Choodoku - Privacy Policy

This policy explains what happens to your data when you play Choodoku, a puzzle game for iPhone and iPad (iOS) and for Android phones and tablets (the “app”). The app is made by Andrej Mazic (“I”, “me”, “the developer”), an independent developer. Where the two versions differ, this page says so.

1. Who is responsible

The developer of Choodoku is Andrej Mazic, e-mail support@mazzox.com.

For the data that Google collects through ads (section 5), Google is responsible for its own processing under the Google Privacy Policy. On iOS, Apple is responsible for iCloud, Game Center and purchases under the Apple Privacy Policy. On Android, Google is responsible for Google Play Games, Android backup and Google Play purchases under the Google Privacy Policy.

2. Data on your device

To work, the app saves on your device:

• your game progress: solved levels and daily puzzles, best times, hints used, streaks, your hint balance, unfinished games and whether you finished the tutorial;
• your settings and the avatar you picked;
• a random identifier created by the app for your device, used only to merge your progress correctly between your own devices. It is not your advertising identifier and it is never sent to me or to any advertiser.

This data is not sent to me. It stays on your device, and in your private sync storage if you use sync (section 3).

Android backup: if Android’s backup is on, Android includes your progress and settings in your device backup in your Google Account, so they come back when you reinstall the app or move to a new phone. The device identifier above is never included. You control this in Android Settings → Google → Backup. (On iOS, your iPhone or iPad backup works the same way.)

3. Progress sync

iOS: iCloud

If you are signed in to iCloud, the app copies your progress, settings, avatar and hint balance to the app’s area of your own private iCloud database, so your other iPhones and iPads signed in to the same Apple Account get them too. The game data is stored in encrypted fields, protected with your iCloud keys. Apple stores it as part of your iCloud account. I cannot see or access your private iCloud data, and no one else can either.

Android: Google Play Games

If you are signed in to Google Play Games, the app saves the same progress, settings, avatar and hint balance as one saved game in your Google Play Games account, so your other Android devices signed in to the same account get them too. Google stores it as part of your Google Account and sends it over encrypted connections. Only the app, running on your own devices while you are signed in, can read it; I cannot see or access your saved game. To tell your accounts apart, the app keeps a scrambled (hashed) form of your Play Games player ID on your device only.

If sync is off (no iCloud, or not signed in to Google Play Games), everything stays on your device only. The game works the same either way. iCloud and Google Play Games are separate: progress does not move between an iPhone and an Android phone.

4. Leaderboards and achievements

If you are signed in to Game Center (iOS) or Google Play Games (Android), the app sends your scores (daily puzzle time, routes per week, total passengers) and your achievements to that service. Other players can see your nickname, profile picture and scores according to your Game Center or Play Games profile settings. Game Center is operated by Apple, Google Play Games by Google. The app does not send your player identity anywhere else. You can sign out in iOS Settings or in the Google Play Games settings; the game keeps working without it.

5. Advertising (Google AdMob)

Choodoku is free to play and is supported by ads from Google AdMob, a service of Google. The app shows two kinds of ads:

• a short full-screen ad between levels, from time to time (not if you bought “Remove Ads”);
• a video you can choose to watch to earn a free hint (only when you tap the Hint button with no hints left).

To show ads, limit how often you see them, prevent fraud and measure how ads perform, Google’s software in the app (the Google Mobile Ads SDK) collects and processes the following data:

Google and its advertising partners may use cookies-like technologies, identifiers and your IP address to collect this information. If you allow it (tracking on iOS, ads personalisation on Android) and, where required, give consent, ads can be personalised to your interests. If you don’t, you still see ads, but they are not based on your advertising identifier or on a profile of you (in the EU, UK and Switzerland, Google then shows “limited” or non-personalised ads).

I have set the ad controls to block ads that are not suitable for a general audience (for example gambling, alcohol and dating ads).

I do not receive any of this data about you personally; AdMob gives me only overall statistics (for example how many ads were shown and how much they earned).

Learn more: How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services · Google Privacy Policy · How Google uses advertising data.

6. Consent and tracking choices

European Economic Area, United Kingdom and Switzerland

Before any ad is loaded, the app shows Google’s consent message, where you can Consent, Do not consent, or choose purposes and partners under Manage options. The legal basis for personalised advertising and for storing or reading information on your device for ads is your consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a) and the ePrivacy rules). If you don’t consent, Google may still show non-personalised or limited ads on the basis of its legitimate interests (for example fraud prevention), as described in Google’s policies. You can change or withdraw your choice at any time under Settings → Ads & privacy → Privacy choices in the app.

United States

If you live in a US state with a privacy law that gives you the right to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information for targeted advertising, you can use Settings → Ads & privacy → Privacy choices in the app to opt out.

iOS: App Tracking Transparency (all countries)

iOS asks you whether the app may track you. The app first explains why on a short screen, then iOS shows its own prompt. If you choose Ask App Not to Track, your advertising identifier is not used and ads are not personalised with it. Your choice never changes the game: hints, rewards and purchases work exactly the same. You can change it at any time in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.

Android: advertising ID (all countries)

On Android you can delete or reset your advertising ID at any time in Android Settings → Privacy → Ads (on some devices Settings → Google → Ads). Once it is deleted, apps and Google’s ad software no longer receive it and ads are not personalised with it. Your choice never changes the game.

7. In-app purchase

The app offers one optional purchase, “Remove Ads”, which turns off the ads between levels. Payment is processed entirely by Apple through the App Store (iOS) or by Google Play (Android); I never see your name, payment details, Apple Account or Google Account. The app only checks with the store, on your device, whether the purchase belongs to your account, so it can restore it on your other devices (“Restore purchases” in Settings). The two stores are separate: a purchase on iOS does not carry over to Android, or the other way round.

8. Analytics and crash reports

• No analytics service. The app does not use any analytics or tracking service of its own and does not send usage data to me.
• Apple’s crash reports and App Analytics (iOS): if you have chosen in iOS Settings to share analytics with app developers, Apple may give me anonymous, aggregated crash reports and usage statistics. This is controlled by you in Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements.
• Google Play’s crash reports (Android): if you have chosen to share usage and diagnostics data with Google, Google Play may give me anonymous crash and “app not responding” reports and aggregated statistics. This is controlled by you in Android Settings → Google → Usage & diagnostics.

9. Children

Choodoku is a puzzle game for a general audience. It is not specifically directed at children, is not in the App Store’s Kids category and is not part of Google Play’s Families programme. I do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal data through the app, please contact me (section 14) and I will help, including with requests to Google where needed.

10. Keeping and deleting data

• On your device: kept until you delete the app. Settings → Reset progress in the app clears your solved levels, dailies and streaks on all your devices (your hints, settings and avatar stay).
• In iCloud (iOS): kept in your iCloud account until you delete it: iOS Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage → Choodoku → delete the data.
• In Google Play Games (Android): kept in your Google Account until you delete it: in the Google Play Games settings (Delete Play Games account & data) you can delete Choodoku’s data alone, or your whole Play Games account.
• Android backup: kept and deleted by Google as part of your device backup (Android Settings → Google → Backup).
• Game Center: managed by Apple in your Game Center account.
• Ad data: kept by Google according to its own retention policies (Google data retention).
• E-mails you send me: kept only as long as needed to answer you, then deleted.

11. Your rights

Depending on where you live (for example under the EU/UK GDPR or US state laws), you have the right to access, correct, delete or receive a copy of your personal data, to restrict or object to its processing, to withdraw consent at any time (without affecting earlier processing), and to lodge a complaint with the data protection authority in your country.

Because I don’t hold personal data about you, most requests are answered by the controls above: your progress is on your device and in your iCloud or Google Play Games account, your ad choices are in the app’s Privacy choices and in iOS or Android settings, and data collected by Google can be managed at My Ad Center and through Google’s privacy tools. You are also welcome to contact me with any question or request (section 14).

12. International transfers and security

Google and Apple may process data in countries outside your own, including the United States. They protect such transfers with legal safeguards such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses and the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, as described in their privacy policies. The app itself sends your game data only to your private iCloud database and Game Center (iOS) or to your Google Play Games account (Android), over encrypted connections.

13. Changes to this policy

If the app changes in a way that affects your privacy (for example a new service), I will update this page and the “Last updated” date above. Important changes will also be mentioned in the App Store and Google Play release notes.

14. Contact

Questions, requests, or an ad you found inappropriate? Write to support@mazzox.com. You can also use Settings → Ads & privacy → Report an ad in the app.