Privacy Policy

1 Information We Collect

Merge & Evolve is a free puzzle game. We collect only the minimum information necessary to operate the game, improve your experience, and serve relevant ads.

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

The game does not require account registration. When you first launch the app, you may optionally enter a display name which is shown on the Global Leaderboard alongside your score. This name is stored on our servers (Firebase Realtime Database) and is publicly visible to other players.

We also collect your email address only if you contact us directly for support.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device information — device model, OS version, unique device identifiers (e.g. Android Advertising ID)
• Usage data — game events such as merges performed, evolutions unlocked, levels reached, daily challenges completed, and session duration
• Crash reports — error logs and diagnostic data collected automatically when the app crashes
• Ad interaction data — whether you viewed, clicked, or dismissed an advertisement
• Push notification token — a device token generated by Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) used to deliver daily challenge reminders
• Leaderboard data — your display name, best score, highest evolution tier, and number of moves, stored on our servers for the Global Leaderboard feature
• IP address — collected by third-party services for fraud prevention and general location purposes (country/region level only)

1.3 Locally Stored Data

Game progress (board state, score, best score, evolution history, undo history, and settings) is stored locally on your device using shared preferences. This data never leaves your device unless explicitly sent to a third-party service described below.

2 How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, and maintain the game
• Save and restore your game progress locally on your device
• Display your scores and display name on the Global Leaderboard
• Send daily challenge push notifications (if you grant permission)
• Enable social sharing of your best score and evolution tier
• Display personalised and non-personalised advertisements
• Analyse gameplay to improve game balance and fix bugs
• Monitor app stability and diagnose crashes via Firebase Crashlytics
• Deliver daily challenges and remote configuration updates
• Prompt you for an in-app review at appropriate moments
• Respond to support enquiries you send us by email

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

3 Third-Party Services

Merge & Evolve integrates the following third-party SDKs. Each has its own privacy policy and data practices.

• Google AdMob — Displays banner, interstitial, rewarded, and app-open ads. May use your Advertising ID to serve personalised ads.
• Firebase Analytics — Collects anonymised usage events to help us understand how players interact with the game.
• Firebase Crashlytics — Automatically captures crash reports and error logs to help us fix bugs quickly.
• Firebase Remote Config — Allows us to update game settings (such as ad frequency and feature flags) without a full app update. No personal data is shared via Remote Config.
• Firebase Realtime Database — Stores Global Leaderboard data (display name, best score, highest evolution tier, move count) on Google's servers. This data is publicly readable by other players of the game.
• Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) — Delivers push notifications such as daily challenge reminders. FCM generates a device token which is stored on our servers and used solely to send you notifications you have opted into.
• Google Play In-App Review API — Used to request an app store review at positive gameplay moments. Google handles this flow entirely; we receive no data about whether or how you responded.

4 Global Leaderboard

Merge & Evolve features a Global Leaderboard that lets players compare scores worldwide. Participation involves the following data practices:

4.1 What We Store

• Your chosen display name (entered by you on first launch)
• Your best score and the number of moves taken
• Your highest evolution tier (e.g. Dragon, Titan)
• The date the score was recorded

4.2 Public Visibility

Leaderboard entries are publicly visible to all players. Please choose a display name that does not reveal personal information you wish to keep private (e.g. avoid using your full real name).

4.3 Changing or Removing Your Entry

To change your display name or request removal of your leaderboard data, please contact us at sky.techno.biz@gmail.com. We will process your request within 30 days.

5 Social Sharing

The app includes an optional Share Score feature that lets you share your best score and evolution tier to social media, messaging apps, or other platforms installed on your device.

5.1 What Is Shared

• Your best score and highest evolution tier name (e.g. "Dragon")
• A generated score card image showing your stats
• A link to download Merge & Evolve from the App Store or Google Play

5.2 How Sharing Works

Sharing is triggered only when you tap the Share button. The app uses the operating system's native share sheet — on iOS this is the system share panel, on Android it is the system share sheet. We do not automatically post anything on your behalf.

5.3 Third-Party Platform Policies

Once content is shared to a third-party platform (e.g. Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter/X), it is governed by that platform's own privacy policy. We have no control over how those platforms handle the shared content.

6 Push Notifications

With your permission, Merge & Evolve sends push notifications to remind you when the daily challenge resets.

6.1 Permission

On iOS, the app will request notification permission on first launch. On Android 13+, the app requests the POST_NOTIFICATIONS permission. You may deny or revoke this permission at any time in your device settings — the game continues to function normally without it.

6.2 Notification Token

When you grant permission, Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) generates a device token — a unique identifier used to route notifications to your device. This token is stored on our servers and is used solely to deliver notifications you have opted into. It is not shared with advertisers or used for any other purpose.

6.3 Opting Out

• iOS: Settings → Notifications → Merge & Evolve → Turn off
• Android: Settings → Apps → Merge & Evolve → Notifications → Turn off
• Or toggle off inside the app: Settings → Notifications → Daily Challenge Alerts

7 Advertising & AdMob

7.1 Types of Ads

The game shows the following ad formats:

• Banner ads — displayed at the bottom of the home and game screens
• Interstitial ads — full-screen ads shown between game sessions
• Rewarded ads — optional ads you choose to watch in exchange for extra undos or a continue
• App-open ads — shown when the app is opened or brought back to the foreground

7.2 Personalised vs. Non-Personalised Ads

On devices running Android, Google AdMob may use your Advertising ID (GAID) to deliver personalised advertisements based on your interests. You can opt out of personalised ads at any time in your device settings:

• Android: Settings → Google → Ads → Delete advertising ID

7.3 App Tracking Transparency (iOS)

On iOS 14+, we request permission to track your activity across apps and websites using Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework. You may deny this permission; the game will continue to function and will serve non-personalised ads.

8 Analytics & Firebase

We use Firebase Analytics to collect anonymised, aggregated data about how the game is played. Examples of events we log:

• Game started, game over, game won
• Evolution tier unlocked
• Daily challenge attempted or completed
• Score shared to social media
• Rewarded ad watched
• App screens viewed

This data is used in aggregate only. We cannot identify you personally from analytics events. Firebase Analytics data is processed by Google and subject to their data retention policies (default: 2 months for user-level data, 14 months for event data).

Crashlytics crash reports are automatically deleted after 90 days.

9 Data Retention

• Local game data — retained on your device until you uninstall the app or clear app data
• Global Leaderboard data — retained until you request deletion via email
• FCM notification token — retained while you have notifications enabled; deleted when you opt out
• Firebase Analytics events — retained for up to 14 months per Google's standard policy
• Crashlytics reports — retained for 90 days
• Ad identifiers — managed by Google AdMob per their own retention schedule
• Support emails — retained only as long as needed to resolve your request

10 Children's Privacy

Merge & Evolve is a general-audience game and is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in the European Economic Area).

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at sky.techno.biz@gmail.com and we will delete it promptly.

Advertising shown in the app is configured to comply with Google's Families Policy and does not include interest-based advertising targeted at children.

11 Your Rights & Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Deletion — request deletion of your personal data, including leaderboard entries and notification tokens
• Correction — request correction of your display name on the leaderboard
• Opt-out of personalised ads — via your device's advertising settings
• Withdraw notification consent — disable notifications in the app or device settings at any time
• Withdraw ATT consent (iOS) — via iOS Settings → Privacy → Tracking
• Data portability — request your data in a portable format

For any of the above requests, contact us at sky.techno.biz@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

Because most data is stored locally on your device, you can delete all local game data at any time by uninstalling the app or clearing app data in your device settings.

12 Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the information we process. All communication between the app and Firebase/Google services uses industry-standard TLS encryption.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to protecting your information to the best of our ability.

13 Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, third-party services, or applicable law. When we do, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Notify you via an in-app notice for material changes

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14 Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please reach out — we're happy to help.