Abbalone

Overview

This Privacy Policy describes how KheniTech ("we", "us", or "our"), a sole proprietorship of Kheni Dharmesh Tulshibhai registered in Surat, Gujarat, India, collects, uses, and protects information when you use Abbalone (the "App"), available on iOS and Android. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data responsibly in accordance with applicable data protection and privacy laws.

Information We Collect

Authentication Data

• You may play as a Guest without providing a name, email address, or social sign-in. When connected, guest play may create an anonymous Firebase identifier for online features. Device identifiers, analytics, and gameplay data may still be collected as described below.
• If you sign in with Google, we receive your display name, profile photo URL, and a unique user ID from Google
• If you sign in with Apple (iOS only), we receive your name (when Apple supplies it) and a unique user ID from Apple. If you choose Apple's Hide My Email, we only ever receive Apple's private relay address
• Your email address is stored by Firebase Authentication as part of your sign-in record. It is not stored in our application database, is never shown to other users, and is not used for marketing. When you first create a signed-in account, we also send ourselves a one-time internal notification about the new sign-up (see How We Use Your Information).

Gameplay Statistics

Online and daily-challenge activity is associated with your Firebase identifier, including when playing as a Guest. Social sign-in lets you access your profile across devices.

• Wins, losses, draws, and games played
• Win streak and best win streak
• Total moves and favourite board layout
• ELO rating (used for global leaderboard ranking)
• Last played timestamp

Online Game Data

• Game state, move history, and player names during active online games
• Online game records are automatically deleted after 7 days

Device Permissions & Identifiers

• Push Notification Token (FCM) — if you grant notification permission, a device token is stored on our servers to deliver daily challenge reminders and daily motivational messages. You can revoke permission at any time in device Settings.
• Advertising Identifier (IDFA / GAID) — may be used by Google AdMob to show and measure advertisements and by Meta (Facebook SDK) to measure advertising campaigns. On iOS, cross-app tracking is enabled only after you allow Apple's App Tracking Transparency request. In regions where consent is required, advertising requests and Android Meta attribution wait for your consent through Google's consent form. You can review or withdraw applicable advertising consent through Profile → Settings → Privacy Choices.
• Advertising and technical data — AdMob may automatically process IP-derived approximate location, app interactions, diagnostic information, and device or account identifiers for advertising, analytics, and fraud prevention. The exact data available depends on your device, region, and consent choices.

Purchases (Remove Ads, apps)

• Abbalone offers one optional, one-time purchase, Remove Ads, which turns off banner and full-screen ads. Payment is handled entirely by Apple (App Store) or Google (Google Play); we never see or store your card or payment details.
• To check and restore the purchase we use RevenueCat, which receives your player ID (your Firebase user ID), the store's purchase record for Abbalone (product, price and currency, purchase date and transaction identifiers, the store country) and your device type, operating system and app version. This is your purchase history for Abbalone. You must be signed in with Apple or Google to buy, so the purchase belongs to your account and can be restored on any device where you sign in with it.
• A purchase stays with the account that bought it and cannot be moved to a different account. If you delete your account, the purchase ends with it.

Usage Analytics (optional, apps)

• Usage analytics is off until you allow it. On iOS, it follows Apple's App Tracking Transparency request: it is sent only if you tap Allow, and stops if you later turn tracking off for Abbalone in iOS Settings. On Android, the app asks on the home screen and sends it only if you tap Share analytics. Only then do the apps send Google Analytics for Firebase: the screens you open (such as Home, Game and Settings), the game modes, bot difficulty and board layouts you choose, how games end (win, loss or draw, with move counts), Daily Challenge results, achievements, theme choices, and short error codes when creating or joining an online game fails. These events are linked to your player ID (your Firebase user ID, also when playing as a Guest) and a random app-instance identifier, together with your device model, operating system and app version, and an approximate location (country and region) that Google derives from your IP address.
• They never include your name, email address, game codes or anything you type. Usage analytics does not collect your device's advertising identifier and is never used for advertising.
• If you tap No thanks (Android) or Ask App Not to Track (iOS), nothing is sent. You can turn it off at any time in Profile → Settings → Share usage analytics (turning it off also deletes the analytics data stored on your device); on iOS you can also turn tracking off in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.

Crash Reports

• In the iOS and Android apps, crashes and unexpected errors — including ones that happen while you play as a Guest — are recorded by Firebase Crashlytics: the technical details of the error, your device model and operating system version, the app version, a random installation identifier and your player ID. Crash reports are sent whether or not you allow usage analytics, so that we can fix problems.

Website Visits (optional, abbalone.com)

• If you tap Accept in the bar on our website, Google Analytics records the pages of abbalone.com you view (without the extra parts of the web address, such as a game code, except campaign tags such as utm_source), the website that referred you (its domain only), your approximate location derived from your IP address, your browser and device type, and whether you tap the App Store or Google Play button. It uses Google Analytics cookies (_ga) that last up to 6 months.
• Your choice lasts 6 months, and you can change it at any time with Cookie settings at the bottom of each page. If you reject, or don't choose, nothing is recorded and no analytics cookies are set. The game played in the browser at abbalone.com/app is not measured.

How We Use Your Information

• To save and sync your game statistics across devices when signed in
• To enable online multiplayer games with other players
• To display your display name in the game lobby and during matches
• To send daily challenge reminders and daily motivational messages when you allow notifications
• To sell and restore the optional Remove Ads purchase (through Apple or Google, checked with RevenueCat) and to stop showing ads to players who bought it
• To show advertisements via Google AdMob. On iOS, tracking requires your permission; declining tracking does not disable all advertising.
• To measure the effectiveness of our Meta (Facebook/Instagram) advertising campaigns via the Meta SDK — this helps us understand which ads led to app installs and to players who go on to play, so we can improve our marketing
• To monitor new sign-ups: the first time you sign in with Apple or Google (including when you upgrade from playing as a guest), we post a one-time notification to our private Slack workspace containing your display name, email address, user ID, sign-in provider, whether your email is verified, the account creation time, and the app version and platform. Only our team can see it. Guest players are not included. We also post a notice when an account is deleted, which contains only the sign-in provider and the account's age, and a weekly summary of totals (such as games played); neither contains your name, email address or user ID.
• To keep the game safe and to provide support: our operators can change a display name that is offensive or impersonates someone, hide a player from the leaderboard, disable an account, or delete an account. Each such action is recorded in an internal audit log.
• To diagnose crashes and unexpected errors and improve app reliability via Firebase Crashlytics, and — only if you allow it — to understand which screens, game modes and features are used (Google Analytics for Firebase) and how many website visitors go on to the app stores (Google Analytics). Analytics is never used for advertising.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

Legal Bases (EEA, UK and Switzerland)

Where the GDPR or similar laws apply, we rely on these legal bases:

• Performance of our agreement with you (the Terms of Service) — your account, saving and syncing your statistics, online multiplayer, the leaderboard, Daily Challenges, the Remove Ads purchase and restoring it, and deleting your account when you ask
• Consent — personalised advertising and the advertising identifier (Google's consent form and, on iOS, Apple's tracking prompt), Meta campaign measurement, usage analytics in the apps, website analytics, and push notifications (your device's notification permission). You can withdraw consent at any time without affecting what happened before; see Your Rights
• Legitimate interests — crash reports (keeping the App working), keeping the game safe and acting on abuse (renaming, hiding, disabling or deleting accounts), our one-time internal sign-up notice and weekly totals, and showing non-personalised ads to fund a free game. Where storing or reading information on your device is involved, we ask for consent wherever the law requires it. You can object to processing based on legitimate interests

Creating an account is optional: you can play as a Guest. Signing in is only needed to keep your statistics across devices and to appear on the leaderboard. We make no automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you; your ELO rating only orders the leaderboard.

Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services, each with their own privacy policies:

• Google Firebase — Authentication, Firestore database, Cloud Functions, Cloud Messaging (FCM), Crashlytics, Hosting (Firebase Privacy)
• Google Analytics — only with your permission: usage analytics in the apps (Google Analytics for Firebase) and visit measurement on abbalone.com. Google signals and advertising features are off, and the data is not used for ads. (Google Privacy Policy)
• Google AdMob — In-app advertising. AdMob may collect your device advertising identifier (IDFA on iOS, GAID on Android) to serve and measure ads, subject to device controls and applicable consent choices. (AdMob Privacy)
• RevenueCat — checks and restores the Remove Ads purchase. It receives your player ID and the App Store or Google Play purchase record described under Purchases, and keeps it to provide this service to us. (RevenueCat Privacy Policy)
• Apple App Store and Google Play — take the payment for Remove Ads under your Apple or Google account and their own terms; refunds are requested from them. (Apple Privacy Policy, Google Privacy Policy)
• Google Sign-In — OAuth authentication (Google Privacy Policy)
• Apple Sign-In (iOS only) — OAuth authentication (Apple Privacy Policy)
• Slack — Internal team messaging, used only for the team notifications described above (new sign-ups, account deletions and a weekly summary) (Slack Privacy Policy)
• Meta (Facebook) SDK — Used for advertising attribution only. When tracking or applicable regional consent permits it, the SDK may send app event signals (app install, app open, and a few gameplay milestones: finishing the introduction, signing in with Google or Apple for the first time, finishing a first game, and unlocking an achievement) and an advertising identifier to Meta to measure Facebook and Instagram campaigns. We do not send your name, email address, player ID, game codes, moves or results to Meta; the milestones carry only the sign-in method or the achievement's name. (Meta Privacy Policy)

International Transfers

KheniTech is based in India, and our providers (Google, Meta, Apple, RevenueCat and Slack) process data in the United States and other countries, which may have different data protection rules from yours. For personal data from the EEA, the UK or Switzerland, these transfers rely on the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (and its UK and Swiss extensions) where the recipient is certified, and otherwise on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses in the provider's data processing terms. You can ask us for more information about these safeguards at contact@khenitech.com.

Children's Privacy Important

The App is not directed to children under 13, and users under 13 must not create an account or use online services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If we learn that we collected such data, we will delete it.

If you believe your child has provided personal information without your consent, please contact us at contact@khenitech.com and we will promptly delete the data.

In some countries the age at which you can consent to optional processing yourself is higher than 13 (up to 16 in parts of the EU). If you are under that age where you live, ask a parent or guardian before allowing personalised ads, Meta measurement or usage analytics; the game works fully without them.

Guest Mode avoids social sign-in, but may still use an anonymous Firebase identifier and the device, analytics, advertising, and gameplay data described in this policy.

Data Storage & Security

• Your data is stored on Google Firebase servers with encryption in transit (HTTPS) and at rest
• Online game records are automatically purged after 7 days
• Google Analytics keeps individual analytics events for 2 months; after that only aggregated reports that identify no one remain
• Your account, profile, statistics and match history are kept until you delete your account (or ask us to); deletion also removes your active games
• Crash reports are kept by Firebase Crashlytics for 90 days
• To recover from mistakes and outages we keep backup copies of our database and of sign-in accounts for up to 180 days in a private Google Cloud storage bucket. Deleted accounts and data stay in these backups until they age out (at most 180 days) and are not restored except to repair the service
• Your Remove Ads purchase record is kept by RevenueCat while your account exists, so it can be restored, and is deleted together with your account; Apple and Google keep their own transaction records
• Your push notification token is kept while notifications are enabled and removed when it stops working or your account is deleted
• Our internal operator audit log and sign-up notices are kept for as long as they are needed to run and protect the service
• Advertising and measurement data held by Google AdMob and Meta is kept under their own retention policies, linked above
• Only you can change your own profile from the app (enforced by Firestore security rules); our operators can act on accounts only for the safety and support reasons above, through a separate administration site

Your Rights

Under applicable data protection and privacy laws, you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction — update your display name within the App at any time
• Deletion — delete your signed-in account in Profile → Delete Account, or submit a request through our account deletion page
• Restriction, objection and portability — ask us to limit how we use your data, object to processing based on legitimate interests, or receive the data you gave us in a portable format
• Withdraw consent — change applicable advertising consent through Profile → Settings → Privacy Choices, turn usage analytics on or off in Profile → Settings → Share usage analytics, change website analytics with Cookie settings on abbalone.com, and manage device permissions in system Settings

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@khenitech.com. We will respond within 30 days. We may ask you to confirm the request from the email address or sign-in linked to the account, so that nobody else can get your data. If you are unhappy with our answer, you can ask us to look at it again, and you have the right to complain to your local data protection authority (in the EU, the authority where you live or work).

United States Privacy Rights

We do not sell personal data for money. Under some U.S. state laws, letting Google AdMob or Meta use your advertising identifier for personalised ads or campaign measurement can count as "sharing" or "targeted advertising". You can opt out at any time:

• On iOS, don't allow tracking (or turn it off in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking); Meta measurement then stays off and ads are not personalised with your advertising identifier
• On Android, delete or reset your advertising ID in your device's privacy settings, and use Profile → Settings → Privacy Choices where it is shown
• On abbalone.com, we honour the Global Privacy Control signal: if your browser sends it, website analytics stays off unless you turn it on in Cookie settings

Depending on your state, you may also have the right to know, access, correct and delete your personal data and to appeal our decision; contact us at contact@khenitech.com. We will not treat you differently for using these rights.

Cookies & Local Storage

The App uses browser localStorage to:

• Remember whether you chose to skip the sign-in screen
• Store your Firebase authentication session (so you remain signed in between launches)
• Cache your user profile for faster loading
• Remember whether push notification registration has been completed and save local bot or pass-and-play games and preferences on your device
• Remember your usage-analytics choice

The App sets no cookies. Our website sets Google Analytics cookies (_ga, _ga_*) only after you accept website analytics, and remembers your choice in localStorage. No advertising or cross-site tracking cookies are used.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the effective date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we will notify users within the App. Where a change needs your consent, we will ask for it rather than treat continued use as agreement.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us: