Terms of use

1. Provider and scope

Chess Clock for iOS is provided by Vincubate Ventures Vincent Grellert, Friesestraße 21, 02681 Schirigiswalde-Kirschau, Germany ("we"). Full contact details are in the legal notice. These terms apply to the app and its optional in-app purchases. Your use of the App Store itself is additionally governed by Apple's terms.

2. Licence

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to install and use Chess Clock on devices you control, for private and club use. You may not decompile or reverse-engineer the app, extract its source code, create derivative versions, or remove or alter any notices, except to the extent mandatory law expressly permits it.

The app, its design, its code and the associated trademarks remain our property. Nothing in these terms transfers ownership to you.

3. What the app is — and what it is not

Chess Clock is a chess clock: it counts down time for two players and applies the time control you configure. You are responsible for agreeing that time control with your opponent and for setting it correctly before the game.

In official or rated events, the arbiter and the tournament regulations decide — not the app. Many federations require an approved dedicated hardware clock for rated over-the-board games and restrict phones in the playing area. Check your event's rules before relying on a phone.

Timing accuracy also depends on your device and on iOS. Interruptions outside our control — an incoming call, a low battery, a system alert, the device locking or the app being terminated by iOS — can affect a running game.

4. Free version, Pro and tips

The app is free to download and includes a fully working clock with the most common time controls. Chess Clock Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Nothing renews, and no recurring charges are made. Pro unlocks the additional presets, tournament and increment modes and other features described in the app.

You can also support development with an optional tip. Each tip amount can be purchased once, and a tip also unlocks Pro. Tips are voluntary payments for the continued development of the app; they entitle you to no separate service beyond the Pro unlock.

The app contains no advertising in either version.

5. Purchases, restoring and refunds

All purchases are made through the Apple App Store. Apple is your contractual partner for the transaction, processes the payment and issues the receipt. We receive no payment data.

Purchases are tied to your Apple Account. If you reinstall the app or switch to another device, use Restore purchases in the app's settings to unlock Pro again at no additional cost. Restoring requires the same Apple Account used for the original purchase and an internet connection.

Refunds are handled by Apple under Apple's terms, not by us. Requests go through Apple's Report a Problem process or your App Store purchase history.

Purchases made through the App Store are additionally subject to Apple's Standard End User Licence Agreement.

6. Right of withdrawal for digital content

As a consumer in the EU you generally have a 14-day right of withdrawal for digital content. Because purchases are concluded with Apple, you exercise any right of withdrawal or refund directly against Apple under Apple's terms.

Please note that the right of withdrawal expires early where you expressly consent to immediate performance and acknowledge the loss of that right — which is what happens when the purchased features are unlocked instantly at the moment of purchase.

7. Availability, updates and requirements

Chess Clock requires iOS 26 or later. Future versions may require a newer iOS version or drop support for older devices. We may change, update or discontinue the app and individual features; we will not remove features you have already paid for without good reason.

We do not guarantee uninterrupted availability of the App Store, of purchase restoration, or of any Apple service the app depends on.

8. Liability

The app is provided for the purpose described here. We are liable without limitation for damage caused intentionally or by gross negligence, for injury to life, body or health, and under the German Product Liability Act. For slight negligence we are liable only for breach of an essential contractual obligation, and then limited to the foreseeable damage typical for this type of contract.

Within those limits, we are in particular not liable for lost games, missed time controls, incorrectly configured time controls, results in tournaments or club matches, or for consequences of device failures, battery drain, system interruptions or an inaccurate device clock. Your statutory consumer rights remain unaffected.

9. Use by minors

The app has no age restriction and collects no personal data. If you are a minor, you may only make in-app purchases with the consent of a parent or guardian. Purchases can be restricted or disabled entirely in the device's Screen Time settings.

10. Governing law and changes

These terms are governed by the law of the Federal Republic of Germany, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. If you are a consumer resident in the EU, this choice of law does not deprive you of the protection of mandatory provisions of your country of residence, and you may also bring proceedings before the courts of that country.

We may amend these terms, for example when features change or the law requires it. The current version is always published on this page. Questions about these terms: support@getchessclock.com.