ZipZapZop privacy policy

The short version

The game itself has no accounts and keeps your progress only on your device. The Android app offers optional rewarded video ads through Google AdMob and uses Google's Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics to understand how the game is played and to fix crashes. If you sign in to Google Play Games, your achievements and leaderboard scores are sent to Google Play Games. These collect device and usage information, as described below. Buying "Remove ads" makes hints and Ladder energy unlimited, so you never need to watch a video. The browser version has no ads.

What the game stores on your device

• Your progress: daily puzzle results and times, hints used, your Ladder level and energy, your Endless run and best run, today's free-hint count and tutorial progress.
• Your settings: the last mode and difficulty you played, accessibility options (motion, theme, contrast, text size) and whether the daily reminder and streak alert are on and at what time, and the times of day you solved your first Daily over the last two weeks (used only to time the reminder).

This data never leaves your device through the app. Uninstalling the Android app or clearing the browser's site data deletes it. If Android's own backup is turned on for your Google account, Android may include it in your device backup; that is handled by Google under your account settings, not by ZipZapZop.

Permissions (Android app)

• Notifications (POST_NOTIFICATIONS): used for the daily reminder, one local notification a day reminding you to play the daily puzzles, either at the time you pick or, with "At my usual time" on, a little before the time you usually play (worked out on your device from when you solved your first Daily on recent days). It is skipped on days you have already solved all of them. With the streak alert on, you may also get one evening notification on a day your daily streak would end, unless you've solved a Daily that day or a streak freeze covers it. The reminder is on by default at 9:00 and starts after your first solved puzzle (on Android 13 and newer, Android asks for your permission then); you can turn it or the streak alert off, or change the time, in the app's settings at any time.
• Run at startup (RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED): used only to re-schedule these reminders after your phone restarts.

The reminder is scheduled on the device. No server sends it.

• Internet and network state: used to load ads, to send analytics and crash reports, to talk to Google Play for the Remove ads and Endless mode purchases, and to send achievements and leaderboard scores to Google Play Games. Puzzles work offline.
• Advertising ID: used by AdMob, see below.
• Google Play billing: used for the Remove ads and Endless mode purchases.

Ads (Android app)

The Android app never shows ads on its own. It gives 3 free hints a day; after that you can choose to watch a short rewarded video to get another hint. In the Ladder, a rewarded video can also refill 3 energy. Rewarded videos are served by Google AdMob, are optional and only play when you ask for one. To show, limit and measure ads and to prevent fraud, Google's ads SDK collects and shares with Google information such as your device's advertising ID and other device identifiers, approximate location derived from your IP address, ad interactions, and diagnostic data. Google uses this under its own policies; see how Google uses information from apps that use its services and Google's privacy policy.

Where the law requires it (for example in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, and some US states), the app asks for your consent or choices before ads use personal data. You can change them at any time with Privacy choices in the app's settings when it is shown. You can also reset or delete your advertising ID, or opt out of personalized ads, in your Android device settings.

Analytics and crash reports (Android app)

The Android app uses Firebase Analytics to count how the game is played: events such as starting a puzzle, solving one and finishing the tutorial, plus Firebase's standard usage data (sessions, app version, device model, operating system and country derived from your IP address), tied to a random app-instance ID rather than to you. It uses Firebase Crashlytics to receive crash reports and in-game error messages, with device model, operating system version and a random installation ID, so bugs can be fixed.

Where the law requires consent (for example in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland), both stay off until you agree in the consent form, and your Privacy choices in settings apply to them too. Elsewhere they run by default. Google processes this data on ZipZapZop's behalf under the Firebase privacy and security terms. This data is not used for ads and is not sold.

Google Play Games (Android app)

The Android app uses Google Play Games for achievements and leaderboards. It tries to sign you in automatically with your Play Games profile, and you can also sign in from the app's settings. Signing in is optional; the game works the same without it.

When you are signed in, the app sends Google Play Games the achievements you unlock and your leaderboard scores (Ladder levels solved and daily puzzle solve times). Google stores them with your Play Games profile and shows your profile name, avatar and scores on leaderboards to other players according to your Play Games visibility settings. ZipZapZop does not read or store your name, email address or contacts. Google handles this data under Google's privacy policy; you can manage or delete your Play Games profile and its data in the Google Play Games settings.

Purchases

"Remove ads" and "Endless mode" are bought through Google Play. Google processes the payment under its own terms; ZipZapZop never sees your payment details. The app only asks Google Play which of them you own, so it can unlock unlimited hints and Ladder energy or Endless mode, and restore them on a new phone.

Sharing results

The Share button opens your device's share sheet with a short text such as your solve time. Nothing is sent unless you choose an app to share with, and what happens next is governed by that app's own policy.

Web version

The browser version loads its fonts from Google Fonts, so your browser contacts Google's servers to download them (see Google's privacy policy). The Android app bundles its fonts and makes no such request.

Children

ZipZapZop is not directed at children under 13, and the game itself collects no personal information from anyone. Ads are served by Google AdMob as described above.

Changes and contact

If this policy changes, the new version will be posted on this page with a new date. Questions: theaob@gmail.com. The terms of service cover how the game may be used.