OFFCHORDS · LEGAL

How it works, terms, and privacy

Effective 16 September 2026. One page, so there is one place to read the whole thing.

How OffChords handles chords and lyrics

OffChords is built the way a browser's Reading List — or an app like Pocket — works, applied to chord sheets. It is not built the way a chord database works. That distinction is the whole design, and it is why the app does not raise the concerns a lyrics or tab repository would.

What OffChords does not do

  • OffChords does not ship, sell, license, or host any catalogue of song lyrics or chords. The application itself contains none.
  • OffChords has no feature that lets one person browse, search, or discover another person's saved songs. There is no public catalogue, no "explore," and no API that returns a saved song to anyone but the person who saved it.
  • OffChords does not strip attribution. Every saved song keeps a visible link back to the page it was read from.
  • OffChords does not crawl, index, or bulk-download any website. It has no automated collection process of any kind.

What happens when a song is saved

01

The user searches for a song, or opens a specific link. OffChords opens that public page in an in-app browser — the same page the user's own browser could open.

02

If that page displays a chord sheet, OffChords reads the text already rendered on the page and offers to save a personal copy for offline reading — the same function as a browser's "Save for offline," or a read-it-later app caching an article the reader opened. Each save is one person, acting on one page they individually chose to open; nothing is fetched without that individual request.

03

That personal copy — the text, the original source link, and the reader's own settings such as capo and transpose — is stored on the reader's device. Capo and transpose are display preferences applied when the sheet is shown; they are not edits made to the saved text.

Signing in and syncing

Creating a free account (with Apple or Google) is entirely optional and does one thing: it lets a user's library follow them to their other devices. If a user turns this on, the same personal copies described above are also stored in that user's own private account on OffChords' server — never shared, never public, never visible to any other user, never indexed by any search engine, and never served through any feature of the application to anyone other than that user, authenticated as themselves. This is the same category of service as a personal cloud backup keeping a copy of a file its owner saved. It is not a database of chords available to the public or to OffChords' operator for any purpose beyond providing the sync feature itself.

The "Popular Chords" list

Before a user has saved anything, the Search tab shows a starter list of well-known songs. That list consists of titles and artist names only — no links, and never the lyrics or chords themselves. Selecting an entry runs the same web search the user could have typed by hand, across the same set of sites, so the source of any given sheet is chosen by that search at the moment of reading rather than fixed in advance by OffChords. From there it is exactly the process described above. Nothing about the list itself constitutes a copy of anyone's work, and it directs no traffic to any particular site.

User control

  • A user may export their library to a plain-text file at any time.
  • A user may delete any individual song, or delete their account entirely. Account deletion removes every associated row from OffChords' server immediately.

Notice to rights holders

OffChords is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any website it can read a page from. If you are the owner or authorized representative of a website, and you believe OffChords' access to a specific page or domain is inconsistent with your rights, you may request that it be excluded from what the application reads.

To submit a request, write to play@offchords.com and include:

  • The specific domain or page you want excluded;
  • Identification of your rights in the material at that domain or page;
  • Your name and a means of contacting you; and
  • A statement that the request is made in good faith.

On receipt of a complete request, OffChords will exclude the specified domain or page from what the application reads — the exclusion ships in the next app update, normally within days — and will confirm to you once this is done.

Terms of Service

These terms govern use of the OffChords application ("OffChords," "the app"). By using OffChords, you agree to them.

The service

OffChords is provided free of charge, on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including any warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement of third-party rights arising from your use of the app to view content on third-party websites.

Accounts

Creating an account is optional and is done through Sign in with Apple or Sign in with Google. You are responsible for maintaining the security of those accounts. OffChords does not create, store, or have access to any password.

Acceptable use

You may use OffChords to view, save, and personally use chord sheets from pages you access through the app, for your own private, non-commercial purposes. You agree not to use OffChords to automate, script, or bulk-extract content at a scale beyond an individual person's own personal use, and not to use the app to build, populate, or supply a separate catalogue, database, or service. OffChords may suspend or terminate access for any use inconsistent with these terms.

Subscriptions

OffChords is free. An optional yearly Supporter subscription, bought through the App Store or Google Play, changes the app icon for as long as it is active and unlocks nothing else. The price is shown in the store before you buy. The subscription renews automatically each year unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the current period ends; you manage or cancel it in your App Store or Google Play account settings, and the store — not OffChords — handles billing and any refund under its own terms. If a subscription ends, the icon returns to the standard one. Nothing about your library changes.

Third-party websites

OffChords displays pages from websites operated by third parties who are not affiliated with OffChords. OffChords is not responsible for the content, availability, or accuracy of any third-party website, and your use of those websites is subject to their own terms.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, OffChords' developer will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from use of the app. OffChords' total liability for any claim relating to the app will not exceed the amount, if any, that you paid to use it — which for the application itself is zero.

Changes

These terms may be updated from time to time. Continued use of OffChords after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms. The effective date at the top of this page reflects the most recent change.

Privacy Policy

Local by default

With no account signed in, nothing about your library — the songs you save, or how you've set them up — ever leaves your device. There is no background collection of any kind.

If you sign in

Signing in uses Sign in with Apple or Sign in with Google. OffChords receives a unique identifier for your account and, if you choose to share them through that provider, a name and email address. It does not receive or store your Apple or Google password. If you enable sync, your saved songs — the same information described above — are also stored in your own account on OffChords' server, accessible only to you when authenticated.

If you subscribe

The app offers a yearly Supporter subscription. It changes the app icon on your home screen for as long as it runs — and that is all it does; nothing else in the app is behind it, because there are no ads and nothing is locked. We never see your payment details. The purchase happens entirely inside Apple's or Google's own payment sheet; they tell us only that a subscription to that product is active. No card number, billing address or name reaches us or the app. We use RevenueCat to talk to the two stores — it receives a random identifier for the installation and the identifier of the product bought, and is not given your name, your email, your OffChords account, or anything about your songs. The subscription is held against your Apple ID or Google account, not against your OffChords account, which is why it survives a reinstall and why "Restore purchases" asks the store rather than our server. When it ends, the icon returns to the standard one; your library is never affected.

What OffChords does not do

  • No advertising, and no advertising SDKs of any kind.
  • No third-party analytics or tracking libraries.
  • No sale, rental, or sharing of personal data with third parties.
  • No access to your photos, contacts, or location beyond a feature you explicitly use and grant permission for (for example, choosing a screenshot to import).

Retention and deletion

Data associated with an account is retained for as long as the account exists. Deleting your account, from within the app or by writing to play@offchords.com, removes it immediately and permanently.

Children

OffChords is not directed to children under 13, and does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under that age.

Your rights

You may access, export, or delete your data at any time using the in-app tools, or by writing to play@offchords.com.

Changes

If this policy changes in a way that affects what is collected or how it is used, the change will be reflected here with an updated effective date.