Who this covers
I'm Chris DeWeese, and I make games for iPhone and iPad as an independent developer. This policy covers the games I publish under my name. When this page says “my games,” it means those apps.
Not every game uses everything below. Ads, Game Center and in-app purchases only apply to the games that have them, and each game's App Store page lists exactly what it collects under App Privacy. Questions go to support@chrislaunches.com.
What stays on your device
My games save a few things on your device so they remember you between sessions:
- your progress, such as scores, levels, unlocked items and in-game currency
- your settings, like music, sound effects and haptics
- what you've bought, plus Apple's transaction IDs for purchases already delivered, so none is counted twice
- small bits of state, like when you last claimed a reward and whether the game has already asked about tracking
If an ad network's consent form was shown to you, its SDK also stores your choice on the device.
None of this is sent to me. Like other app data, it can be included in your device's iCloud or computer backups, which you control.
A settings file from this site
To keep links current and show my other games, a game may download one small file from chrislaunches.com when it opens. It's the same file for everyone and carries nothing about you or your progress. Like any web request, it reaches the server with your IP address, which the host (Vercel) uses to deliver it. I don't use it to identify you.
Ads
Games with ads show them through a third-party ad network's SDK, such as the Google Mobile Ads SDK (AdMob). Google's documentation says its SDK may collect:
- your IP address, which Google uses to estimate your general location
- device identifiers: the advertising identifier (IDFA), but only if you allow tracking, and identifiers limited to one app or one developer
- which ads you've seen and how you interacted with them, along with app launches, taps and video views
- diagnostics, such as SDK crash logs, launch time, hang rate and energy use
Google uses this data to deliver and measure ads, for analytics, to prevent fraud and to improve its services. Its use of the data is covered by its own policies: the Google Privacy Policy and how Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.
What I see is totals. Ad networks show me figures such as how many ads were shown and what they earned, broken down by country and app. Nothing in those reports identifies you.
How ads appear depends on the game. Some only play when you choose to watch one for a reward, and some appear between rounds. Where a game sells Remove Ads, it turns off the ads you didn't choose to watch.
Your choices
Tracking (Apple's App Tracking Transparency)
A game with ads may ask once, through iOS, whether it may track you across apps and websites owned by other companies. If you allow it, the ad network's SDK can read your device's advertising identifier and use it for personalized ads and measurement. If you choose Ask App Not to Track, iOS hides that identifier from the game and its SDKs. You'll still see ads, but they won't be based on tracking you across other companies' apps and websites. The game plays the same either way.
To change your answer later, open the Settings app, go to Privacy & Security > Tracking, and switch the game on or off.
Consent in the EEA and UK
If you're in the European Economic Area or the UK, a game with ads shows a consent form (for Google ads, Google's User Messaging Platform) before any ads load. It asks whether the ad network and its partners may use your data for purposes such as personalized ads and ad measurement. You can agree, refuse, or decide purpose by purpose. If you refuse, you'll see non-personalized ads, which are based on context such as the app you're in and your general location.
You can change your mind any time from the game's settings, under Privacy Choices. That option only appears where the law requires the consent form, so most players outside the EEA and UK won't see it.
Game Center
Game Center is Apple's service, and using it is up to you. In games that support it, if you're signed in, your scores and achievements go to Apple and appear on the leaderboards under your Game Center name. Apple handles that data under the Apple Privacy Policy and Game Center & Privacy. I don't receive your Apple Account details. If you aren't signed in, the game plays the same, just without leaderboards and achievements.
Purchases
Some of my games sell in-app purchases, such as Remove Ads or in-game currency. Apple processes every purchase through the App Store. I never see your name, your Apple Account or your payment details. The game gets a confirmation from Apple, then unlocks what you bought on your device. Restore Purchases asks Apple for purchases you made before, such as Remove Ads.
Children
My games aren't directed at children under 13, and I don't knowingly collect personal information from children. I don't receive personal information from anyone, for that matter; the ad data described above goes to the ad network. If you're a parent with a question, email me.
Deleting your data
Delete a game and everything it stored on your device goes with it: progress, unlocks, settings and your consent choice. That can't be undone. Purchases like Remove Ads come back with Restore Purchases, but in-game currency doesn't.
I hold no copy of your data, so there's nothing to delete on my side. For data Google collected through ads, see the Google Privacy Policy. For Game Center data, use Apple's Data and Privacy page.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct or delete your personal data, or to object to how it's used. I don't hold any, so in practice those requests go to the ad network for ad data and to Apple for Game Center and purchases. If you're not sure where to start, email me and I'll point you to the right place.
Changes to this policy
If I change this policy, I'll post the new version on this page and update the effective date at the top.
Contact
Chris DeWeese
support@chrislaunches.com