Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 18, 2026
This policy explains what the Chessboard Cam app for iPhone and iPad (“the app”) does with your data. In short: the camera picture never leaves your phone, your games are stored on your phone, and the app uses Google services for ads, usage statistics and crash reports.
Who is responsible
Chessboard Cam is made by Sergiy Kurash, an independent developer, who is responsible for your data (the data controller). For any question about your data, write to our support address.
Summary
| Data | Where it goes | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Camera picture | Nowhere — processed on the phone | To recognise the moves |
| Games, players, ratings | Stored on the phone | Game history |
| Moves, player names, ratings, tournament and round | Lichess — only when you broadcast | Live broadcast |
| Advertising identifiers, IP address, ad interactions | Google AdMob | Showing ads |
| App usage events, device and app details | Google Analytics for Firebase | Understanding how the app is used |
| Crash reports | Firebase Crashlytics | Fixing crashes |
| Purchases | Apple (payment); the app sees only what was bought | Support us, removing ads |
The app has no accounts of its own and we don’t sell your data.
Camera
The app needs the camera to see the board. Each frame is analysed on the phone to find the board and the pieces and is then discarded. Frames are not uploaded and not saved — unless you turn on “Record session” in the app’s Debug menu, which saves frames on the phone only.
Games and players
Your games and the players you enter (names, ratings and any other details you add) are stored on your phone. They leave it only when you share a game yourself, for example as a PGN file, or broadcast it to Lichess. Deleting the app deletes them.
Lichess broadcasts (optional)
To broadcast, you connect your Lichess account with a personal access token. The token is stored in the iOS Keychain on your phone and is sent only to lichess.org. While broadcasting, the app sends the moves, the result, the player names and ratings, and the tournament and round you chose to Lichess, where the broadcast is public. Lichess handles that data under the Lichess privacy policy.
Advertising — Google AdMob
The free version shows ads from Google AdMob. To serve and measure ads, Google may collect your device’s advertising identifier, IP address, approximate location, device and app details, and how you interact with ads.
- Tracking permission. The advertising identifier (IDFA) is used only if you allow tracking when iOS asks. You can change this at any time in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
- EEA, UK and Switzerland. You are asked for consent through Google’s consent message before personalised ads. You can change your choice at any time in the app: ··· menu → Privacy settings.
- No ads after a purchase. After any purchase the app stops loading ads.
More: How Google uses information from apps that use its services.
Usage statistics — Google Analytics for Firebase
The app sends a few events to understand how it is used: the tutorial was completed or skipped; a game started or ended (with the number of moves, the result and how it ended); a broadcast started; the Support us screen was opened; a purchase was made. With them Google receives an app instance identifier, the device model, the iOS version, the language and an approximate location derived from the IP address. The events never include player names, tournaments, moves or your Lichess token.
In the EEA, UK and Switzerland, statistics follow the choice you made in Google’s consent message. Event data is kept for 2 months.
Crash reports — Firebase Crashlytics
If the app crashes, a report is sent to Firebase Crashlytics: where in the code it crashed, the device model, the iOS version, free memory and disk space, an installation identifier, and whether a game or a broadcast was running and how hot the phone was. Crash reports are kept for 90 days.
Purchases
Purchases and subscriptions are handled by Apple. We never see your payment details; the app only learns which product was bought. A note that ads are off is stored in the iOS Keychain on your phone, so it stays after reinstalling the app.
Support emails
If you write to us from the app, the email includes the app version, the device model, the iOS version and the language — you see them in the email before sending. We use your email only to answer you and keep it only as long as needed for that.
Children
The app is not directed at children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect their data.
Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR in the EU and UK), you can ask to access, correct or delete data about you, or object to its processing. Most data in the app stays on your phone and is deleted with the app. For data held by Google, change your consent in the app, turn off tracking in iOS Settings, or write to us. You can also complain to your local data protection authority.
Changes
If this policy changes, we update it here and change the date above.