Privacy policy

1. Controller

The controller responsible for data processing under the GDPR is:

This policy covers the iOS app Chess Clock and the website getchessclock.com.

2. Data stored on your device

The app saves the following in your device's local app storage. This data stays on the device, is not transmitted to us, and is removed when you delete the app:

• Your selected time controls for both players, plus any custom time controls you build and save
• Display and sound settings: colour theme, colour swap, rotation of each half, sound on/off, volume, sound pack, move-number display, airplane-mode reminder, Live Activity on/off, game variant
• Game history: for each saved game the date, which side ran out of time, and per player the time control name, remaining time, number of moves and time used
• A snapshot of a running game, so an interrupted game can continue after the app restarts
• The language override, if you set one, and a flag recording whether Pro is unlocked

We have no access to any of this. There is no account, no login and no synchronisation with a server operated by us — we do not run a backend for this app.

3. Purchases: Apple and RevenueCat

Chess Clock Pro is a one-time in-app purchase. Tips are optional additional purchases. Both are processed exclusively by Apple through the App Store. Apple handles payment; we never receive your payment details, name or address. Apple's handling of that data is described in Apple's privacy policy.

To check and restore purchase entitlements, the app uses the SDK of RevenueCat, Inc. (USA). The app does not pass any login, name or email address to RevenueCat: it never assigns a user ID of its own, so RevenueCat generates an anonymous app user ID. According to RevenueCat's documentation, the SDK transmits purchase and receipt information together with technical data such as device model, operating system version, app version and country, in order to determine whether a valid purchase exists.

Because RevenueCat, Inc. is based in the USA, this involves a transfer of data to a third country. RevenueCat offers its customers a data processing addendum including the EU Standard Contractual Clauses. Details of RevenueCat's own processing are set out in the RevenueCat privacy policy.

The legal basis for this processing is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR — performing the purchase contract by delivering and restoring the purchased features.

4. Live Activity, Dynamic Island and widgets

If you enable the Live Activity, the running game is shown on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. This uses Apple's ActivityKit and is rendered entirely on your device: the app requests the activity without a push token, so no clock data is sent to any server — not to us and not to Apple's push service. The Live Activity displays only the names of the selected time controls, the remaining times and the move counts. It ends when the game ends and can be switched off in the app settings.

5. What the app does not do

The following is not present in Chess Clock — the app integrates no SDK other than RevenueCat:

• No advertising and no advertising identifiers. There is no App Tracking Transparency prompt because nothing is tracked.
• No analytics and no crash-reporting service.
• No user account, no email address, no password, no cloud backup.
• No access to camera, microphone, location, contacts, photos or health data — the app requests no such permissions.
• No push notifications.
• No sale or sharing of personal data. There is nothing to sell.

The clock itself works completely offline; you can use the app in airplane mode, and the app can remind you to switch it on before a game.

6. This website

getchessclock.com is a static website. It sets no cookies, runs no analytics, and loads no fonts, scripts or images from third-party servers. The online chess clock runs entirely in your browser; the times you play are never transmitted.

When you visit the site, our hosting provider processes the technical data that any web server receives — IP address, time of request, requested URL, referrer and browser identification — in server log files for the purpose of delivering the site securely and reliably. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (our legitimate interest in operating the site).

7. Retention

• Data on your device stays there until you delete it in the app or uninstall the app. Uninstalling removes all local data, including your game history.
• Purchase records held by Apple and RevenueCat are retained by those companies according to their own policies and statutory retention obligations.
• Server log files for the website are deleted or anonymised by the hosting provider after a short period.

8. Your rights

Under the GDPR you have the right to access (Art. 15), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18), data portability (Art. 20) and objection (Art. 21), as well as the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Art. 77).

Please note a practical consequence of how the app is built: because we operate no account system and receive no identifying data, we cannot link you to any data we hold — we simply hold none. Data on your device is under your control at all times and can be deleted in the app or by uninstalling it. For purchase data, contact Apple or RevenueCat, or write to us at support@getchessclock.com and we will help as far as we can.

9. Children

Chess Clock collects no personal data from any user, including children. The app contains no advertising, no external links to third-party content and no communication features. In-app purchases are protected by Apple's system controls; parents can restrict or disable purchases in the device's Screen Time settings.

10. Changes and contact

We update this policy when the app changes in a way that affects it. The current version is always available at getchessclock.com. For any privacy question, write to support@getchessclock.com.