Privacy Policy
1. Who we are
Tic Tac Battle (the "App") is a mobile game published by Pulsebyte ("Pulsebyte", "we", "us"). This Privacy Policy explains what information the App handles, why, and the choices you have. By installing and using the App you acknowledge this policy. If you do not agree with it, please uninstall the App.
2. Information we handle
The App works offline and keeps everything in this first table on your device. None of it is sent to Pulsebyte or to any server operated by us. The only online feature is Friend rooms, described right after the table.
| Information | Why it exists | Where it is kept |
|---|---|---|
| Player name (optional, typed by you; defaults to "Player") | Shown on your profile, in matches and in rankings inside the App. | On your device only. |
| Game progress: level, experience, coins, win/loss records, puzzle stars, Survival progress and ladder points, daily reward streak, missions | To let you continue where you left off and to power rewards. | On your device only. |
| Items you own and have equipped: boards, symbols, avatars and their colours | To show your collection and appearance. | On your device only. |
| Settings: music and sound volume, vibration, reduced effects, keep-screen-awake, reminders | To remember your preferences. | On your device only. |
This information is stored in a small save file inside the App's private storage. Other apps cannot read it, and it is removed when you uninstall the App or clear its data.
Friend rooms (online, only when you use them). When you create or join a Friend room, the App sends the following to a room hosted on Google Firebase Realtime Database, so that you and your friend can play against each other:
| Information | Why it is sent |
|---|---|
| Player name, avatar face and level (the same name you chose in the App) | So your friend sees who they are playing. |
| Room code (a random 5-character code made for each room) and the game mode you picked | So your friend can find and enter the same room. |
| Your moves (which tile, which power) and rematch or leave choices | So both phones show the same game. |
| A connection signal (a counter and the time the room was made) | To tell whether your friend is still connected, and to ignore old rooms. |
Anonymous usage statistics (optional, off unless you say yes). After the tutorial the App asks once whether you would like to share anonymous usage statistics. If you say no, nothing is collected or sent. If you say yes, the App makes a random 32-character number on your phone (it is not linked to your name, account, phone number or advertising ID) and sends events to Google Analytics, for example: which mode, board or puzzle is played; whether a match is won, lost or drawn and how long it took; which screens are opened; that a Friend room was created or joined (never its code); your level as a band such as "10-19"; and the App version. We never send your name, avatar, room codes, contacts, location or messages. Google's servers see your device's IP address in the normal way and may derive an approximate country from it.
Nothing is sent to Friend rooms unless you open a Friend room or join one with a code or invite link. Like any internet service, the servers that carry the connection (Google's) necessarily see your device's IP address; we do not receive, store or use it. Room data is not linked to an account, a device identifier or your real identity.
3. What we do not collect
- We do not require an account, email address, phone number or password.
- We do not collect your precise or approximate location.
- We do not access your contacts, photos, files, camera, microphone or messages.
- We do not collect advertising identifiers and we do not show advertising.
- We do not offer chat, voice or free-text messages between players, and we do not keep an online history of your matches.
- We do not collect anything online when you play Classic, Battle, 2 Players, Arena, Survival or Puzzles, unless you have agreed to anonymous statistics.
- We do not include any analytics, crash-reporting, attribution or tracking SDK. The only analytics is the optional anonymous statistics described in section 2, which are off unless you say yes.
- We do not process real-money payments. Coins are earned by playing and have no cash value (see our Terms of Use).
4. How the information is used
The information described above is used only on your device, to run the game: to save and restore your progress, apply your settings and appearance, calculate rewards and rankings, and schedule the reminders you have allowed. Friend room information is used only to run that live match: to show each player's name and avatar, to pass moves between the two phones, and to notice when a player leaves or loses connection. We do not use any of it for profiling, advertising or any purpose unrelated to playing the game. Anonymous statistics (if you agree) are used only to understand what players enjoy and where the game is too hard, slow or broken, so we can improve it. Advertising personalisation is switched off.
5. Device permissions
| Permission | Purpose | Your control |
|---|---|---|
| Notifications (Android 13 and later) | To show friendly reminders to come back and play (for example around 9:00, 14:00 and 18:00 local time) and daily reward alerts. | You are asked before the first reminder. You can switch reminders off in Settings → Daily reminders or in your phone's system settings at any time. |
| Internet access | Used by Friend rooms, to exchange room data with your friend's phone, and, only if you agree, to send anonymous usage statistics. The other modes do not need it. | Do not use Friend rooms, switch statistics off in Settings → Anonymous usage stats, or turn off Wi-Fi and mobile data. Everything else keeps working offline. |
| Opening invite links | So a friend's invite link (tictacbattle://room/..., reached through our web page) can open the App straight into their room. | You choose whether to tap a link. Nothing happens until you do. |
| Vibration | Short haptic feedback during play. | Switch off in Settings → Vibration. |
| Run at startup | So that reminders you have enabled still arrive after your phone restarts. | Disable reminders in the App to cancel all scheduled alerts. |
Reminders are generated locally by your device. They do not involve any server and are not used to track you.
6. Sharing and third parties
We do not sell, rent or trade personal information, and the App does not transmit your game data to us or to anyone else. The App is built with the Unity game engine; the App does not enable Unity analytics or advertising services.
Google Firebase. Friend room data is stored and delivered by Google Firebase Realtime Database (Google LLC), which acts as our service provider for this one feature. Rooms are held on servers in the United States. Google processes that data under its own terms and privacy policy. We have not enabled Firebase Analytics, advertising or crash reporting.
Google Analytics. If you agree to anonymous usage statistics, they are sent to Google Analytics (Google LLC), which acts as our service provider for that purpose. We do not use Google Analytics for advertising, we do not link it to any other data, and event-level data is kept for 2 months before only totals remain. Google processes it under its own terms and privacy policy. The App contains no Google Analytics or Firebase SDK; it sends the events itself over HTTPS.
Invitations. If you tap Share invite in a Friend room, the App opens your phone's standard share sheet with a message containing the room code and a link to a page on our website. If you tap Share with friends, it shares an invitation message and a store link in the same way. What you send, and to whom, is entirely your choice and is handled by the app you pick; the App never sees your contacts. Our website is hosted on GitHub Pages (GitHub, Inc.), which may record visitors' IP addresses in its server logs under GitHub's privacy statement; our pages do not use cookies or analytics.
If you tap Share with friends in other parts of the App, the same applies. If you tap Contact support or the privacy link, your email app or browser opens; those services are governed by their own privacy policies. If you download the App from Google Play, Google processes information about your installation under Google's own privacy policy.
7. Arena and Friend rooms
Arena matches you against computer-controlled opponents of a similar skill level, using names and avatars generated inside the App. These opponents are not other people, so your name and results are never shared with anyone.
Friend rooms connect you with a real person you choose to play with. Please keep in mind:
- Your friend sees the name, avatar and level you have chosen. Pick a name you are comfortable sharing, and avoid your full real name or any contact details.
- A room code works like a key to that one room: anyone who has the code can join (the first person to enter takes the second seat). Share it only with people you want to play with.
- There is no chat and no way to send messages or files, so the only things another player can learn about you from the App are the items listed in section 2.
- We do not watch rooms in real time. You can leave a room at any time, and a match ends if a player leaves or loses connection.
8. Storage, retention and deletion
Your game data stays on your device for as long as the App is installed. Because we hold no copy, we cannot recover it for you if you uninstall the App, clear its data or lose the device. You can delete all of it at any time by clearing the App's storage in your phone's settings (Settings → Apps → Tic Tac Battle → Storage → Clear data) or by uninstalling the App.
Friend room data is temporary. A room is deleted when the last player leaves it. If a phone loses connection or the App is closed unexpectedly, the leftover room can stay on the server until it is cleared out; the App ignores rooms older than 6 hours, and we clear leftover rooms from time to time. Room data is not tied to an account, so we can only find a room by its code. If you would like a room removed, email us with its code.
Anonymous statistics. Detailed events are kept for 2 months and then only combined totals remain. Switching statistics off in Settings → Anonymous usage stats stops sending at once and deletes the random number from your phone. To have events that were already sent deleted, tap Settings → Copy my anonymous ID (while statistics are on), email it to us, and we will delete that data from Google Analytics.
9. Security
The save file lives in the App's private, sandboxed storage, which Android protects from other apps. No system connected to the internet is involved in storing it. Friend room traffic is sent over encrypted (HTTPS) connections to Google's servers, and the room database only allows access to one room at a time by its code; rooms cannot be listed or browsed. No method of storage is perfectly secure; if your device is rooted or compromised, data on it may be at risk. Please keep your device protected with a screen lock and up-to-date software.
10. Children's privacy
Tic Tac Battle is a general-audience game and is not directed at children under 13 (or under the minimum age required in your country). Because the App collects no personal information and has no accounts, chat, ads or online sharing of personal data, there is nothing for a child to submit to us. In a Friend room the only things shared are the player name, avatar, level and moves; there is no chat, and rooms are reachable only with a code. Anonymous statistics are optional: if you are under the age of consent in your country, please ask a parent or guardian before saying yes. Parents may wish to help younger players choose a name that does not reveal who they are. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal information to us, contact us and we will help.
11. Your rights and choices
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, the CCPA in California, or India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023), you may have rights to access, correct, delete or restrict the processing of your personal data. Since we do not hold your personal data on any server, these rights are exercised directly on your device: you can see your information inside the App, change your name in Settings, and delete everything by clearing the App's data or uninstalling it. For the temporary Friend room data described above, which is not linked to your identity, you can ask us to remove a room by writing to us with its code. You can also withdraw your consent to notifications at any time. If you would like help or have a question about your rights, contact us using the button below.
12. International users
Your game data never leaves your device, so we do not transfer it across borders. Friend room data is processed on Google servers in the United States, so if you use Friend rooms from another country it will be transferred there for the length of the match.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy, for example when we add a feature. The latest version is always available at this page, and the "Effective date" above shows when it last changed. Material changes will also be announced in the App or on its store page before they take effect. Continued use of the App after a change means you accept the updated policy.
14. Contact us
Questions, requests or concerns about this policy or your privacy? Write to Pulsebyte and we will reply as soon as we can.