Privacy Policy

Magpie Codeword

This privacy policy explains how the Magpie Codeword app for iPhone and iPad (the "App") handles information. The App is made by Volodymyr Shcherbiuk, an individual developer ("I", "me"). I am responsible for the processing of personal data described in this policy, except where this policy says that another company decides how it uses the data.

The App works without an account. You do not need to register, log in, or give your name or email address to play.

This policy covers the App on iPhone and iPad. I will update it before a version for Android is released.

Information the App Does Not Collect

The App does not collect or ask for:

• your name, email address, phone number, or any account details;
• your precise location (the App does not use location services or GPS);
• your contacts, camera, microphone, or photos;
• the words and letters that you enter in the puzzles.

The App never asks for permission to track you (App Tracking Transparency). Because of this, neither the App nor the services in it can use the advertising identifier of your device, and the App does not track you across apps or websites owned by other companies.

Information Stored Only on Your Device

The App saves some information on your device so that it works as you expect: your settings (for example the theme, the spelling, and whether daily reminders are on), the game in progress, your statistics, your daily puzzle results and streaks, the achievements that the App has shown you, the tips that you have seen, how many games you played since the last ad, and a record of your Premium access. I do not receive this information. It is deleted when you delete the App. It can be part of the backup of your device, which Apple handles.

Daily Reminders

If you turn on daily reminders, iOS asks for permission to show notifications. The reminders are scheduled on your device. The App does not use a notification server, and I receive no information when a reminder shows.

Purchases

The App is free to play. It offers an optional one-time purchase, Codeword Premium, which removes the ads between games, unlocks every daily puzzle in the archive and every theme, and gives extra time in Blitz without an ad. Apple processes the payment through your Apple Account (see the Apple Privacy Policy). I never receive your payment card details, the email address of your Apple Account, or your name.

To confirm purchases, restore them on a new device, and give you Premium access, the App uses RevenueCat, a purchase management service provided by RevenueCat, Inc. (USA). RevenueCat receives:

• a random, anonymous customer identifier that the App creates; it is not linked to your name or to the email address of your Apple Account;
• information about your purchase, such as the product, the purchase date, the price, the currency, and the country or region of your Apple Account;
• technical information that the service needs to work, such as the App version, your device model, the operating system version, and your IP address.

This information is used only to process and verify purchases, provide and restore Premium access, prevent fraud, and meet legal and accounting obligations. It is not used for advertising and it is not sold. RevenueCat processes it on my behalf. See the RevenueCat Privacy Policy.

Ads

Without Premium, the App shows a full-screen ad before some new games, at most once every few minutes. It also offers rewarded ads, which play only when you tap to watch one: for example to get sixty more seconds when the time runs out in Blitz, or to open an older daily puzzle. The daily puzzle, the tutorial, and a game that you continue or restart never show an ad.

The ads are provided by Google AdMob, a service of Google (Google Ireland Limited in the European Economic Area and Switzerland, Google LLC elsewhere). When the App loads or shows an ad, the Google Mobile Ads software in the App sends information to Google, for example:

• your IP address, from which Google can estimate a general location;
• information about your device and the App, such as the device model, operating system version, App version, and language;
• identifiers that Google's software creates for the App (not the advertising identifier of your device);
• information about the ad, such as whether it was shown, watched to the end, or tapped;
• technical and diagnostic information about the performance of the ads.

Google uses this information to deliver and measure ads, to prevent fraud and abuse, and, where you allow it, to show ads that are more relevant to you. Google decides how it uses this information for its own purposes. See How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services and the Google Privacy Policy.

Your choices:

• If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, Google's consent form appears in the App before any ad loads. You can accept, refuse, or choose your options. If you refuse, Google can still show limited ads that do not use your data to personalize ads.
• You can change your choice at any time in the App's Settings under "Privacy choices". This option appears where the law requires it.
• With Premium, the App shows no ads between games and gives the extra time in Blitz without an ad.

To find out whether the consent form is needed where you are, the App sends a short request to Google's consent service (User Messaging Platform) when it starts.

Analytics and Crash Reports

To understand how the game is played and to find and fix crashes, the App uses two services of Firebase, provided by Google (Google Ireland Limited in the European Economic Area and Switzerland, Google LLC elsewhere):

• Google Analytics for Firebase collects a random identifier for each installation of the App (the "app instance ID"); events about how the game is used, for example the screens that you open, when you start and finish the tutorial, when you start and solve a puzzle (with its size, difficulty, mode, solving time, number of hints, and your daily streak), when the time runs out in Blitz, whether you accept daily reminders, and when you open the Premium screen and the result of a purchase; your theme, spelling, reminder setting, and whether you have Premium; your device model, operating system version, App version, and language; and a general location (for example the country or city) that Google derives from your IP address.
• Firebase Crashlytics collects crash reports when the App stops working or meets an unexpected error, including technical details of the error, the state of the App at that moment, device and operating system information, and an installation identifier.

The App never sends your name, a player or Game Center identifier, or the words that you play. It does not give Firebase the advertising identifier of your device, and the analytics data is not used for advertising.

Your choice: if you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, Google Analytics stays off until you allow Google to store and access information on your device in Google's consent form. You can change this at any time under "Privacy choices" in the App's Settings. Elsewhere, Google Analytics is on. Crash reports are always sent, because they are needed to find and fix errors.

Google processes this information on my behalf. See Privacy and Security in Firebase and the Google Privacy Policy.

Game Center

If you are signed in to Game Center on your device, the App sends your achievements and your longest daily streak to Apple Game Center. Apple shows them to you and, depending on your Game Center settings, to other players. The App does not store your Game Center name or player identifier. Apple handles this information under the Apple Privacy Policy. You can sign out of Game Center in the Settings app of your device.

Feedback and Sharing

If you send feedback from the App, it opens your mail app with an email to me. The email includes the App version and your device model, so that I can find a bug faster. I receive your email address and your message only if you send the email, and I use them only to answer you.

When you share a result or the App, iOS opens its share sheet, and the text goes only to the app or person that you choose.

Legal Basis for Processing

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland:

• purchase information is processed because it is necessary to perform the contract for your purchase (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR), and, for fraud prevention and the security of the service, on the basis of legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR); records of transactions are also kept to meet legal and tax obligations (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR);
• analytics information is processed on the basis of your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR), which you can withdraw at any time under "Privacy choices";
• crash reports are processed on the basis of legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR): to find and fix errors and keep the App working;
• where the law requires consent for ads, for example to store or read information on your device or to personalize ads, Google asks for your consent in its consent form (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR); ad measurement and fraud prevention are based on legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR); a rewarded ad is shown because you ask for it in return for the reward (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR).

International Transfers

RevenueCat and Google may process information in the United States and other countries. Where the law requires it, these transfers are protected by appropriate safeguards, such as the Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.

Data Retention

Information stored on your device is kept until you delete the App. Purchase information held by RevenueCat is kept as long as it is needed to provide and restore your Premium access, and after that only as long as legal, tax, or accounting rules require. Firebase keeps analytics and crash data only for a limited period, according to the retention settings of Firebase and Google Analytics (for example, Crashlytics keeps crash reports for 90 days). Google keeps information about ads according to its own retention policies.

Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you can have the right to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of your personal data, to restrict or object to its processing, to withdraw your consent, and to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority. In Poland, this is the President of the Personal Data Protection Office (UODO); in other countries, it is your local authority.

Because the App does not use accounts, I cannot link a request to you without some details. To make a request about a purchase, email me and include the date of your purchase and, if possible, the order ID from Apple's receipt email. I will answer within 30 days.

For information that Google processes for ads, you can also use Google's own tools, for example My Ad Center.

I do not sell personal information. Google AdMob can use information such as your IP address to choose ads, which some US state laws can treat as "sharing" for targeted advertising. To avoid ads between games, you can get Premium.

Children

The App is suitable for all ages, but it is not directed at children. Because it shows ads, it is meant for people aged 13 and older. I do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe that a child has given personal information through the App, contact me and I will delete it.

Security

I use reasonable measures to protect information. Purchase, analytics, crash, and ad information is sent over encrypted connections. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but the App keeps the amount of information to the minimum that it needs.

Changes to This Policy

I can update this policy, for example when the App gets new features. I will publish the new version on this page and change the effective date at the top. If a change is significant, I will also tell you in the App or in the release notes on the App Store.

Contact

If you have questions about this policy or about your data, contact me at forma.simulation@gmail.com.