Flow & Free — Privacy Policy

Who we are

Flow & Free is a puzzle game made by an independent developer ("we", "us"). This policy explains what information the game uses, why, and the choices you have. If you have any question about it, email us at flowandfree.support@gmail.com.

What we collect

• Account identifier. The first time you open the game, it creates an anonymous account for you through Google Firebase Authentication. It is a random ID — no email, phone number or password is needed.
• Google account, if you choose to back up. When you tap "Back up with Google", Firebase receives your Google account ID and email address so you can sign in again on another phone. We never see your Google password, and we do not use your email for marketing.
• Your profile. The name you choose (it does not have to be your real name), your mascot, the colour theme you pick, and your time zone, which decides when your daily puzzle and streak roll over.
• Game progress. The levels and daily puzzles you complete, your stars, moves and times, the paths you drew to solve each puzzle (so we can check a solution is valid), and your coins, hints and streak.
• Technical data. The app version, so we can tell you when an update is needed. Like any website, our server host records IP addresses and request times in its logs to keep the service running and secure.
• Invites. Each player has an invite code. If you install the game through a friend's invite link, Google Play tells the app which link you used (its "install referrer") — the game reads only the invite code from it, once. We record who invited whom, so we can give you both coins once you have finished a few levels; your friend sees how many friends joined through their code, not who.
• Purchases. If you buy something in the game (Remove Ads, a theme, coins), Google Play takes the payment — we never see your card or bank details. RevenueCat, which checks purchases for us, receives your account ID and what you bought (the item, its price and when), so your purchases work on any phone where you sign in.
• Advertising. The game shows ads from Google AdMob — a video you can choose to watch for a free hint, and sometimes a short ad between levels. To show and measure ads, Google collects your device's advertising ID, your IP address and which ads you see and tap. Ads are only personalised if you allow it: players in the EU and UK are asked first.

Your sound, music, vibration, notification and colour-blind settings stay on your phone and are never sent to us.

What we do not collect

We do not access your location, contacts, photos, camera or microphone, and we do not include analytics tools. We never see your advertising ID ourselves — only Google's ad service uses it. We do not sell or rent your information to anyone.

How we use it

• To run the game: save your progress, back it up, and restore it on this device.
• To check completed puzzles and award stars, coins and hints fairly.
• To run the daily puzzle and streaks in your time zone.
• To reward you and a friend when one of you invited the other.
• To keep the service secure, find problems and prevent cheating.
• To answer you when you contact support.

Where laws such as the GDPR apply, we rely on providing the service you asked for, and on our legitimate interest in keeping the game secure and fair.

Who we share it with

Other players see your profile name, your mascot, and your weekly stars and streak on the leaderboards — so choose a name you are happy to show. Nothing else about you is shown to them.

Otherwise, only with the services that run the game for us, and only what they need:

• Google Firebase Authentication, which creates and signs in your account.
• RevenueCat, which checks your purchases with Google Play and remembers what you own: revenuecat.com/privacy.
• Google AdMob, which chooses, shows and measures the ads (see Advertising above). Google's own privacy policy applies to the data it collects: policies.google.com/privacy.
• Render, which hosts our server and database (in Singapore). Your information may be processed outside your country; these providers protect it under their own security and privacy terms.

We may also disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect the safety of our players and service.

How long we keep it

We keep your profile and progress for as long as your account exists. When you delete your account (Settings → Delete account), your profile, progress, coins and hints are erased from our servers and from your phone. Server logs are kept for a short time by our host. Emails you send to support are kept only as long as needed to help you.

Your choices and rights

• Change your name or mascot at any time from Profile.
• Change how ads may use your data: in the EU and UK, Settings → Ad privacy choices; anywhere, you can reset or limit your advertising ID in your phone's settings.
• Delete your account and all its data from Settings → Delete account.
• Ask us for a copy of your data, or to correct or delete it, by emailing flowandfree.support@gmail.com.

Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR in the EU and UK, the CCPA in California, or the DPDP Act in India), you may have further rights, including to object to or restrict how we use your information, and to complain to your local data protection authority. We will not treat you differently for using them.

Children

Flow & Free is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has given us information, email us and we will delete it.

Security

Everything travels between the app and our server over encrypted connections (HTTPS), and every request is checked against your account. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and collect as little as we can.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top. If a change is significant — for example if the game starts collecting something new — we will tell you in the app before it takes effect.

Contact us

Questions, requests or concerns: flowandfree.support@gmail.com.