Why KINO is a website, not an app

KINO isn't in the app stores, and that's a choice rather than an oversight. It's worth explaining, because it shapes a lot about how the game feels to use.

The first reason is friction. An app means a download and an icon on your phone, and usually an account before you can do anything. KINO asks for none of that. You open a link and you're playing. If a friend sends you today's puzzle you're in it a couple of seconds later, with no store page and no sign-up. For a game that lives on being passed around, that speed matters more to me than anything a native app would add.

The second reason is that I didn't want your details. No account means no email and no password. I'm not building a mailing list, and I'd rather not be responsible for holding data I don't need. Your scores live on your own device, in the browser, and they never leave it. That keeps the privacy policy short and honest, because I don't collect anything to leak in the first place.

There's a trade-off, and it's worth being upfront about. Because your history sits in the browser rather than on a server, clearing your browsing data will wipe your KINO stats with it. If you've got a streak going, that's the thing to watch. There's no way for me to restore it, because I never had a copy.

It shapes how sharing works, too. I can't send you a notification to pull you back tomorrow, and I can't email you when there's a new puzzle, because I've no way to reach you. So KINO spreads one way only: you finishing a puzzle and choosing to send your result to someone. No notifications, no nudging. It just moves from person to person because people want to pass it on.

I think that's the right shape for something like this. A daily puzzle should be light. You shouldn't have to install anything or hand over an email to spend two minutes guessing a film. If you want to see how far the no-install thing goes, try something meaty like #0010 on your phone right now, straight from this page.