Chess Motifs: Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-08-20

Chess Motifs is a local-first puzzle app. Short version: there is no account and no sign-in, your puzzle progress stays on your device, and the only outside services involved are a small analytics/feedback log we run ourselves, Google AdMob (ads), and the App Store / Google Play (the one-time remove-ads purchase).

What stays on your device

Every puzzle you solve, your rating, your streak, your weak-motif tracking, and your settings are generated and stored locally on your device. The app has no account system and no sign-in of any kind.

What we collect, and why

Anonymous usage events. The app logs a small number of events (app opened, puzzle solved) to a database we run (Supabase). Each event carries a random device identifier generated on your device, not your name, email, or any advertising identifier, plus the event name, your device's platform and language, and, for a solved puzzle, its difficulty rating and tactical themes (e.g. "fork", "pin").

Feedback you choose to send. If you use the "Send feedback" form, we store the message you write and, if you choose to include one, an email address so we can reply. This is entirely optional.

Advertising

The free version of the app shows interstitial ads served by Google AdMob. AdMob may collect device and advertising data (such as an advertising identifier, IP address, and general device information) to select and measure ads, as described in Google's Ad Policy and Privacy & Terms. On iOS, the system's App Tracking Transparency prompt asks your permission before any cross-app tracking identifier is used; declining still shows ads, just less targeted. Purchasing the one-time "Remove Ads" unlock stops all ads and all ad-related data collection in the app immediately.

In-app purchase

"Remove Ads" is a one-time, non-consumable purchase processed entirely by the App Store or Google Play. We never see or store your payment details; the store confirms your purchase back to the app so it can unlock the feature and lets you restore it on another device signed into the same store account. We do not run a purchase or subscription backend of our own.

Puzzle data

The chess puzzles bundled with the app come from the Lichess puzzle database, released under a CC0 (public domain) license. Playing puzzles never sends any information about the puzzles themselves back to us.

What we do NOT do

Deleting your data

Since there is no account, uninstalling the app removes everything stored on your device. To request deletion of any feedback message or event data tied to your anonymous device ID, contact us and we will remove it.

Children

Chess Motifs is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect their data.

Contact: productivitylabs.help@outlook.com