Privacy Policy

Your games are stored on your device

The game in progress, finished game records, your stats by level (wins, draws, losses), the number of two-player games, and your settings are kept in the app's storage. They are not sent to our servers or used for ads or usage statistics. They are included in Android auto backup and device transfer so they carry over to a new phone (following your Google account's backup setting).

Playing the computer

The computer opponent and hints are calculated on this device. You can play without internet, and your lines are never sent out to be calculated.

Accounts

There are no accounts. We don't ask for an email address or phone number, and there is no sign-in, sign-up or in-app purchase. There is no online play or chat.

Ads

This app shows ads. Google AdMob provides them, and in doing so Google collects your advertising ID (AAID), IP address, device information and ad-related app activity (how often ads were shown or tapped). Your approximate location (country level) may be inferred from your IP address. Your lines, boards and game records are never used for ads or passed on. Ads are limited to the Teen (T) content rating. Google's policies apply (policies.google.com/technologies/ads).

When ads appear

During a game against the computer, an ad may appear only when you choose a hint, and you are told before you tap. If the ad can't load or you continue without waiting, you get the hints without an ad. Undo has no ads. When you tap See result after a game ends, a full-screen ad may appear once every few games. There is a small banner at the bottom of the home screen and the Stats screen, never on the game screen.

Turning off ad personalization

In Android Settings > Privacy > Ads you can delete your advertising ID or turn off personalization. Ads still appear, but they are not personalized.

Permissions

Internet access, the advertising ID, and the permissions the ads and statistics SDKs use (ad services access, install referrer, background delivery). All of them serve to load ads and send usage statistics, and none asks you for approval. No storage, camera, microphone, contacts, location or notification permission. The vibration when a line is drawn uses screen haptics that need no permission.

Usage statistics

To improve the app and place ads sensibly, we collect usage statistics with Google Analytics for Firebase: how often and how long you use the app, which features you use (for example the level you start a game against the computer at or whether you start a two-player game, the board size you chose, whether you started with Play now, how a game ended (win, loss, draw) and why (box count, resignation), whether you used undo, hints or continue), whether you saw an ad notice and watched the ad, ad impressions, device model, OS version, app version, country, language, a random identifier per install, and the advertising ID. Your lines, boards and game records are never sent. We also use Firebase Remote Config to change ad settings without an app update, which sends app version, OS version, country and language. In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, information that identifies the device is not stored unless you consent.

Third parties

Apart from Google AdMob and Google Analytics for Firebase (see Usage statistics) we use no other analytics or crash reporting.

Children

Dots and Boxes is not directed at children under 13, because Google AdMob collects an advertising ID, IP address and device information when ads are shown.

Deleting your data

You can delete your record and game records with Clear records on the Stats screen. Uninstalling removes the game in progress, game records, stats and settings from your device. A copy left in Google backup can be deleted in your Google account's backup settings. We keep no copy on our servers. You can delete your advertising ID yourself in Android Settings > Privacy > Ads.

There is nothing for us to delete

This app has no server holding your data. Records on your device disappear when you delete them in the app or uninstall, and your advertising ID is held by Google, so we can neither look it up nor delete it. Questions: dev@indieway.xyz

Changes and contact

If this policy changes we will update this page with a new date. Contact: dev@indieway.xyz. If you email us through Contact us in the app, we use your email address, your message, and the app and device details added at the end of the message (app version, Android version, device model, app language, theme and font size) only to reply to you.