TaleLine Privacy Policy
This document explains what data the TaleLine mobile game collects, why it is needed, who processes it, and how you can control it.
Who we are
TaleLine is a mobile puzzle game with story episodes, developed and published by Pocketloom (“we”, “us”). This policy applies to the TaleLine Android application with the identifier com.pocketloom.taleline, distributed through Google Play, and to any future releases of it.
We are the controller of the data described here. For anything related to this policy, write to main@pocketloom.games.
By installing and using the application you agree to the processing described below. If you do not agree, please do not install the application, or uninstall it.
Status of monetisation features. Advertising is active: the game offers optional rewarded videos and shows a full-screen ad after a win on every fifth level. In-app purchases are not yet processed — section 6 describes how they will work once premium access becomes a paid product.
Data we collect
The game has no registration and no sign-in, so we never learn who you are. Everything collected is technical and relates to how the application is used on a device.
| Category | Details | Collected by |
|---|---|---|
| App interactions | App launches, level starts and outcomes (number, difficulty, time left, stars earned), booster taps, tutorial completion, opening and finishing story episodes, unlocking an episode with in-game stars, premium activation, screens viewed | Google Analytics for Firebase |
| Identifiers | App instance ID, Android advertising ID, Crashlytics installation ID | Firebase, Appodeal and its partner ad networks |
| Crash logs and diagnostics | Error type, stack trace, application version, device model, OS version, memory usage at the time of the crash | Firebase Crashlytics |
| Technical information | Device model and OS version, application version, interface language, approximate country or region derived from the IP address | Firebase, Appodeal and its partner ad networks |
| Gameplay properties | Selected language, premium status, current level, whether the tutorial is completed | Google Analytics for Firebase |
| Advertising data | Ad requests and impressions, interactions with ads, whether a rewarded ad was watched to the end, IP address and coarse location derived from it | Appodeal and its partner ad networks |
| Purchase records when enabled | The fact and time of a purchase, product identifier, purchase token and order status | Google Play Billing |
All of this data travels over an encrypted connection (HTTPS). Collection happens automatically as you use the application and requires no input from you.
What we never collect
The application does not request or collect:
- your name, email address, phone number or any other contact details;
- precise location;
- contacts, messages or calendar;
- photos, videos, audio or files stored on your device;
- camera or microphone access;
- card numbers or any other payment credentials.
No account is created inside the game or through any external service, and there is no way to sign in with an existing account. We do not combine the data we receive with information from other sources, and we never sell it.
Analytics and crash reports
We use Google Analytics for Firebase to understand how the game is played and Firebase Crashlytics to learn about failures.
- Improving the game. Statistics show where players get stuck, which stories they read and which boosters they use, which helps us tune difficulty and plan new content.
- Fixing errors. Crash reports let us find and fix problems that would otherwise be impossible to reproduce.
- Stability across devices. Device models and OS versions help us keep the game working the same way on phones and tablets.
This data is used in aggregate. We make no decisions about an individual player based on it, and we do not build advertising profiles from it.
Advertising
The game offers optional rewarded ads — short videos you may choose to watch in exchange for extra energy or time — and a full-screen ad shown after a win on every fifth level. Ads are delivered through Appodeal, an ad-mediation platform that selects each ad in a real-time auction between advertising networks. Depending on the auction the ad may come from Appodeal's demand partners, including Google AdMob, AppLovin, BidMachine, Meta Audience Network, Unity Ads (including ironSource / Unity LevelPlay), Mintegral, Liftoff (Vungle), InMobi, DT Exchange, Chartboost, Bigo Ads, Pangle, Amazon, Smaato, PubMatic, Ogury, MobileFuse, Moloco, myTarget (VK Ads), Start.io, Verve, TaurusX, Yandex Ads and others.
- Rewarded ads are always optional. Nothing in the game becomes unreachable if you never watch one.
- The full-screen ad appears only when you close the win screen of every fifth level, never during play.
- To serve and measure ads, Appodeal and the network that wins the auction process your advertising ID, your IP address (also as a coarse location signal), device and app information, and interactions with the ad itself.
- Where the law requires consent — including the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland — it is collected through Appodeal's consent manager (built on Google's User Messaging Platform and the IAB TCF framework) before any personalised ad is shown, and you can change your answer at any time from the game's settings. In US states with an opt-out model the same settings entry shows a “Do Not Sell or Share” form.
- If consent cannot be collected for any reason, the game requests non-personalised ads only.
- If you decline personalisation, ads are still shown but are chosen without a profile built from your advertising ID.
- Players with premium access do not see forced advertising.
How Appodeal processes this data is described in the Appodeal Privacy Policy. How Google uses data from apps that use its advertising services is described in “How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services”; the other networks' policies are linked from Appodeal's policy.
Purchases when enabled
A future version will offer premium access as a paid in-app product. Payments are handled entirely by Google Play Billing.
- We never see or store your card number, bank details or billing address. Google processes the payment and tells us only whether the purchase succeeded.
- We receive and store the product identifier, purchase token, order status and time — the minimum needed to grant premium access, to restore it on a new device and to handle refunds and support requests.
- Refunds and payment disputes are governed by Google Play's terms.
In-game stars, energy and boosters are virtual items with no monetary value. They cannot be bought, exchanged for money or transferred between players.
Data stored on your device
Your game progress — completed levels, stars and energy, unlocked stories and settings — is stored locally in the application's storage and is never sent to us. Uninstalling the application deletes this data along with it.
If Android automatic backup is enabled in your device settings, the system may copy application data to your Google account. That copy is controlled by Google and by you; we have no access to it. Backup can be disabled in the Android settings.
Legal bases
If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, we rely on the following legal bases under the GDPR:
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Analytics and product improvement | Legitimate interest in understanding and improving our own game (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Crash reports and diagnostics | Legitimate interest in a stable, working application (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Personalised advertising | Your consent (Art. 6(1)(a)), which you may withdraw at any time |
| Non-personalised advertising | Legitimate interest in funding a free game (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Processing a purchase and granting premium access | Performance of a contract with you (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Keeping purchase records | Compliance with a legal obligation, such as tax and accounting rules (Art. 6(1)(c)) |
Who the data goes to
We do not sell data and we do not pass it to anyone outside the services listed below.
- Google (Firebase Analytics, Crashlytics) — acts as our service provider and processes data on our instructions. See Privacy and Security in Firebase.
- Appodeal Inc. and its partner ad networks (listed in section 5) — deliver ads through mediation. For personalised advertising these companies also act for their own purposes, which is why consent is collected first where that is required. See the Appodeal Privacy Policy.
- Google (Play Billing) — processes payments as an independent controller of your payment data. See the Google Privacy Policy.
We may also disclose data if we are legally required to do so, or to establish or defend legal claims.
International transfers
Google, Appodeal and the advertising networks named in section 5 process data on servers in several countries, including the United States. Where data leaves the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, these companies apply the safeguards described in their own terms, including the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses.
Retention periods
- Usage statistics — kept in Google Analytics for the retention period configured in that service, then deleted automatically.
- Crash reports — up to 90 days in Crashlytics.
- Advertising data — retained by Appodeal and its partner networks according to their own policies; we keep no copy.
- Purchase records — kept for as long as required by tax and accounting law in our jurisdiction.
- Data on your device — kept until you uninstall the application or clear its data.
Your choices in the app
- Advertising consent. Where consent applies, you can change or withdraw it at any time from the game's settings.
- Reset your advertising ID or opt out of ad personalisation system-wide: Settings → Google → Ads (the exact path varies between Android versions).
- Uninstall the application. This stops any further collection and removes the local data.
- Disable application backup in the Android settings.
Please note: without crash statistics we will not see the error you ran into and will not be able to fix it.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access the data we hold about you, to have it corrected or deleted, to restrict or object to its processing, to receive it in a portable form and to withdraw consent you have given. Write to main@pocketloom.games and we will respond within the period required by applicable law.
Because the game collects no account or contact details, we usually need the identifier the request concerns — for example your advertising ID or the Google Play order number — to find the relevant records at all.
If you are in the EEA or the UK, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
If you are a California resident, you have the rights to know, delete, correct and to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information. We do not sell personal information for money. Declining ad personalisation, as described in section 12, also serves as an opt-out of “sharing” for cross-context behavioural advertising. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.
Children
The application is not intended for and not directed to children under 13, and it is not part of the Google Play Families programme. We do not knowingly collect children's data. If you believe a child has provided us with any information, contact us and we will delete it.
Security
All data is transmitted over encrypted connections and is stored on Google's infrastructure under its security controls. Access to analytics and crash reports is limited to the people who need it to develop the game. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work only with established providers and keep the amount of collected data to a minimum.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy — for example when advertising or purchases are switched on, or when a new service is added. The current version is always available at this address, and the effective date is shown at the top. Material changes will also be noted in the Google Play release notes, and where the law requires it we will ask for your consent again.
Contact
For any question about data, this policy or a rights request, write to main@pocketloom.games.