Whack-a-Cute Privacy Policy

1. About this policy

This privacy policy explains how the mobile game Whack-a-Cute for Android (the "app") handles information, including information processed by Google AdMob, which shows the ads in the app. It also covers this website.

2. Who we are

Whack-a-Cute is developed and published by Pham Dinh Minh (Phạm Đình Minh), referred to as "we" or "us" in this policy.

Contact for privacy questions and support: phamdinhminh030801@gmail.com

4. Who the app is for

Whack-a-Cute is a casual game for players aged 6 and older, including children under 13. The app does not ask players for their age or for personal information. Instead, it treats every player as a child when requesting ads.

5. Information stored on your device

The app saves the following on your device so you can continue playing:

• Profile: a nickname of up to 12 characters (by default a random name such as "Cutie 123") and the avatar you choose from six built-in pictures.
• Game progress: unlocked levels, stars, best scores, Endless mode records, and simple game statistics such as rounds played, hits and play time.
• Settings: music, sound effects, vibration and language.
• Technical counters that the app uses internally (for example, when the save was created, and when an ad was last shown, so that ads are not shown too often).

This information:

• is stored in the app's private storage on your device;
• is not sent to us, and is not included in ad requests by the app;
• is used only to run the game on your device.

The app also reads your device's language setting, but only to choose English or Vietnamese when it creates its save data (for example, the first time it starts).

6. Network communication and third-party services

The app's own code does not send your information to us or to any server of ours.

The app uses two Google software libraries, which communicate with Google over the internet:

• Google Mobile Ads SDK (Google AdMob): requests and shows ads.
• Google User Messaging Platform SDK: checks whether privacy messages or choices must be offered in your region (see section 10).

Part of this work may be carried out by Google Play services, a Google app that is installed on most Android devices, which may also communicate with Google for this purpose.

These libraries start when the app opens. The app checks with Google whether privacy messages apply, and it loads ads in advance so that they are ready when needed. Information can therefore be sent to Google, as described in sections 9 and 10, even if you never watch an ad. Google's use of that information is governed by Google's own policies:

• Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• How Google uses information from apps that use its services: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

The app is built with other open-source components (such as React Native) that run on your device to display the game and save your progress. They do not send your information to us or to others.

7. Advertising

The app shows two kinds of ads, both provided by Google AdMob.

Optional reward videos

• When you run out of lives, the app may offer: "Watch a short ad to get +1 life and keep your score and time?"
• Watching is always your choice. You can tap No thanks and continue normally.
• The extra life is given only after the ad reports that the reward has been earned, that is, after the ad has been watched for the time it requires. Closing it earlier gives no extra life. This is offered at most once per round.

Ads between rounds (full-screen)

• Shown only after a round has finished, when you leave the result screen.
• Never during play, never right after opening the app, and never when you quit a round from the pause menu.
• The app limits how often they appear:
  • not in the first 3 minutes of a session;
  • at most one every 4 minutes;
  • only after at least 3 finished rounds;
  • not within 3 minutes after a reward video.

How the ads are configured

• Every ad request is marked for child-directed treatment. Google states that this disables personalized (interest-based) ads and remarketing for that request.
• Every request asks for non-personalized ads and for ads rated for general audiences (G) only.
• The app does not use the Android advertising ID. The permission that allows access to it is removed from the app.

If an ad cannot be loaded or shown, for example without an internet connection, the game continues normally.

Ads are chosen and displayed by Google, not by us. If you ever see an ad that seems inappropriate for children, please tell us at the email address above.

8. Device identifiers and device information

• The app's own code does not access device identifiers such as the advertising ID, IMEI, serial number, MAC address, SIM information or phone number.
• Google's Mobile Ads SDK may use other identifiers that are not the advertising ID, such as the app set ID, and basic device information, for the purposes described in section 9. Removing the advertising ID permission does not stop all ad-related processing.
• The app does not request location, camera, microphone, contacts, or photo and file storage permissions.

9. Information processed by Google AdMob

According to Google's disclosure for the Google Mobile Ads SDK, the SDK may automatically collect and share the following with Google, for advertising, analytics and fraud prevention:

• IP address, which may be used to estimate the general location of the device;
• app interactions, such as app launches, taps and ad views;
• diagnostic information, such as app launch time, hang rate and energy usage;
• device or other identifiers, such as the app set ID. The advertising ID is not available to the SDK in this app.

Google states that this information is encrypted in transit. We do not receive this information, and we do not sell personal information. We do not share anything else with Google or with others.

There is no in-app chat, no public profile, and no way for players to share content with each other.

10. Consent and privacy choices

• In some regions, such as the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and some US states, privacy laws give you choices about ads.
• The app uses Google's User Messaging Platform to check what applies to you.
• Because every player is treated as a child, the app does not ask players to consent to personalized ads. Google states that it does not show personalized ads when a request is marked as directed to children.
• If Google requires a privacy choices option for your region, it is available in the app at Settings → Privacy → Ad privacy options.
• In some regions, Google may show ads in a more limited form, depending on the privacy signals available.

11. Children's privacy

• We do not collect personal information from children, or from anyone, for ourselves.
• Ads are requested with child-directed treatment for all players (see section 7), and ad content is limited to general audiences.
• The nickname is chosen by the player, stays on the device and is never sent to us or included in ad requests. We recommend that children use a made-up nickname instead of their real name.

Parents and guardians can:

• view or change the nickname and avatar in the app's profile screen;
• erase progress, stars and scores with Settings → Reset progress (the nickname and avatar are kept);
• erase all of the app's information on the device by uninstalling the app;
• contact us with any question about their child's use of the app, or about the ads shown.

12. Security

The app's information stays in the app's private storage area on your device, which Android keeps separate from other apps. The app does not add its own encryption to this information.

The app is set not to be included in Android's cloud backup. Depending on your device, Android's device-to-device transfer tools may still copy app data to a new phone.

Information sent by Google's SDKs is encrypted in transit, according to Google. Please keep your device secure, for example with a screen lock.

13. Retention and deletion

On your device: information stays until you change it, reset it, or uninstall the app.

• Reset progress (in Settings) erases progress, stars and scores, but keeps your nickname and avatar.
• Uninstalling the app erases all of the information described in section 5.
• We do not keep a copy, so we cannot restore deleted progress.

At Google: information processed by Google AdMob is retained and deleted according to Google's policies (see the links in section 6). We cannot access or delete it ourselves.

14. International availability and your rights

We plan to offer the app worldwide through Google Play, subject to the requirements of each country.

Depending on where you live, you may have rights over your personal data, for example to access, correct or delete it, or to object to certain processing. This can apply under the laws of the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vietnam or other countries. Parents and guardians may be able to exercise these rights for their children.

• Information stored by the app is on your device and under your control: you can view, change or delete it in the app or by uninstalling it.
• Information processed by Google AdMob: see Google's privacy policy for how to exercise your rights with Google.

For any request or question, contact us at the email address above.

15. This website

This privacy policy is published on a website hosted by Cloudflare Pages.

• We do not use cookies, analytics, advertising or tracking on this website.
• Like any hosting provider, Cloudflare processes technical information, such as your IP address, to deliver the pages and keep them secure. See Cloudflare's privacy policy: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/

16. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy, for example when the app or its ads change. We will publish the updated policy on this website and change the effective date at the top.

If an update changes how the app handles information, we will publish it before releasing the version that makes the change.

17. Contact