Privacy Policy

This privacy policy covers the PlayWise Games mobile application for Android and iOS (package identifier education.playwise.games), including every game inside it (currently Pebble Huddle and Lily Hop Mancala). It explains what data the app collects, why, who processes it, how long it is kept and what choices you have. It does not cover the website playwise.education or the web versions of the games.

Who is responsible

The app is published under the PlayWise name by Daniel Sallai, resident in Barcelona, Spain, who is the data controller for the data described here. For any question or request about privacy, write to [email protected]. We answer within 30 days.

The short version

The PlayWise Games app collects no personal data. There are no ads, no accounts and no advertising identifiers, and the app does not ask for access to your contacts, photos, camera, microphone or location. The games work offline. If, and only if, you choose Allow when the app asks, it sends anonymous usage statistics (for example "a game was started" or "a game ended") so we can see which games are played and improve them. You can switch this off at any time.

What the app collects, and only with your permission

When the app starts for the first time, it asks whether you allow anonymous usage statistics. Nothing is sent before you answer, and nothing is sent if you choose Don't allow.

If you allow it, the app creates a random identifier and keeps it on your device. It is not derived from your device, your name, your Google or Apple account, or any advertising identifier. Usage events are sent with this identifier so we can count how many different installations use the app. The app sends these events:

• the app was opened, a game was opened, and you returned to the list of games;
• a game was started (with the colour you chose), the first move was made (with the seconds since the start), a game ended or was restarted (with the result, the number of moves and captures, and how long the game took), and hints were switched on or off;
• a link to playwise.education was opened (with the address of the page).

Each event also carries the app version, the platform (iOS or Android) and the language of the app's interface. Nothing else is sent: no names, email addresses, phone numbers, contacts, photos, location, or the content of anything you type.

Why we use it, and on what legal basis

We use the statistics only to understand how the games are played and to improve them. We do not sell them, use them for advertising, track you across other apps or websites, or combine them with other data. The legal basis is your consent (Article 6(1)(a) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR), which you can withdraw at any time.

Who processes the data

The statistics are processed on our behalf by PostHog, our analytics provider, on its EU cloud servers in Frankfurt, Germany. PostHog acts as our data processor under a data processing agreement that requires it to protect the data at least as well as this policy describes and to use it only on our instructions. We do not share the data with anyone else.

Apple and Google distribute the app and may collect data under their own privacy policies (for example download counts, or crash reports if you have enabled sharing them with developers in your device settings).

How the data is protected

• Events are sent only over encrypted connections (HTTPS).
• Our PostHog project is set to discard IP addresses, so they are not stored.
• Only the people who work on PlayWise can access the statistics, through password-protected accounts.

How long it is kept, and how it is deleted

Usage events are deleted automatically 12 months after they are collected. The random identifier on your device is deleted when you switch off the statistics or uninstall the app. Because the statistics cannot be linked to you, and the identifier is not shown to anyone, we cannot find or single out the events of a particular person; they are removed when the 12 months are over.

Your choices and rights

• Withdraw consent: tap Privacy at the bottom of the app's main screen and switch off Share anonymous usage statistics. The app stops sending events immediately and deletes its identifier.
• Use the app offline: when the device is offline, nothing is sent and nothing is stored to send later.
• Your rights under the GDPR: you may ask for access to, correction or deletion of personal data, restriction of or objection to its processing, and data portability, by writing to [email protected]. You also have the right to complain to the Spanish data protection authority, the Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (aepd.es), or to the authority where you live.

What the app does not do

• It does not collect your name, email, phone number, address or photos.
• It does not use cookies, advertising identifiers or ad networks, and it does not contain ads.
• It does not require you to sign up, log in or create an account.
• It does not request access to your contacts, photos, microphone, camera or location.
• It does not track you across other apps or websites.

What the app stores on your device

The app keeps your answer to the statistics question, the random identifier if you allowed statistics, and a few game settings (such as your preferred colour). There are no saved games or profiles.

When you tap the share buttons

• Facebook and X (Twitter) open those platforms in an in-app browser so you can post a link to the game. We do not see whether you actually share. Once you're inside Facebook or X, those companies' privacy policies apply to anything you do there.
• Copy link writes the game's URL to your device's clipboard. Nothing is sent to us.
• Native share opens your operating system's share sheet. We see nothing about which app or contact you pick.

When you tap a link to playwise.education

Some buttons open pages of playwise.education in an in-app browser. Those pages are part of our website, not of the app, and this policy does not cover what you do there. The app itself never sees what you type on those pages.

Children

The games are suitable for ages 7 and up and are enjoyable for children as young as 5. The app collects no personal information, shows no ads and does not track users across apps or websites. The anonymous statistics contain nothing that identifies a child or a family. The question about statistics asks children to check with a parent before choosing; parents can switch the statistics off at any time under Privacy.

Changes to this policy

If we change what the app collects, we will update this policy and the date at the top before the new version of the app is released, and ask for your consent again where the law requires it.

PlayWise is run by Daniel Sallai in Barcelona, Spain. The PlayWise Games app is a free download.