Questions

Do I need an internet connection, and does it phone home?

You need one to download it, and once a year after that to keep the unlock current. In between, Tandem plays with the internet unplugged — except to The Handy and Autoblow, which run through their makers' cloud services.

Unlocking your key asks the licence server — but if it cannot be reached, the key unlocks anyway for seven days, and Tandem asks again each time it starts, sending the key again until the server answers. Unlocking sends the key itself with a one-way code for the machine, and gets back a file that is kept in your Windows profile. From then on each launch checks that file instead, without sending your key again. It is good for a year.

Then, once per launch and about half a minute in, it asks the server whether your key has been moved to another PC. That request carries a 12-character licence reference and the same one-way code — not the key, no filename, no folder, nothing about what you play. If it cannot reach the server, nothing changes and the app carries on.

That same check also renews the year, and it does it without your key: once the unlock file is inside its last two months, one launch that reaches the server and stays open half a minute moves the year forward. Nothing is shown and nothing is asked. So in normal use, unlocking is a one-time thing.

Those two requests are the only things Tandem sends to a server of mine. What else goes out depends on what you use: The Handy and Autoblow are driven through their makers' cloud services, so playing to either one sends the motion to them while it plays. And in the headset, with a licence, a scene with no script can be looked up at a script source you have added yourself — section 07 of the overview has the detail.

What if I never let it online again?

It keeps working for the year, then seven days more, then falls back to the free build until a launch that reaches the server — which unlocks it again straight away. Your key and your settings are untouched either way.

Does it work without a device?

Yes. It is a complete video player with an intensity timeline. The device parts activate when one is connected.

Which devices are supported?

SR6, OSR2 and other TCode devices over USB serial; The Handy; Autoblow; anything Intiface / Buttplug supports; and raw TCode over UDP or WebSocket. The device page has the detail, including which two are driven through a cloud service.

Where do the scripts come from?

You bring your own .funscript files. Tandem does not include or provide any.

Does it change my script files?

Only if you ask it to. Depth, reach, speed, latency and the generated axes are all live — they shape what goes to the device and leave the file alone. The region editor is the one part that writes, and saving keeps a one-time .bak of the original beside it.

What does the free build actually do?

It plays. Library, search, filters, thumbnails, device sync over every connection type, the intensity strip, seek, latency offset, and headset playback. What a licence adds is the shaping and the editing — the full comparison is on the pricing page, row by row.

Is there an installer?

No. You unzip a folder and run the .exe. Nothing is installed, nothing is written to your registry, and nothing runs at startup.

How many machines can I use my key on?

One, and you can move it to a different one — the first move free, after that once every 30 days. Moving it means pasting your key on the new machine; there is nothing to deactivate first — but on a PC you are leaving for good, use Remove from this PC, because a PC that still has the key saved takes it back if Tandem is opened there once a move is allowed again. New PC, new drive, fresh Windows: if it ever refuses when it should not, message me with your order ID and I will clear it the same day.

I have two PCs. Can I use it on both?

Buy a second key. One key runs on one PC at a time, so two PCs in use at once need two keys. You can add extra keys to the same order.

Can I give one as a gift?

Yes, and you can check it works on your own PC first. The first move a key makes is free, so pasting it on theirs afterwards takes it straight over. It is the move after that which waits 30 days.

I bought it — where is my key?

On the order page immediately after payment, and in the email from the shop. If it did not arrive, check spam, then message me with your order ID.

How do I reach you?

Email support@tandemplayer.com. If it is about a key, include your order ID.