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Patches — Privacy Policy

Developer: Gracebyte Studios
App: Patches (com.gracebytestudios.patches)
Platforms: iOS and Android
Last updated: March 29, 2026

1. Overview​

Gracebyte Studios ("we", "us", or "our") built Patches as a mobile game. This page informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information when you use the app.

We are committed to protecting your privacy. Patches is designed to collect as little personal data as possible.

2. Information We Collect​

2.1 Information You Do Not Provide​

Patches does not require you to create an account or provide any personal information such as your name, email address, or phone number to play the game.

2.2 Anonymous Gameplay Data​

When you complete a puzzle, we submit the following to our leaderboard service:

  • Board ID — an identifier for the specific puzzle level
  • Solve time — how long it took you to complete the puzzle (in milliseconds)
  • Hints used — the number of hints used during the solve

This data is submitted anonymously. It is not linked to your identity, your device, or any account.

2.3 Local Data​

The following data is stored locally on your device only using standard platform storage (SharedPreferences / Secure Storage). It is never transmitted to our servers:

  • Puzzle progress (levels completed per difficulty)
  • Active color theme selection
  • Appearance preferences (light/dark mode)
  • Whether you have seen the tutorial
  • Purchase state (ads removed, theme unlocks, difficulty unlocks)

2.4 Advertising Data (Google Mobile Ads)​

If you have not purchased the "Remove Ads" add-on, Patches displays banner advertisements served by Google AdMob. Google may collect device identifiers and other data to serve personalised or contextual ads in accordance with their own privacy policy. We do not control the data collected by Google's advertising SDK.

You can review Google's privacy policy at: https://policies.google.com/privacy

To opt out of personalised advertising, use your device's built-in ad personalisation settings:

  • iOS: Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising
  • Android: Settings → Google → Ads

Purchasing "Remove Ads" disables all advertising within the app entirely.

2.5 In-App Purchases​

In-app purchases are processed entirely by Apple (App Store) or Google (Google Play). We do not receive or store your payment information. Purchase verification is handled by the platform's native in-app purchase APIs.

3. How We Use the Information​

The anonymous solve-time data submitted to our leaderboard is used solely to:

  • Calculate your percentile ranking relative to other players on a per-puzzle basis
  • Display an aggregate leaderboard for each puzzle level

We do not use this data for advertising, profiling, or any purpose beyond the leaderboard feature described above.

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure​

We do not sell, trade, or rent any user information to third parties.

We may share aggregated, non-personally-identifiable information (e.g. "puzzle X has been solved N times with an average time of Y seconds") publicly or with partners for analytics purposes.

We may disclose information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities.

5. Data Retention​

Anonymous leaderboard entries (board ID, solve time, hint count) are retained indefinitely to maintain leaderboard integrity. Because the data contains no personally identifiable information, there is no mechanism to identify or delete a specific user's entries.

Local device data can be cleared at any time by uninstalling the app.

6. Children's Privacy​

Patches does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or the applicable age in your jurisdiction). The game contains no social features, chat, or user-generated content. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

7. Third-Party Services​

Patches uses the following third-party services, each governed by their own privacy policies:

ServicePurposePrivacy Policy
Google AdMobBanner advertisinghttps://policies.google.com/privacy
SupabaseAnonymous leaderboardhttps://supabase.com/privacy
Apple App StoreIn-app purchases (iOS)https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/
Google PlayIn-app purchases (Android)https://policies.google.com/privacy

8. Security​

We use industry-standard practices to protect the data stored on our servers. However, no method of electronic storage or transmission over the internet is 100% secure. Because all leaderboard data is anonymous, a breach would not expose personally identifiable information.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy​

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted within the app and reflected by the "Last updated" date at the top of this document. Continued use of the app after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

10. Contact Us​

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

Email: gracebyte.studios@gmail.com