Privacy Policy

Last updated: Nov 6, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our mobile application (the "App"). Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the application.

1. Collection of Your Information

We collect information about you in a variety of ways. The information we may collect via the App includes:

A. Personal & Account Data

We collect personally identifiable information that you voluntarily provide to us when registering with the App or when you choose to link your anonymous account to an email address.

• Identity Data: Your username, Firebase ID (UID), and email address (if provided).
• Authentication Data: Login credentials managed via Firebase Authentication.
• Profile Information: Your chosen avatar and avatar type.

B. Game & Usage Data

We automatically collect data related to your gameplay and interaction with the App to provide core functionality and improve user experience.

• Performance Statistics: Your Elo rating, win/loss/draw records, total games played, total playtime, current/best win streaks, and highest rated opponent defeated.
• Match History: Details of games played, including moves made (PGN), board states (FEN), game results, time controls, and opponent information.
• League Activity: Your participation in weekly leagues, including XP earned, league rank, and current league membership.
• Inventory & Virtual Currency: Virtual items you own (such as avatars), your gem balance, and purchase history.
• Analysis Data: Game summaries, move quality metrics (aggression, resourcefulness), training focus areas, and "what-if" scenarios generated by our analysis tools.
• Puzzle Progress: Your current puzzle index and progress.

C. Social Data

If you choose to use social features, we store data to facilitate these interactions.

• Friend List: A list of users you have sent friend requests to or accepted requests from, along with the status of those requests.
• Direct Messages: Private messages sent between you and your friends. We store the content of these messages, the sender/recipient IDs, and timestamps.

D. Device & Technical Data

• Device Tokens: We collect device tokens to send you push notifications if you have opted in.
• Connection Data: We utilize socket IDs to facilitate real-time matchmaking and gameplay.

E. Usage, Diagnostics & Advertising Data

We and our service providers automatically collect the following when you use the App:

• App Activity: For each day you use the App, how many times you opened it, how many online games, games against the computer, puzzles, puzzle rush runs and correspondence moves you played, and whether you joined online matchmaking. We also record when you last opened the App, your device's time zone and language, and when you open a push notification.
• Analytics Events (Google Firebase Analytics): Events such as completing the first-time setup, starting and finishing games, solving puzzles, opening push notifications and seeing ads, together with an app instance ID, device model, operating system, app version, language and approximate country.
• Crash Reports (Google Firebase Crashlytics): If the App crashes, a report with the error details, device model, operating system, app version and an installation ID.
• Advertising Data (Google AdMob): To show ads, Google AdMob may collect your device's advertising identifier (where your device settings allow it), IP address, device information and how you interact with ads.

2. Use of Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and Manage Accounts: Verify your identity and manage your profile, stats, and inventory.
• Facilitate Gameplay: Match you with opponents of similar skill levels using Elo-based matchmaking and maintain real-time game states.
• Provide Social Features: Enable friend requests, direct messaging, and leaderboards.
• Improve the App: Analyze gameplay patterns (e.g., win rates by color, mode popularity) to balance the game and fix bugs.
• Personalize Experience: Provide game analysis and recommended puzzles based on your gameplay.
• Communications: Send you push notifications regarding game alerts, friend requests, or direct messages, subject to your notification settings.

We also use it to:

• Measure and Improve the App: Use app activity, analytics events and crash reports to understand how players use the App (for example, how many new players finish setup and play their first game), to fix crashes and to decide what to improve.
• Show Ads: Show ads in the App through Google AdMob. In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, Google's consent form asks whether ads may be personalised.
• Create Social Media Content: Feature finished online games in short videos on Chess Hub's social media accounts (see section 3).

3. Disclosure of Your Information

We may share information we have collected about you in certain situations:

• Publicly Visible Information: Your username, avatar, Elo rating, game statistics, and league standing are visible to other players in the App (e.g., on leaderboards, in search results, or during a match).
• Service Providers: We use third-party services like Google Firebase for authentication, database hosting, and cloud storage. These providers have access to your data only to perform tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for other purposes.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities.
• Analytics, Crash Reporting and Advertising: Google Firebase Analytics, Google Firebase Crashlytics and Google AdMob receive the data described in section 1E. Google AdMob may also use this data as described in Google's privacy policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy).
• AI Game Analysis: To create game analyses and summaries, the moves and results of your games are sent to Google's Gemini AI service.
• Featured Games: Finished online games (the moves, the result and both players' ratings) may be shown in short videos on Chess Hub's social media accounts. Players are shown as "White" and "Black"; your username is only shown if you turn on "Show my username in those videos" in Settings. You can stop your games from being featured at any time by turning off "Feature my games on Chess Hub socials" in Settings. Games against the computer are never featured.

4. Data Retention & Deletion

We retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy.

Account Deletion

You have the right to delete your account and all associated data at any time.

• How to Delete: You can request account deletion directly within the App's "Settings" menu by selecting the "Delete Account" option.
• What Happens: This action is permanent and irreversible. It will immediately remove your: Profile and identity information. Game statistics and match history. League memberships and rankings. Friendships and direct message history. Saved game analyses. Authentication credentials.
• Verification: You will be asked to confirm your choice to prevent accidental deletion.

Retention of Usage Data

• App Activity: Kept while your account exists and deleted together with your account.
• Analytics Events and Crash Reports: Kept by Google for the retention period set in our Firebase project (analytics events for up to 14 months, crash reports for 90 days).

Your Rights (EEA, UK and Switzerland)

Apex Consulting AB is the data controller for the App. We process your data to provide the App to you (performance of a contract), for our legitimate interests in measuring, securing and improving the App and in featuring games on social media (you can object to this with the setting described in section 3), and with your consent where it is required, such as for personalised ads and push notifications. You have the right to access, correct, delete or export your data, to object to or restrict processing, and to withdraw your consent at any time. Contact us at info@apexconsulting.se to use these rights. You may also lodge a complaint with the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY). Some of our service providers, such as Google, may process data outside the EEA under appropriate safeguards such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

5. Security of Your Information

We use administrative, technical, and physical security measures to help protect your personal information. This includes utilizing Firebase's secure infrastructure for authentication and data storage. However, please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, and no method of data transmission can be guaranteed against any interception or other type of misuse.

6. Children's Privacy

We do not knowingly solicit information from or market to children under the age of 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under age 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information as quickly as possible.

7. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by updating the "Effective Date" of this policy. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

8. Contact Us

If you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: Apex Consulting AB, Chess - Online & Offline team, info@apexconsulting.se