What is IntelliReferee and how does it work? +
IntelliReferee is a squash officiating app that uses your phone's camera to watch the match live. It tracks what's happening on court (where both players are, how they're moving, whether access to the ball was genuinely blocked) and calls Let, Stroke, or No Let in real time. No external hardware, no internet delay, just your phone doing the work.
Why does squash need an AI virtual referee? +
Squash interference calls are genuinely hard. Even experienced referees disagree on the same situation when they watch it back. And most club and college matches don't have a dedicated referee at all, so players are left to sort it out themselves. We built IntelliReferee to take the subjectivity out of it and give everyone a fair, consistent call.
What specific on-court decisions can the app help resolve? +
The core function is calling Lets, Strokes, and No Lets, the interference decisions that cause the most disputes. It also covers line calls. On top of that, the IntelliCoach layer gives coaches and players a breakdown of court coverage, T-positioning, and movement patterns they can actually learn from.
How do I set up my phone to use the app? +
Set your phone on the back wall, propped up on a small stand or whatever keeps it stable and pointing at the court. Open the app, tap play, and it calibrates itself. That's genuinely it. We tested this with players who'd never used the app before, and most were up and running in under a minute.
Do I need expensive camera or special court equipment? +
Nope. Just your phone. No extra cameras, no sensors, no modifications to the court at all. The whole thing runs on-device, so it works even without a strong Wi-Fi signal on court.
Is IntelliReferee meant to replace human referees? +
No, and we want to be clear about that. For club and casual play where there's no referee available, IntelliReferee fills the gap. But at the professional level, it's a tool to support the human referee, not overrule them. The ref is still in charge. IntelliReferee just gives them better information to work with.
How fast does the app deliver a decision? +
Under a second, usually well under. Because everything processes on your device, there's no round-trip to a server. The call appears almost the moment the rally ends. In our testing, average decision latency was around 0.34 seconds.
How does the IntelliCoach feature work? +
IntelliCoach sits on top of the refereeing engine and turns match data into coaching material. After a match, coaches can see a visual map of their player's court coverage, where they were cutting off front-wall access, how their footwork looked on key points. It's the kind of feedback that used to take hours of video review. Now it's just there after every session.
What kind of insights does IntelliReferee give me after a match? +
Beyond the live calls, you get a full post-match breakdown every decision logged by type, shot placement data, rally lengths, movement patterns, court coverage, and interference metrics. It's the kind of analysis that used to require a dedicated analyst. Now it's just there when you finish playing.
How accurate is the AI? +
The model has been trained on thousands of professional squash matches and tested alongside players and officials who make these calls for a living. It gets better with every match it analyses. We're not going to throw out a single accuracy number here, because squash interference is genuinely complex, but the feedback from people who've used it in real match situations has been strong.
Does it work on both glass-back and white-wall courts? +
Yes. IntelliReferee adapts to the visual characteristics of both court types. As long as the lighting is reasonably consistent, the tracking works on glass back walls and white plaster courts. We've tested it on both.
Can I go back and review calls after the match? +
Every match is automatically recorded and saved to your account. You can pull up any rally, scrub through it frame by frame, and see exactly what the app saw. You can also annotate clips and share them with your coach or training partners.
Can I challenge or override a decision? +
Yes. The AI gives you the call and shows you the data behind it player positions, ball trajectory, interference metrics. If you disagree, you can flag it for human review. For tournament play, coaches and directors can overrule any decision on the spot, and every outcome is logged either way.
What devices does the app support? +
IntelliReferee currently supports iPhone and iPad running iOS 17 or later, and Apple Watch running watchOS 9 or later. The companion device feature lets you receive live decisions on your watch or a second phone while the main camera device tracks the match.
Does it work without internet? +
The live AI analysis runs on-device, so you don't need a strong connection for real-time decisions. That said, syncing your match history, uploading videos, and accessing the full analytics dashboard does require an internet connection. Saved match data can be reviewed offline in the app.
Can I cancel my subscription? +
Yes, anytime. Cancel through your account settings or directly through the App Store. You keep access until the end of your current billing period, with no penalties and no awkward cancellation flows.
What happens to my match videos and data? +
Your videos are processed on encrypted servers and only you can see them by default. We store the metadata, stats, and decision logs, not the raw footage long-term unless you want us to. You can delete your data at any time and we will never sell or share your personal information with third parties. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.
Can IntelliReferee be used at tournaments? +
Yes. IntelliReferee has been tested at professional tournaments alongside PSA players and officials. For larger events we offer tournament packages with multi-court setup, on-site support, and live streaming integration. Reach out to us at support@intellireferee.ai to talk through what your event needs.
Does IntelliReferee work for other racket sports? +
Right now, no. IntelliReferee is built specifically for squash. The AI has been trained on squash rules, squash movement, and squash interference scenarios. That focus is what makes it accurate. We're not spreading it thin across sports just to say we do more.
Is there anything in the works for referee training? +
Yes. We're building a referee training module that lets officials review real match situations alongside the AI analysis, as a way to sharpen decision-making consistency using actual footage. If you're interested in joining the beta, get in touch at support@intellireferee.ai.