// Privacy Overview

Privacy Policy

1. General Information

This Privacy Policy explains how the developer ("we", "us") collects, uses, and protects user information in the mobile application "HideZone - IRL Hide and Seek". We take your privacy seriously. The core principle of our app is data minimalism: we do not store your movement profiles or chat history permanently.

2. Data We Collect and Process

To provide the game functionality (Real-Life Hide and Seek), the app requires access to the following data:

• Location Data (GPS & Background Location): The app collects your precise location data only while you are in an active game round (including when the app is in the background or screen is locked) to continuously sync positions with your lobby players, check shrinking zone bounds, and process tag distance.
• User-Generated Content (Chat): The app includes a chat feature allowing players to communicate during a game. Messages are transmitted via our servers to other players in the lobby.
• Anonymous Account Identifier: We use Firebase Anonymous Authentication to assign a transient session token to your client so you can host or join lobbies without requiring personal sign-up details (email/password/social logins).
• Technical Diagnostics & Crash Analytics: Non-personal technical metrics (device model, OS version, performance logs, and stack traces) are collected via Firebase Analytics and Firebase Crashlytics to diagnose crashes and maintain service stability.

3. Data Retention and Deletion (Ephemeral Processing)

We strictly adhere to a policy of immediate deletion.

• Temporary Storage: Location data, game states, and chat messages are stored on our servers exclusively for the duration of the active game round.
• Immediate Deletion: As soon as a game round ends (via time limit or game completion), all game-related data—including chat history and location logs—is automatically and permanently deleted from our servers.
• No Archiving: We do not create or store permanent movement profiles or chat logs of our users.

4. Third-Party Services

We use trusted third-party services to support the app's infrastructure, real-time sync, and monetization. These providers process data according to their respective privacy policies:

• Google Firebase (Authentication, Realtime Database, Analytics, Crashlytics): We use Firebase for anonymous lobby authorization, ephemeral game sync, stability monitoring, and performance telemetry.
  Google / Firebase Privacy Policy
• Google AdMob (Advertising): We use Google AdMob to display advertisements in non-Pro lobbies. AdMob may use your device's Advertising ID to show personalized or non-personalized ads.
  Google Privacy Policy
• Google Play Billing / Apple StoreKit (In-App Purchases): Payments for premium features (e.g., "Pro" upgrades) are processed entirely by Google Play or Apple. We do not have access to your credit card or payment details.
• RevenueCat (Purchase & Subscription Management): We use RevenueCat to validate in-app purchases and subscription entitlements. RevenueCat processes anonymous purchase receipts to verify your subscription status.
  RevenueCat Privacy Policy

5. App Permissions

The app requests the following permissions for the described purposes:

• ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION & ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION / iOS Location Always: Required to calculate your distance to zones, track active position during gameplay, and maintain live game balance even when the device is locked or the app is minimized during a match.
• INTERNET & FOREGROUND_SERVICE: Required to maintain connection to Firebase servers and run the location service during live matches.
• POST_NOTIFICATIONS: Required to alert you when game rounds start, zone shrink countdowns trigger, or ping reveals occur.
• App Tracking Transparency (iOS NSUserTrackingUsageDescription): Requested on iOS to allow Google AdMob to serve relevant ads (if consented by the user).

6. User Rights (GDPR & CCPA)

Since we are based in Germany, we strictly adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable privacy laws. You have the right to access, correct, port, and request the deletion of your personal data. However, because we process data ephemerally and do not store any permanent records after a game session ends, there is practically no personal data retained that could be exported or deleted upon request. This zero-storage architecture ensures your rights are upheld by design.

7. Children's Privacy

Our app is designed to be safe for users of all ages, including children under 13 (as per US COPPA) and under 16 (as per EU GDPR-K). We achieve this by adhering to a strict "No Permanent Data Collection" policy. We do not collect, store, or share Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from any user. Location data and chat messages are ephemeral, used exclusively for the duration of a live game, and are instantly deleted when the session ends. Because free-text chat is available during games, we encourage parents to monitor their children's app usage.

8. Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle data, please contact us at:
Email: dramileydev@gmail.com