Privacy Policy
FretPilot Pro is built to be private by default. It listens to your guitar so it can time how fast you find a note — but that audio is analysed live on your device and is never recorded, stored, or sent anywhere. Your practice statistics stay on your device, too. The one exception is entirely your choice: if you opt in to the online scoreboard, a nickname you pick and your aggregate scores are synced so you can compare with other players. Nothing else leaves your phone, and we run no third-party advertising or tracking.
The 30-second version. The microphone detects the note you play, in real time, on your iPhone — no audio ever leaves the device. Your practice stats are stored locally by default. The optional online scoreboard is off until you choose to join it; if you do, only a nickname and your aggregate scores (and an optional guitar school) are synced via your iCloud account. You can leave and delete that data at any time. No ads, no third-party analytics, no selling your data. Purchases are handled by Apple.
Contents
01Who we are
FretPilot Pro ("the app", "we", "us", "our") is a fretboard-training app for iPhone. This Privacy Policy explains what information the app does and does not handle, and your choices. It applies to the FretPilot Pro iOS app and this website. The data controller for the purposes of UK GDPR and the EU GDPR is the developer of FretPilot Pro, reachable at theteam@fretpilot.pro.
02Microphone & audio
FretPilot Pro asks for permission to use your microphone so it can hear the note you play and time how quickly you find it on the neck. This is the core of how the app works.
- Processed live, on your device. Audio from the microphone is analysed in real time on your iPhone to detect pitch. The app only needs to know which note was played and when.
- Never recorded or saved. The app does not create audio files, does not keep recordings, and does not build a history of what your microphone heard.
- Never transmitted. No audio — and no data derived from your audio — is ever sent to us, to Apple, or to any third party. This is true even if you use the online scoreboard: only numeric scores sync, never audio.
- You're in control. You can grant or revoke microphone access at any time in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, or Settings → FretPilot Pro. Without microphone access the timing feature cannot work, but no audio is captured.
03Information stored on your device
To show your progress, the app saves a small amount of information locally on your iPhone. This typically includes:
- Your practice results — for example, response times per note, averages, and personal bests;
- Streaks, achievements, and aggregate statistics derived from your practice;
- App settings and preferences.
By default this information stays on your device, is not tied to your identity, and we do not have a copy of it. If you have iCloud backup enabled for the app, iOS may include this data in your own encrypted device backup under your Apple ID — that backup is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy, not by us.
04Online scoreboard & iCloud sync (optional)
FretPilot Pro includes an optional online scoreboard that lets you compare your progress with other players. It is off until you choose to join it by creating a profile in the app. If you never opt in, nothing in this section applies and your data stays on your device.
If you do opt in, the following is synced:
- An online name (nickname) you choose. Pick anything you like — it does not have to be, and we ask you not to make it, your real name.
- Aggregate scores per learner mode — such as your average solve time, accuracy, a combined ranking score, and how many notes you've practised. These are summary numbers, not a record of individual notes or sessions.
- An optional guitar school you select from a list, or a custom one you enter (with a link), so you can appear on a per-school leaderboard.
What is never synced: your microphone audio, any per-note or per-session detail, your real name, email, contacts, photos, or location.
- Where it's stored. This data is stored in Apple's CloudKit (the app's public database) and accessed through your device's iCloud account. Apple acts as our infrastructure provider and processes it under Apple's Privacy Policy. We do not operate our own servers.
- It's pseudonymous. Your scores are linked to your profile by a stable, anonymised identifier provided by iCloud — not by your name or email. We don't require you to create an account or password with us.
- It's public within the app. The whole point of a scoreboard is to be seen: your online name, chosen school, and scores are visible to other FretPilot players in the app's leaderboards.
- Moderation. Online names and any custom school name are checked on your device for obvious profanity before they're submitted, and we may remove names or entries that are offensive, misleading, or impersonate others.
- Lawful basis (GDPR). We process this data on the basis of your consent, given when you opt in. You can withdraw it at any time (see Retention, opt-out & deletion).
05Purchases & Apple's role
FretPilot Pro offers an auto-renewing subscription (with a free trial) sold through Apple's App Store. We never see or receive your payment details. All billing, payment, and subscription management is handled by Apple under your Apple ID.
Because the app is distributed through the App Store, Apple processes purchase and subscription information and may provide us with aggregated, anonymised reports — such as total downloads, subscriber counts, and aggregate crash or usage statistics. These reports do not identify you. Apple's collection and use of data is described in Apple's Privacy Policy. Subscription terms are set out in our Terms of Use.
06What we don't collect
To be explicit, FretPilot Pro does not:
- require you to create an account or password with us, or give your real name or email (the optional scoreboard uses your existing iCloud and a nickname you choose);
- collect your contacts, photos, location, or device identifiers for advertising;
- record or store audio from your microphone;
- include third-party advertising networks or ad tracking;
- include third-party analytics or marketing SDKs;
- sell or rent your personal information.
07Sharing & disclosure
We do not sell your data or share it with advertisers. Data is handled by:
- Apple — operates the App Store, processes purchases, and provides the iCloud and CloudKit infrastructure used by the optional scoreboard.
- Other players — if you opt in to the scoreboard, your online name, school, and scores are shown to other FretPilot users, as described above.
We may disclose information if required to do so by law, or to protect our rights and the safety of our users. Outside of the optional scoreboard, we hold no personal data about you that could be disclosed.
08Retention, opt-out & deletion
On-device data. Your practice data lives on your device for as long as the app is installed. Deleting the app removes it, and you can reset your statistics from within the app.
Online scoreboard data. Joining the scoreboard is opt-in, and leaving is just as easy:
- You can turn off syncing at any time in the app's profile settings — your local practice continues as normal.
- You can delete your online profile and all of your synced scores from within the app, which removes them from the scoreboard.
- If you'd prefer, email theteam@fretpilot.pro from the device's region and we will delete all of your data on request. We aim to action deletion requests promptly; residual copies may persist briefly in routine backups before being overwritten.
For App Store purchase records held by Apple, contact Apple Support or manage your subscriptions in your Apple ID account settings.
09Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the UK GDPR, the EU GDPR, or the California Consumer Privacy Act), you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or port your personal data, and to object to or restrict its processing or withdraw consent. For on-device data you can exercise most of these directly — by viewing, resetting, or deleting it on your device. For optional scoreboard data, you can edit your online name and school, or delete your profile and scores, from within the app, and you can withdraw consent at any time by leaving the scoreboard. To make any request or ask a question, contact us at theteam@fretpilot.pro and we will help. You also have the right to complain to your local data-protection authority.
10Children's privacy
FretPilot Pro is a general-audience app and is not directed at children under 13, and the optional online scoreboard is intended for a general audience. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has created an online profile, contact us at theteam@fretpilot.pro and we will remove it.
11Security
Keeping practice data on your device — rather than on a server — is itself a privacy and security measure. Where data is synced for the optional scoreboard, it is limited to a nickname, an optional school, and aggregate scores, and is protected by Apple's iCloud/CloudKit infrastructure. Data stored on your iPhone is protected by iOS and your device passcode/biometric lock. No method of electronic storage is ever completely secure, but by design we minimise the data that exists in the first place.
12Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time — for example, if the app adds a feature that changes how data is handled. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page, and for material changes we will provide a more prominent notice. Continued use of the app after an update means you accept the revised policy.
13Contact us
Questions about this Privacy Policy or your data? Email theteam@fretpilot.pro and we'll get back to you.