Android app privacy policy

1. Game progress and notes

The app saves your case answers, notes, pinned clues, earned stars, unlocked hints, tutorial progress and preferences in app-private storage on your device. These records let you close the app and return to your investigation. This edition does not require a player account or automatically synchronise your casework to a publisher account server.

The publisher cannot remotely read, retrieve or erase those local saves. Resetting progress, clearing the app’s data or uninstalling can remove them. Use My saves to export a backup before doing so if you want to keep your work. The separate ad-test app has its own saves.

2. Backups you choose to share

Exported backups include your game progress and notes. You choose where to save or share the file using Android’s file and sharing controls. Exporting does not automatically send the backup to the publisher. Importing reads the backup file that you choose. Other apps or cloud services you select handle the shared copy under their own policies.

3. Optional rewarded hint ads

Normal case play does not require watching ads. In the rewarded-ad test edition, the first hint in each case is free. You can choose to watch a Google demo rewarded ad for one additional hint. A hint is granted only when the advertising service reports that the reward was earned. An ad that is unavailable or dismissed without an earned reward does not consume or unlock a hint. Ads need an internet connection.

The advertising edition uses Google’s Mobile Ads SDK to request and display ads and its User Messaging Platform to manage privacy forms and choices. The game does not send your case answers, notebook text or backup contents to those advertising tools.

When the advertising tools are used, Google’s SDK collects and shares information for advertising, measurement and fraud prevention. This includes your IP address, which can indicate a general location; interactions such as app launches, taps and ad views; performance and diagnostic information; and available device or account-related identifiers, such as Android’s advertising ID and app set ID. Google states that data collected by its Mobile Ads SDK is encrypted in transit.

Google and, when applicable, the advertising partners identified in the consent information handle advertising data under their respective policies. See Google’s Privacy Policy, how Google uses information from partner services and Google’s advertising data disclosures.

4. Advertising privacy choices

The advertising edition checks the consent information provided by Google before requesting an ad and presents a form when required by the configured service. Choosing to watch a rewarded ad is separate from consenting to the use of information for advertising. Where available, the form lets you review partners and purposes and accept, decline or manage your choices.

Open Settings → Advertising privacy choices in the advertising edition to revisit the privacy options available for your region and setup. If the form or required setup is unavailable, the app reports that advertising privacy setup is not ready; it does not bypass the consent check. Earlier ad-free editions do not display this advertising control.

You can also use Android’s advertising-ID controls to reset or delete the advertising ID where supported. Changing advertising choices does not automatically erase records already held by Google or another service; use that service’s privacy controls or contact it to exercise applicable data rights.

5. Contact, retention and requests

If you email the publisher, your email address, message and attachments are used to respond to and manage your request. Correspondence is handled through Gmail under Google’s Privacy Policy and retained only as needed to handle the request, maintain necessary records and meet applicable obligations.

Local game records stay on your device until you remove them or Android removes the app’s data. You control exported backup copies. Google’s privacy information explains its handling and retention of advertising data. For requests about information you have sent to the publisher, contact Joel Walaa at joelwalaaw@gmail.com. Do not send passwords or payment details.

6. This policy page and external links

Cloudflare hosts this public policy page. Delivering and protecting it can involve technical request information such as your IP address, browser information, requested page and request time, as described in the website policy and Cloudflare Privacy Policy. This policy page contains no advertising or consent-message scripts.

If you open another service, such as the game’s YouTube channel or a Google information page, that service handles your visit under its own policy.

7. Changes to this policy

We will update this page when the app’s practices change, including before live advertising, player accounts or automatic cloud syncing are introduced. The date above identifies the current policy. For privacy questions, email joelwalaaw@gmail.com.