Pop Puzzle Privacy Policy
Pop Puzzle is a falling gem puzzle game made by Smarter Futures LLC ("we"). This policy explains what the game does with information about you. We wrote it to be short and plain.
- Players who have not bought anything see ads from Google AdMob on the game's menu screens, never during play. Google's ad tools collect some device information for that (see "Ads"). Anyone who has bought anything sees no ads.
- The game sends anonymous game stats, such as which modes are played and when a purchase or an ad video happens, to our server and to Google Analytics for Firebase, so we can improve the game and see which of our ads work (see "Game stats"). You can turn this off in Settings > Share anonymous game stats. In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland it is off unless you turn it on.
- The game has no crash reporting.
- No account, no sign-in, no email address. We never ask for your name; your Daily leaderboard name is made up by the game.
- No location, contacts, photos, camera or microphone.
- Your saves stay on your phone. Data only leaves your phone when you play Online, use the Daily challenge, buy something, see ads, or have game stats on.
- When the game opens, it asks our server for the current date so daily rewards are fair. That request carries no information about you.
- Payments are handled by Google Play or Apple. We never see your card or payment details.
Information on your phone
When you first open the game it creates a random player ID, a string of letters and numbers that is not linked to your name, your Google account or your device's hardware. Your progress, settings, gems, items and a record of what you bought are saved on your phone with that ID. This stays on your phone. Uninstalling the game deletes it.
If you use Android's own device backup, Android may include the game's save in your personal Google account backup. On iPhone, your save may be included in your iCloud or computer backup. Those backups are controlled by you and Google or Apple; we cannot see them.
Online play
When you play Online (quick match or a friend code), the game sends our game server your player ID and your moves during the match (where each piece lands), so the server can pair you with an opponent, pass moves between you and check the result. A match's data is deleted shortly after the match ends.
Daily challenge leaderboard
When you open the Daily challenge, the game asks our server for that day's leaderboard and sends your player ID so it can show your own rank. That request is answered and not stored.
When you submit a Daily challenge score, the game sends your player ID, your leaderboard name, and the moves of your run, which the server replays to confirm the score. The game makes your leaderboard name from fixed word lists: an adjective, a noun and a number, such as JollyDumpling4821. You can roll a new one at any time, but no one can type one, so it never contains your real name. Your leaderboard name and score appear on that day's public leaderboard. To stop people flooding the board, the server also uses your internet (IP) address to limit how often scores can be sent. Each day's leaderboard, including those addresses, is deleted automatically 31 days later.
Game stats
To learn how the game is played and to improve it, the game sends a few anonymous facts about play while Settings > Share anonymous game stats is on. It is on unless you turn it off, except in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland (where Google's consent form applies), where it stays off until you turn it on.
To our server. The game makes a random stats ID on your phone. It is not your player ID, and it is not linked to your name, an account, an email address, your advertising ID or your device's hardware. With it, the game sends: the day the game was installed, the app version, whether the phone is Android or iPhone, and these events: the game opened, a play session started, a mode was played and a match or run won, lost or ended, a purchase was made (which item, and its price and currency when the store tells the game), an ad video was watched, energy was refilled, the daily gift was collected, and the first Arcade clear. They are sent at most every few minutes, and not at all while you are offline. We use them only as totals, such as how many people play each mode or come back the next day. They are stored with Cloudflare (our server's provider) for 3 months, then deleted. Your IP address is not stored with them.
To Google Analytics for Firebase. On Android and iPhone the same key events (modes played, matches won or lost, purchases, ad videos, the daily gift, energy refills and the first Arcade clear) also go to Google Analytics for Firebase, Google's app analytics service. Google's tools also record on their own when the app is first opened, play sessions and, on Android, Google Play purchases. With them, Google collects an app-instance ID that its tools make for this app, your device's advertising ID on Android (or, on iPhone, its advertising identifier only if you allow tracking), a shortened (masked) IP address that Google uses to estimate your general location (country or city, never your exact location), and device and app information such as the phone model, system version and app version. Google provides the analytics to us and, outside the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, lets us use these events to measure our Google Ads campaigns and AdMob (for example, whether an ad led to an install or a purchase). In those three regions the game tells Google not to use them for ads, even when stats are on. Google handles this under the Google privacy policy; see also How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services. Google Analytics keeps the detailed data for 2 months (its reports keep only totals). We never send Google your player ID, your stats ID or your leaderboard name.
Turning the switch off stops both: nothing more is sent to our server, any stats still waiting on the phone are deleted, and Google Analytics for Firebase stops collecting.
Where the server runs
Our game server runs on Cloudflare. Like any internet service, Cloudflare handles your IP address to deliver the connection and protect the service from attacks. Cloudflare acts as our service provider: it processes this information only to run the service for us, and it is bound to protect it at least as well as this policy describes. See the Cloudflare privacy policy. All connections between the game and our server are encrypted (HTTPS and secure WebSockets).
Purchases
In-app purchases are processed by Google Play under the Google privacy policy. Google handles your payment details and billing account. The game receives a purchase confirmation from Google Play (an order ID and a purchase token) so it can unlock what you bought. To match a purchase to your save, the game gives Google Play an anonymous code made from your random player ID. We do not receive your card number, your name or your email address.
On iPhone, in-app purchases are processed by Apple under the Apple privacy policy. Apple handles your payment details and Apple Account. The game receives a purchase confirmation from Apple so it can unlock what you bought, and gives Apple an anonymous code made from your random player ID to match the purchase to your save. We do not receive your card number, your name or your email address.
Ads
To keep the game free, players who have not bought anything see ads from AdMob, Google's ad service: a banner at the top of the menu screens, and, only if you choose to watch one, a short video for extra energy. There are never ads during play. Once you buy anything in the game, the ads stop for good, and the game no longer starts Google's ad tools. (Game stats, above, are separate and follow their own switch.)
While ads can show, Google's ad tools in the game collect and send to Google:
- your device's advertising ID (on Android) or, if you allow it, its advertising identifier (on iPhone), and other identifiers that Google's tools create for the app;
- your IP address, which Google may use to estimate your general location (city or region, never your exact location);
- information about the ads you see and tap, and about how the app runs, such as when it starts, how fast it responds and whether it crashes.
Google uses this to choose and show ads, measure how ads perform, and prevent fraud and abuse. Google handles it under the Google privacy policy; see also How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services. We do not receive this information ourselves: we only see totals, such as how many ads were shown. We never send Google your player ID or your leaderboard name. With game stats on, Google Analytics for Firebase also receives the events described under "Game stats", purchases included.
Ads are rated for general audiences with parental guidance (PG) at most, and we block ads about gambling, dating and get rich quick schemes.
Your ad choices:
- In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, the game asks for your consent with Google's consent form before any ad is shown. If you say no, you still see ads, but they are not personalized for you.
- Some US state laws call the use of this information for personalized ads a "sale" or "sharing". Where those laws apply, you can opt out in the same form.
- You can change your choices at any time in Settings > Privacy choices (shown where the law requires it).
- On iPhone, the game asks once whether ads may track you. If you choose "Ask App Not to Track", Google does not get your device's advertising identifier and ads are not personalized based on tracking. You can change this in iPhone Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.
- On Android, you can reset or delete your advertising ID in your phone's Settings > Privacy > Ads (on some phones, Settings > Google > Ads).
- Buying anything in the game turns ads off for good.
What the game does not do
- It has no crash reporting, and no analytics beyond the game stats described above, which you can turn off.
- We do not sell or rent any information for money, and we share it only as this policy describes: with the service providers named above who run the service for us, and with Google for ads and analytics.
- We do not build profiles about you.
Summary table
| Information | When it is sent | Why | How long we keep it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Random player ID | Online play, Daily challenge. With a purchase, an anonymous code made from it goes to Google Play or Apple, not to us | To run matches and the leaderboard, and to match a purchase to your save | Match: deleted after it ends. Leaderboard: 31 days |
| Leaderboard name (made by the game) | When you submit a Daily score | Shown on the public leaderboard | 31 days |
| Gameplay moves and scores | Online play, Daily leaderboard | To relay moves and check results | Match: deleted after it ends. Daily: 31 days |
| IP address | Any connection to the server | Delivering the connection, limiting abuse | With that day's leaderboard, 31 days |
| Purchase confirmation | When you buy something | To unlock the purchase on your phone | On your phone only |
| Advertising ID and other device identifiers, IP address, ad and app activity (collected by Google AdMob) | While ads can show, only to players who have not bought anything | Google: to show and measure ads and prevent fraud | Kept by Google under its privacy policy; we do not receive it |
| Random stats ID, install day, app version, platform, game events (modes, match results, purchases and their price, ad videos, refills, daily gifts, first Arcade clear) | While Settings > Share anonymous game stats is on | Totals that show how the game is played, to improve it | 3 months, then deleted |
| App-instance ID, advertising ID (Android; iPhone only if you allow tracking), masked IP address for general location, device and app information, the same game events and Google Play purchases (collected by Google Analytics for Firebase) | While Settings > Share anonymous game stats is on | Analytics for us; outside the EEA, the UK and Switzerland also measuring our Google Ads and AdMob | 2 months in Google Analytics; Google keeps it under its privacy policy |
Your choices
- Settings > Share anonymous game stats turns game stats off (or on) at any time.
- With game stats off, you can play Arcade, Versus CPU, Puzzles and Endless without sending anything to us.
- You choose whether to submit Daily scores, and you can roll a new leaderboard name whenever you like.
- Leaderboard entries expire on their own after 31 days. To have one removed sooner, email us the date and your leaderboard name and we will delete it.
- Uninstalling the game removes everything stored on your phone.
- Your ad choices are listed under "Ads" above.
Children
Pop Puzzle is made for adults and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child has submitted information through the game, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes
This policy describes the game as it is today. If a future version changes how the game handles information, for example by adding crash reporting, we will update this page and its effective date before that version is released. If a change is significant, we will also say so in the game.
Contact
Questions or requests: fullvaluedan@gmail.com