic association, player or coach.

My name is in the game. Can it be removed?

You can ask. Email support@cutthenets.io with the name and season. We'll review the request and remove the name from the app in a future update. In the browser version, players whose last season was 2022 or later already appear by jersey number, position and year instead of by name. See Name removal requests for what an update can and can't reach.

Restore Remove Ads

Bought Remove Ads and seeing ads on a new or reinstalled device? Restore it for free.

  1. Make sure you're signed in to the App Store with the same Apple Account you used to buy it.
  2. Open Cut the Nets and tap the gear icon at the top of the Home screen to open Settings.
  3. In the Remove Ads section, tap Restore purchase.

The app also checks for your purchase each time it opens, so closing and reopening it can be enough on its own. If Settings doesn't show the Restore purchase button, Remove Ads is already active on that device.

If the app says no previous purchase was found, check your internet connection and try again. That message can also appear when the App Store can't be reached.

If a purchase was approved later, for example through Ask to Buy, open Settings and tap Restore purchase once it's approved.

Payments and refunds are handled by Apple. To request a refund, visit reportaproblem.apple.com.

Daily reminder

Cut the Nets doesn't send notifications unless you ask for them.

Turn it on. In the app, open Settings and switch on the daily reminder. You'll get one reminder a day at 9:00 AM your time.

Turn it off. Switch it off in the app's Settings, or go to iOS Settings > Notifications > Cut the Nets.

Not getting it? If you declined notifications when asked, the in-app switch can't override that. Allow notifications for Cut the Nets in iOS Settings > Notifications, then switch the reminder on again in the app.

Reset your data

Your runs, records and settings are stored on your device and, from version 1.0.1, your ledger is also synced to your own iCloud account. In versions that include play statistics, a summary of how you play is also sent to us under a random install ID while Play Data is on (see the privacy policy). There is no account to delete.

Scrap a bracket. Tap Scrap Bracket on the run screen (tap twice to confirm), or Scrap Run in the gear menu while your game is being played. This deletes the whole bracket and can't be undone.

Remove a bracket. Delete brackets you no longer want from Saved.

Start completely fresh. In Settings, use Reset saved data on each of your devices. This erases your brackets, runs and profile, removes the synced copy from iCloud and, in versions that include play statistics, asks our server to delete the statistics filed under your install ID. Deleting Cut the Nets erases what it stored on that device, but not the iCloud copy, which can sync back when you reinstall.

Two things live with Apple, not in the app, and are not erased by deleting it:

  • Game Center scores already posted to leaderboards stay with your Game Center account.
  • Your Remove Ads purchase stays with your Apple Account. Restore it after reinstalling.

Accessibility

In the app

  • Text size. Cut the Nets follows your iOS text size setting, within a range that keeps the bracket readable.
  • Motion. The app respects iOS Reduce Motion, and has its own Motion setting in Settings if you want less animation.
  • Theme. Choose the dark Night theme or the light Day theme in Settings.
  • Sound. Sound effects and the announcer can each be switched off from the gear menu during a game.
  • Reading the game. Every live game has a written play-by-play feed and a live box score alongside the court.

Known gaps. Some decorative animations don't fully stop under Reduce Motion yet, haptics can't be switched off inside the app, and VoiceOver hasn't been tuned through a live game. If any of this gets in your way, email support@cutthenets.io. Accessibility reports go to the front of the line.

On this website. cutthenets.io is built to meet WCAG 2.2 AA: readable contrast on the dark background, a visible focus outline for keyboard users, large tap targets, real text instead of text in images, and no motion if your device asks for less.

Report a bug

Email support@cutthenets.io and include as much of this as you can:

  • What you expected, and what happened instead
  • The season and team, if it happened during a run
  • Your device (for example, iPhone or iPad model) and iOS version
  • The app version, found in iOS Settings > General > iPhone Storage (or iPad Storage) > Cut the Nets
  • A screenshot or screen recording, if you can grab one

Every report gets read.

Name removal requests

Cut the Nets uses historical player names as factual references. If you are a player, current or former, and would like your name removed from the app, email support@cutthenets.io with the name and the season or seasons involved. We'll review each request and remove the name from the app in a future update. An update can't reach recaps that have already been shared, or copies of the app that haven't been updated.