1. Who we are
Merge Bowl is developed by the Merge Bowl team (“we”, “us”, “our”). The Game is published in each app store by a different member of the team:
- Google Play (Android): published by Ghosn Studio.
- Apple App Store (iOS): published by Abdulrahman Al Kadri.
For the purposes of data protection law, the publisher of the version you downloaded is responsible for the processing described in this policy (the “controller”). Both publishers work together on the Game and follow this same policy. You can reach both of us at the same address: mergebowl@gmail.com.
2. Information we handle
We have designed the Game to work with as little information as possible. The table below lists every category of information involved in the Game.
| Category | Examples | Where it goes | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game progress and settings | Unlocked worlds and themes, coins, best scores, sound, music and vibration settings, tutorial progress | Stays on your device only | Saving your game |
| Random install ID | A random code created the first time you open the Game. It is not linked to your name or device hardware. | Stays on your device only | Grouping gameplay statistics from the same install |
| Gameplay statistics | Run length, what ended a run, use of power-ups, whether a rewarded ad was watched | Currently stays on your device only (see section 6) | Balancing and improving the Game |
| Advertising data | Advertising ID (Android) or IDFA (iOS, only with permission), IP address, approximate location derived from IP, device model, operating system, language, ad interactions (views, clicks) | Google AdMob | Showing, limiting, measuring and, where permitted, personalising ads; preventing ad fraud |
| Consent choices | Whether you agreed to personalised ads | Your device and Google | Remembering and respecting your choice |
| Purchase data | Which product you bought, time of purchase, store receipt and transaction ID, an anonymous app user ID | Google Play or Apple, and RevenueCat | Delivering, verifying and restoring purchases |
| Crash and diagnostic data | Crash reports and performance data, if you have allowed your device to share them | Google Play Console or Apple App Store Connect | Fixing bugs and crashes |
| Emails you send us | Your email address and whatever you write to us | Our support inbox | Answering your question |
We do not collect your name, contact list, photos, microphone, camera, precise GPS location, health data or payment card details.
3. Data stored on your device
Your game progress is stored locally in the Game’s private storage on your phone or tablet. We cannot see it, and it is not backed up to our servers. This means:
- If you uninstall the Game or clear its data, your local progress and coins are deleted.
- Your progress does not move automatically to a new device. Your operating system’s own device backup (for example Google or iCloud backup) may include it, according to your device settings.
- Purchases of “Remove Ads” are linked to your store account and can be restored on a new device with the Restore purchases option.
4. Advertising
The Game is free to play and is funded by ads and optional purchases. Ads are provided by Google AdMob, a service of Google LLC and, in the EEA/UK, Google Ireland Limited. The Game shows three kinds of ads:
- Banner ads in some menus.
- Interstitial (full-screen) ads occasionally between runs, limited so they do not appear too often.
- Rewarded ads, which you choose to watch in exchange for an in-game reward. These are always optional.
To show and measure ads, AdMob and its partners may collect the advertising data listed in section 2 and may use cookies or similar technologies on your device. Depending on your choices, ads may be personalised (based on your interests and activity across apps) or non-personalised (based only on general context such as approximate location and the fact that you are playing a game). Non-personalised ads still use some data to limit how often an ad is shown, prevent fraud and count views.
Consent in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland
If you are in the European Economic Area (including Norway), the United Kingdom or Switzerland, the Game uses Google’s consent tool to ask for your consent before personalised ads are shown or data is stored on your device for advertising. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time under Settings → Privacy in the Game.
App Tracking Transparency (iOS)
On iPhone and iPad, the Game asks for permission before the advertising identifier (IDFA) can be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies. If you choose “Ask App Not to Track”, the IDFA is not shared and the Game works exactly the same. You can change this at any time under iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
Learn more about how Google uses information from apps that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites, and read Google’s privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy.
If you buy Remove Ads, banner and interstitial ads are switched off. Rewarded ads remain available because you only see them when you choose to.
5. In-app purchases
You can buy coin packs and “Remove Ads” in the Game. Payments are processed entirely by Google Play or the Apple App Store under their own terms and privacy policies. We do not receive your name, email address, billing address or card details.
We use RevenueCat, Inc. to check that purchases are valid, to unlock what you bought and to let you restore purchases. RevenueCat receives the store receipt, product and transaction details, basic device information (such as platform, app version and country) and an anonymous app user ID generated by RevenueCat. Read RevenueCat’s privacy policy at revenuecat.com/privacy.
6. Gameplay statistics
The Game records simple gameplay events, such as when a session starts, how long a run lasted, what ended it, which power-ups were used and whether a rewarded ad was completed. Each event is linked only to the random install ID and a random session ID, never to your name or contact details.
At the moment these statistics are only stored on your device. If we later start sending them to an analytics provider to improve the Game, we will update this policy first and name the provider here. We will not use gameplay statistics for advertising.
7. How and why we use information
- To provide the Game: saving progress, applying your settings and running the Game on your device.
- To deliver purchases: verifying payments, unlocking content and restoring purchases.
- To show ads: displaying, limiting, measuring and (with consent where required) personalising ads, and preventing ad fraud.
- To improve the Game: understanding which parts are too hard or too easy, and fixing crashes and bugs.
- To support you: answering emails and handling privacy requests.
- To meet legal obligations: for example keeping records required by tax or consumer law, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.
We do not use your information for automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
8. Legal bases (EEA, UK and Switzerland)
Where the GDPR or similar laws apply, we rely on the following legal bases:
- Contract: to provide the Game and deliver purchases you make.
- Consent: for personalised ads and for storing or reading advertising information on your device. You can withdraw consent at any time without affecting processing that happened before.
- Legitimate interests: to show non-personalised ads that fund the free Game, to keep the Game secure, to prevent fraud and to improve gameplay. We have balanced these interests against your rights and keep the data involved to a minimum.
- Legal obligation: where we must keep or disclose information by law.
10. International transfers
Our service providers may process information in countries outside your own, including the United States. Where information from the EEA, the UK or Switzerland is transferred, these providers use recognised safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses or the EU–US Data Privacy Framework.
11. How long information is kept
- Game data, install ID and gameplay statistics on your device: until you uninstall the Game or clear its data. The statistics file is capped in size and older entries are overwritten.
- Advertising data: kept by Google according to its own retention policies. See policies.google.com/technologies/retention.
- Purchase records: kept by the app stores and RevenueCat for as long as needed to provide restores and meet accounting and tax obligations.
- Support emails: kept for as long as needed to help you, and normally deleted within 24 months after the conversation ends.
12. Your choices and controls
- Change ad consent: Settings → Privacy in the Game (EEA, UK and Switzerland).
- Android: delete or reset your advertising ID, or opt out of personalised ads, in your device’s Settings → Google → Ads (or Settings → Privacy → Ads).
- iOS: allow or deny tracking under Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking, and limit Apple’s own ads under Apple Advertising.
- Remove forced ads: buy “Remove Ads” in the Game.
- Delete your data: uninstall the Game or clear its app data. This removes everything stored on your device. For data held by our providers, contact us and we will help you.
13. Your privacy rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
- access the personal information we hold about you and get a copy of it;
- correct inaccurate information;
- have your information deleted;
- restrict or object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests;
- receive your information in a portable format;
- withdraw consent at any time.
To use these rights, email mergebowl@gmail.com. Because the Game has no accounts, we may not be able to link information to you. It helps if you tell us which device and store you use and, for purchases, the order number from your Google Play or Apple receipt. We will answer within one month, as required by law. We will not treat you differently for using your rights.
If you are in the EEA, the UK or Switzerland, you can also complain to your local data protection authority. In Norway this is Datatilsynet.
14. Additional information for US residents
Some US states (for example California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut and Utah) give residents additional rights. In the past 12 months the Game has handled the following categories as described above: identifiers (advertising ID, install ID, IP address), commercial information (purchase history), internet or other electronic network activity (ad interactions and gameplay events) and approximate geolocation derived from IP address.
We do not sell personal information for money. Showing personalised ads through AdMob may count as “sharing” for cross-context behavioural advertising or “targeted advertising” under some state laws. You can opt out by turning off personalised ads in your device settings as described in section 12. We honour opt-out signals from your device’s ad settings. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information.
15. Children
The Game is not directed at children under 13 (or the higher minimum age that applies in your country, for example 16 in some EEA countries without parental consent). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it and take appropriate steps.
16. Security
We keep the amount of information we handle to a minimum, store game data only on your device, and use established providers that protect information in transit with encryption. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
17. Device permissions
The Game only asks for the permissions it needs:
- Internet and network state (Android): to load ads and verify purchases.
- Advertising ID (Android): used by AdMob as described in section 4.
- Tracking (iOS): only asked through Apple’s App Tracking Transparency prompt, which you can decline.
- Vibration: for short haptic feedback, which you can turn off in the Game’s settings. It does not give access to any personal information.
18. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when the Game or the law changes. The “last updated” date at the top shows when it last changed. If we make important changes, for example adding a new provider that receives personal information, we will let you know in the Game or in the store listing before the change takes effect.
19. Contact us
For any question about this policy or your information, contact the Merge Bowl team:
- Email: mergebowl@gmail.com
- Google Play publisher: Ghosn Studio
- App Store publisher: Abdulrahman Al Kadri