Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how the mobile game PuzzleMe - Jigsaw Puzzle ("PuzzleMe" or "the Game") handles information. The Game is developed and published by CTN Devs, an independent developer based in Romania ("I", "me").

I am the controller of the personal data described in this policy. You can contact me at any time at [email protected], and I will provide my full legal details on request.

2. Summary

• You do not need an account to play.
• Photos you use for custom puzzles never leave your device.
• Your progress, player name, and avatar are stored on your device. Cloud Sync with Google Play Games is off by default, and you decide whether to turn it on.
• The Game shows ads from Google AdMob and uses Firebase Analytics and Firebase Crashlytics. These services process device identifiers and technical data.
• Feedback you send, including any attached image, is deleted within 7 days.

3. Data Stored on Your Device

The Game stores the following information locally on your device:

• player name and avatar image
• statistics: puzzles started and completed, rewards collected, and time spent
• completed puzzles and saved puzzles in progress
• settings, such as music, sound, vibration, language, and the daily reminder
• cached puzzle images and puzzle information, so the Game loads faster and works offline

This data stays under your control and is deleted when you clear the Game's data or uninstall the Game. If backup is enabled on your device, Android may include this data in your device backup to your own Google account.

Daily reminder. The Game can send you one reminder a day about a puzzle waiting for you. It is off until you choose to turn it on, and you can turn it off again at any time in Settings, or in your phone's notification settings for the Game. On Android 13 and later, your device also asks you to allow notifications before any are sent.

The reminder is created entirely on your device and is not a push notification: nothing about it is sent to me or to any server, no account is involved, and the Game does not know whether you opened it. Only the reminder's own settings are stored locally, together with the data listed above. If you ignore several reminders in a row, the Game stops sending them by itself.

4. Cloud Sync (Google Play Games)

Cloud Sync is optional and turned off by default. When you turn it on in Settings → Cloud Data, the Game signs you in to Google Play Games and saves your player name, avatar, statistics, settings, and list of completed puzzles to Saved Games in your Google Play Games account. While Cloud Sync is on, changes are uploaded automatically.

When Cloud Sync is on, the Game signs in to Google Play Games automatically when it starts (Google may show a welcome message) and syncs in the background. Your progress from different devices is combined: completed puzzles from all devices are kept and, for statistics, the highest value is kept. When you turn Cloud Sync on and data already exists in the cloud, you choose whether to keep this device's data or the cloud data.

From the Game you can:

• turn Cloud Sync on or off at any time
• view your cloud data with Show Saved Data and upload it manually with Sync Now
• restore your data from the cloud, for example on a new device
• permanently delete your cloud data with Delete Data, which also turns Cloud Sync off

Saved Games are stored by Google in your account and are subject to Google's Privacy Policy. I do not have access to them.

5. Leaderboard (Google Play Games)

The Game has a "Top Puzzlers" leaderboard in Google Play Games. When you are signed in to Google Play Games, either by turning on Cloud Sync or by opening the leaderboard, your total rewards collected are submitted as your score automatically after each completed puzzle. Your score is shown to other players together with your Google Play Games profile name and avatar, according to your Google Play Games profile visibility settings.

6. Custom Puzzles and Avatar Images

You can create puzzles from photos on your device. The photo you choose is read and processed only on your device, and a temporary copy is kept in the Game's private storage while you play. It is never uploaded by the Game.

If you choose an avatar image, a resized copy is stored on your device and, only if Cloud Sync is on, saved with your data in your Google Play Games account, as described in section 4. It is never sent to me.

7. Puzzle Images (Firebase)

Puzzle images and puzzle information are stored in Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore and Firebase Storage) and downloaded to your device when needed. To deliver them, Google processes technical data such as your IP address. The Game also uses Firebase App Check with Google Play Integrity to verify that requests come from a genuine copy of the Game.

8. Advertising (Google AdMob)

The Game is free and supported by ads provided by Google AdMob:

• a banner ad is shown during gameplay
• a full-screen ad is shown only when you tap the hint button after the free hints for a puzzle have been used
• a full-screen rewarded ad is shown only if you choose to watch one to double your puzzle reward

Ads are limited to content suitable for teens and older. Google AdMob may collect and use your device's advertising ID, IP address, and information about your device and ad interactions to show ads, measure ad performance, and prevent fraud.

Consent. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the Game asks for your consent using Google's consent form (User Messaging Platform) before personalized ads are shown. If you do not consent, you may still see non-personalized ads. You can review or change your choices at any time in Settings → Info & Legal → Privacy Options. This option is shown only to users in regions where it applies (the EEA, the UK, and Switzerland).

You can also reset or delete your advertising ID, or opt out of ad personalization, in your device settings. More information about how Google uses data in advertising: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads

9. Analytics (Firebase Analytics)

The Game uses Google Firebase Analytics to understand how the Game is used and to improve it. Firebase Analytics automatically collects data such as an app instance identifier, device model, operating system version, app version, approximate location (country, derived from your IP address), and usage information such as sessions and screens viewed. This data is pseudonymous: it does not include your name or email address.

The Game also records a few gameplay events, such as starting, resuming, and completing a puzzle (category, difficulty, duration, and reward), using hints, and doubling a reward. These events do not include your name, email address, or photos.

If you are in the EEA, the UK, or Switzerland, analytics data is only collected after you answer the consent message shown by the Game, and usage analytics are only enabled if you agree to storing and accessing information on your device. You can change your choice at any time in Settings → Info & Legal → Privacy Options.

10. Crash Reports (Firebase Crashlytics)

The Game uses Google Firebase Crashlytics to collect crash reports so I can find and fix problems. A crash report contains technical information such as a Crashlytics installation identifier, device model, operating system version, available memory, the puzzle being played at the time of the crash, and the error details. It does not include your name, email address, or photos.

Reports may also include errors that did not close the Game (for example, a save that could not be read or a failed sync), short technical log messages describing what happened just before, and technical details such as the puzzle size and the device's memory. They do not include your name, email address, feedback text, or photos.

11. Feedback

The Game includes a Feedback / Bug Report feature. When you send feedback, the following is stored using Google Firebase:

• your feedback message
• your email address, only if you choose to provide it
• an image, only if you choose to attach one (resized and stored in Firebase Storage)
• the Game's version number and the time the feedback was sent

I use this information only to read your feedback, fix problems, and, if you left an email address, reply to you. Feedback, including any attached image, is deleted as soon as I have read it, and no later than 7 days after it is received. Please do not include sensitive personal information in your message or image.

12. Legal Bases for Processing

• Consent for personalized advertising and, in the EEA, the UK, and Switzerland, for usage analytics, where legally required. You can withdraw your consent at any time in Settings → Info & Legal → Privacy Options.
• Your request when you turn on Cloud Sync, use the leaderboard, or send feedback.
• Legitimate interest in showing non-personalized ads to keep the Game free, delivering game content, protecting the Game from abuse, usage analytics outside the EEA, the UK, and Switzerland, and fixing crashes.

13. Service Providers and International Transfers

The Game relies on services provided by Google: Google Play Games services, Google AdMob, and Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore, Storage, App Check, Analytics, and Crashlytics). Google may process data on servers outside the European Economic Area, including in the United States. Such transfers are protected by the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and/or the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.

I do not sell your personal data and do not share it with anyone else.

Google's Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

14. Data Retention

• Data on your device: until you clear the Game's data or uninstall the Game.
• Cloud Sync data in Google Play Games: until you delete it from the Game or from your Google account.
• Leaderboard scores: kept by Google Play Games while the leaderboard exists. You can control who sees them in your Google Play Games settings.
• Feedback, email addresses, and attached images: no longer than 7 days.
• Analytics data: up to 14 months. Crash reports: up to 90 days. After that, Google deletes them automatically.

15. Your Rights

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the right to:

• access the personal data held about you
• have inaccurate data corrected
• have your data deleted
• restrict or object to processing, including processing based on legitimate interest
• receive your data in a portable format
• withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting processing that happened before

Step-by-step instructions for deleting your data are available on the Delete Your Data page.

To exercise these rights, email me at [email protected]. I will reply within one month.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority. In Romania, this is the National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing (ANSPDCP), www.dataprotection.ro.

16. Children

The Game is suitable for a general audience (rated PEGI 3), but it is not directed at children under 13. I do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has sent me personal data, for example through the feedback feature, please contact me and I will delete it.

17. Data Security

Data sent between the Game and Google's services is encrypted in transit. I use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect information, and I rely on Google's security for data processed by its services. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, however.

18. Changes to This Policy

I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it was last changed. For significant changes, I will provide a notice on this page or in the Game.

19. Contact

Email: [email protected]