Privacy Policy

JopChi is an independent iOS game published by Peter Lindstrom, an individual based in California, United States.

Peter Lindstrom is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy, and can be reached at:

We collect only the data necessary to provide the game experience:

• Account identifiers — a unique user ID generated by Firebase Authentication, linked to your chosen sign-in method.
• Display name / email — provided by your Apple or Google account at sign-in, used solely to personalise your experience.
• Game statistics — puzzle attempt counts, scores, streaks, and timestamps, stored in Firebase Firestore.
• Device information — iOS version and device model, collected by Firebase automatically for crash reporting.
• Analytics events — only if you opt in. See section 5.
• Advertising data — device and usage signals the ad network uses to serve and measure non-personalised ads, unless you have removed ads. See section 6.

We do not collect precise location, contacts, photos, health data, or any other sensitive category.

JopChi uses Firebase Authentication (provided by Google LLC) to manage sign-in. You can play as a guest without an account. If you do sign in, we support two providers:

• Sign in with Apple — Apple may provide a private relay email address. We store only what Apple sends us.
• Sign in with Google — Google provides your name and email address. We store only what Google sends us.

Firebase Authentication data is processed under Google's Firebase Privacy and Security documentation.

Your puzzle results, streaks, and daily scores are stored in Firebase Firestore, allowing you to resume your progress across devices. This data is associated with your Firebase user ID and is not publicly visible to other players unless you explicitly share a result.

Firebase Firestore is operated by Google LLC and governed by the Google Cloud Data Processing Addendum.

JopChi uses Firebase Analytics to understand how the game is played. It is off by default: a fresh install collects nothing until you agree, and you can change your mind at any time from Settings.

When you have not opted in, collection is disabled in two places. The app issues no analytics calls, and the Firebase SDK's own automatic events — session starts, screen views, app updates — are switched off as well. Opting out means no analytics events at all, not merely fewer.

When analytics is enabled, we deliberately never send:

• Authentication tokens
• Email addresses, display names, or avatar URLs
• Any free text you type, including your guesses

Event parameters and user properties are a fixed, limited list. The only identifier attached is your pseudonymous Firebase user ID.

JopChi is free to play and supported by advertising. Ads are served by third-party advertising networks, which act as independent controllers of the data they collect:

• Google AdMob — Google Privacy Policy
• AppLovin MAX — AppLovin Privacy Policy

JopChi asks only for non-personalised ads: ads that are not chosen from a profile of you. It does not track you across other companies' apps and websites, and never asks for Apple'sApp Tracking Transparency permission or reads your device's advertising identifier (IDFA) for that purpose. The ad network still collects device and usage signals in order to deliver and measure ads, to limit how often you see the same ad, and to prevent fraud.

Players in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland. Before any ad is requested, JopChi shows Google's consent message, which explains how Google and its partners use data for advertising and lets you choose. No ad is requested until you have answered. Whatever you choose, the game is the same, and you can change your choice at any time in Settings › Privacy choices in the app.

Removing ads. A one-time in-app purchase permanently removes advertising from the app. See our Terms of Service for how that purchase works.

We do not sell your personal data for money, and we do not share it with data brokers or analytics resellers.

You should know that under some privacy laws — notably the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended — the terms “sell” and “share” are defined broadly, and serving personalised advertising can fall within them even when no money changes hands. JopChi requests non-personalised ads only, and you can also remove advertising entirely with the in-app purchase. Section 14 describes your California rights in more detail.

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

• Google Firebase (Authentication, Firestore, Crashlytics, Analytics) — Google Privacy Policy
• Google AdMob — Google Privacy Policy
• AppLovin MAX — AppLovin Privacy Policy
• Apple Sign In — Apple Privacy Policy
• Google Sign In — Google Privacy Policy
• Apple App Store — processes all in-app purchases. We never receive or store your payment details.

Beyond those listed above, we integrate no other analytics, tracking, or advertising libraries.

We retain your account and game statistics for as long as your account is active. You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time by emailing support@jopchi.com. We will process deletion requests within 30 days.

Crash logs collected by Firebase Crashlytics are automatically purged after 90 days per Google's standard retention schedule.

Data held by the advertising networks in section 6 is retained under their own policies and schedules, not ours. Deleting your JopChi account does not erase records those networks hold independently; their privacy policies explain how to make requests directly to them.

We are established outside the EU, but JopChi is offered to players in the EU, so the GDPR applies to this processing under Article 3(2). We rely on the following legal bases:

• Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b)) — creating your account, saving your streak and statistics, and delivering a purchase you have made.
• Consent (Article 6(1)(a)) — analytics, and advertising (through Google's consent message, see section 6). Neither applies until you have chosen, and both are withdrawable at any time without losing access to the game.
• Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) — crash reporting and keeping the service secure and working. Our interest is in a game that does not crash; the data is limited to device model, OS version, and diagnostics.

Where we rely on consent, withdrawing it is as easy as giving it, and does not affect processing that already took place while consent was in force.

We operate from the United States, and our service providers — Google (Firebase), Apple, and the advertising networks in section 6 — process data on infrastructure that may sit outside the European Economic Area. If you are in the EU or EEA, your data will therefore be transferred out of it.

Those transfers rely on the safeguards each provider offers under Chapter V of the GDPR, principally the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses and, where applicable, the provider's certification under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework. Google's terms for Firebase are set out in the Google Cloud Data Processing Addendum.

JopChi is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the equivalent minimum digital age of consent in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact support@jopchi.com and we will delete it promptly.

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you, and receive a copy
• Rectify data that is inaccurate or incomplete
• Erasure — have your account and its data deleted
• Restrict or object to certain processing
• Data portability — receive your data in a machine-readable form
• Withdraw consent at any time, for analytics or advertising

To exercise any of these, email support@jopchi.com. We respond within one month, as the GDPR requires, and we do not charge for it.

Two of them you can exercise yourself, immediately, without contacting us at all: analytics consent is reversible from Settings, and your advertising choice from Settings › Privacy choices.

If you believe we have handled your data improperly you may lodge a complaint with the data protection authority in your own country. We are not established in the EU, so there is no single lead supervisory authority for us; your national authority is the right place to go, and EU residents can find theirs through the European Data Protection Board.

Where the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended applies to us, California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected, to request its deletion or correction, to opt out of its sale or sharing for cross-context behavioural advertising, and not to be discriminated against for exercising any of those rights.

JopChi does not show personalised advertising: it requests non-personalised ads only, and removing ads with the in-app purchase ends advertising altogether. The game remains fully playable either way, with identical stats, streaks, and features — we do not offer a worse experience to anyone who opts out.

For any other request, email support@jopchi.com. We may need to verify that the request genuinely comes from you, and you may use an authorised agent.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "effective date" at the top of this page. Continued use of JopChi after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

For any privacy-related questions or requests: support@jopchi.com