Privacy Policy
Knight Club — chess for iPhone, iPad, and Mac
Last updated: June 12, 2026 · Effective: June 12, 2026
THE SHORT VERSION
We don’t run servers and we don’t have user accounts. Your games, settings, and history live on your device and, if you use iCloud, in your own private iCloud — which we cannot read.
Online play is peer-to-peer over your local Wi-Fi. What you send goes to the other players’ devices, not to us.
The free version shows ads through Google AdMob. Ads are requested non-personalized, but Google still processes some device data to serve and measure them.
Purchases (the ad-free / VIP subscriptions) are handled by Apple. We never see your payment details.
We don’t sell your personal information, and we don’t track you across other apps or websites.
CONTENTS
Who we are
Information we collect
On-device & iCloud data
Local multiplayer
Advertising
In-app purchases
Device permissions
How we use information
Sharing & disclosure
Data retention
Security
Children’s privacy
Your privacy rights
International users
Changes
Contact
1. Who we are
Knight Club (the “App”) is developed and published by PurvaKalpa (”we,” “us,” or “our”). This Privacy Policy explains what information is involved when you use the App on iPhone, iPad, or Mac, how it is handled, and the choices you have.
The App is designed to be local-first: it has no developer-operated servers, no sign-up, and no user accounts. Most data never leaves your device except through services you already control (such as Apple iCloud) or the advertising and payment providers described below.
2. Information we collect
We, the developer, do not directly collect, receive, or store your personal information on any server, because we don’t operate any. Information in the App falls into these categories:
2.1 Information you provide
Display name — optional. You may enter a name to show to opponents in local multiplayer. If you leave it blank, the App uses “Player.” It is stored on your device and shared only with players you connect to (see Local multiplayer).
Chat messages — text you send in a Wi-Fi match’s club chat. These travel directly to the other devices in that match and are stored locally on the participating devices.
2.2 Information created and stored on your device
A randomly generated player ID and device ID (not derived from your identity) used to recognize your own devices and reconnect to opponents.
Your match history, saved games, settings, and theme.
Encryption keys held in the device Keychain and a locally encrypted chat log.
2.3 Information collected automatically by third parties
In the free version, our advertising provider (Google AdMob) collects certain device and usage data to serve and measure ads, as described in Advertising. Apple collects information related to purchases and iCloud sync under Apple’s own privacy policy.
3. On-device & iCloud data
Your games, saved positions, match history, device list, and preferences are stored locally on your device. If you are signed in to iCloud, this data is also synced through your own private iCloud account (Apple’s CloudKit and iCloud Key-Value Storage) so your games follow you across your Apple devices.
This iCloud data lives in your private iCloud container. It is governed by Apple’s Privacy Policy, and we have no ability to access, read, or retrieve it. If you sign out of iCloud or disable iCloud for the App, it simply works locally on that device.
4. Local multiplayer (Wi-Fi Showdown)
Online matches use Apple’s MultipeerConnectivity to connect devices directly over the same local network or peer-to-peer Wi-Fi. There is no central server and your gameplay data is not routed through us.
What is exchanged: your display name, your random player/device IDs, chess moves, and chat — sent directly to the other devices in the match.
Discovery privacy: while the App looks for nearby players, your name and IDs are transmitted in an encrypted (sealed) form rather than as readable text, so a passive observer of the network sees only ciphertext. The game session itself uses encrypted transport.
Camera / QR codes: you may join a match by scanning a host’s QR code. The camera is used only to read the code on your device in real time; no photos or video are stored or transmitted.
Local network access: required to find and connect to nearby players. If you deny it, the lobby simply can’t find peers.
5. Advertising
The free version of the App displays ads using the Google Mobile Ads SDK (AdMob), with consent gathered where required through Google’s User Messaging Platform (UMP). Subscribers to the ad-free or VIP plans see no ads.
5.1 What is collected for ads
To serve, cap, measure, and protect ads from fraud, Google may process information such as your device’s advertising identifier, IP address (which implies coarse, city-level location), device type and settings, and ad interactions. We request non-personalized ads (npa=1), meaning ads are not based on a profile of your interests; however, non-personalized ads still involve limited data collection for delivery and measurement. We do not present an App Tracking Transparency prompt, and we do not track you across other apps or websites.
5.2 Attribution
The App supports Apple’s SKAdNetwork, a privacy-preserving framework that helps measure ad-driven installs without identifying you.
5.3 Your choices
You can review or change your ad-consent choices when the UMP prompt is available (where required by law, such as the EEA/UK).
On iOS/iPadOS you can limit ad personalization in Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising, and control app tracking in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
Removing ads entirely is available via the in-app ad-free subscription.
Google’s handling of this data is governed by the Google Privacy Policy and how Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.
6. In-app purchases
The App offers optional auto-renewable subscriptions (for example, ad-free and VIP features) sold through Apple’s App Store using StoreKit. Apple processes your payment and manages your subscription — we never receive or store your payment card details. We receive only the aggregated, anonymized sales and subscription-status information Apple provides to developers. Manage or cancel subscriptions in your Apple account settings. Apple’s handling is governed by Apple’s Privacy Policy.
7. Device permissions
PermissionWhyIf deniedLocal NetworkFind and connect to nearby players for Wi-Fi matches. Online lobby can’t find peers; everything else works.CameraScan a friend’s QR code to join their match. No images are saved or sent. You can still join by typing the room code.NotificationsLocal alerts when someone challenges you while the App is in the background. These are on-device only — there is no remote push. You simply won’t get challenge banners.
8. How we use information
To run the game: save and resume your matches, sync across your devices via iCloud, and connect you with nearby players.
To provide chat, reconnection, and spectating in local multiplayer.
To display and measure ads in the free version (via Google), and to process subscriptions (via Apple).
To keep the App secure and functioning (for example, encryption keys and fraud protection in the ad SDK).
We do not use your information for developer-side analytics, profiling, or marketing emails, because we don’t collect it on a server.
9. Sharing & disclosure
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. Information is involved only with:
Other players you choose to connect with in local multiplayer (your name, IDs, moves, chat).
Apple — for iCloud sync and App Store purchases.
Google — for serving and measuring ads in the free version.
We may disclose information if required by law, but in practice we hold no personal data on any server to disclose.
10. Data retention
On your device: kept until you delete the data in-app or remove the App. Match history is capped (older entries roll off automatically).
In your iCloud: kept until you delete it or sign out; controlled by you in iCloud settings.
Exported chat logs: created only when you choose to export, and saved wherever you put the file. They are yours to keep or delete.
Ad and purchase data: retained by Google and Apple per their own policies.
Deleting the App removes its on-device data, including locally stored keys and logs. iCloud copies are removed when you delete them from iCloud.
11. Security
We take reasonable measures to protect information in the App:
Local multiplayer uses encrypted transport, and identifying details are sealed before they are broadcast for discovery.
Sensitive on-device material (such as signing keys and the chat log) is protected using the device Keychain and on-device encryption.
iCloud data is protected by Apple’s infrastructure.
No method of storage or transmission is perfectly secure, but we aim to use standard, modern protections appropriate to a local-first app.
12. Children’s privacy
The App is a general-audience chess game and is not directed to children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your country). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. The free version shows non-personalized ads only.
If you believe a child has provided information through the App, please contact us and we will help address it.
13. Your privacy rights
Because your App data lives on your device and in your own iCloud, you already control most of it: you can edit or delete games and history in-app, manage or remove iCloud data in iCloud settings, and delete the App to remove its local data.
EEA / UK (GDPR)
Where the GDPR applies, you have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, and port your personal data, and to object to certain processing. For advertising, the lawful basis is your consent, gathered through the UMP consent prompt, which you can change. As we hold no personal data on a server, many requests are fulfilled directly on your device or through Apple/Google. You may also lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
California / United States
We do not “sell” or “share” personal information as those terms are defined under the CCPA/CPRA, and we do not use it for cross-context behavioral advertising. You have rights to know, delete, and correct personal information and not to be discriminated against for exercising them. To make a request, contact us.
14. International users & data transfers
The App can be used worldwide. When you use iCloud, the App Store, or ads, the relevant data is handled by Apple and Google, which operate globally and may process data in countries other than your own, under their respective policies and safeguards. We ourselves do not transfer your data internationally because we do not collect it on a server.
15. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as the App evolves or as laws change. We will revise the “Last updated” date above and, for material changes, provide notice within the App or on this page where appropriate. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.
16. Contact
Questions or requests about this policy or your privacy? Contact us at:
Email: saras.app.support@gmail.com
Developer: PurvaKalpa