Thumbrot Privacy Policy
Thumbrot is an iPhone game made of 5-second microgames, published by Alexandru Struta, an individual developer based in Romania (the “developer”, “we”, “us”). This policy explains what information the game handles, where it goes and what choices you have. It describes version 1.0 of the game. Contact: alexandrustruta@gmail.com.
1. Short version
- There is no account and no sign-in. The game never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
- Your coins, streaks, unlocked packs and other progress are saved only on your iPhone. We do not receive them and there is no cloud save.
- Thumbrot is free and shows ads from Google AdMob. Google receives information about your device and the ads you see so it can show ads, measure them and prevent fraud (section 3).
- Google may use your iPhone's advertising identifier (IDFA) only if you allow it in Apple's tracking prompt. Saying no changes nothing in the game.
- Purchases are handled by Apple. We never see your payment details.
- The game downloads its settings and the list of sponsored cards from our website, which is hosted by Cloudflare (section 5).
- We use no analytics or crash-reporting service of our own.
2. Information stored on your device
The game keeps these files on your iPhone so it can work:
- Game progress: your coins, your daily streak and streak freezes, the daily challenge, which packs are unlocked (and until when, for packs opened by watching an ad), and a few counters: how many runs you have finished and how many full-screen ads you have seen today.
- Purchases: the IDs of the App Store transactions the game has already credited, so a coin pack or streak freeze is never added twice.
- Ad reports: when you report an ad or a sponsored card, the date, the reason you picked and, for a sponsored card, which one it was (section 4).
- Downloaded settings: the latest copy of the game settings and sponsored-card list from our website, and when it was fetched.
These files contain no name, email address or contact details, and they are not sent to us. Your iPhone's own backups (iCloud or computer) may include them, depending on your backup settings. Whether you have Premium or Remove Ads is checked with Apple each time the game starts.
3. Advertising (Google AdMob)
Thumbrot shows ads through Google AdMob, a service of Google:
- Interstitial ads: a full-screen ad on its own card in the feed, at most every few minutes and never in the middle of a microgame.
- Rewarded ads, only when you choose them: to keep a run going, to double a run's coins, or to open a locked pack for 24 hours.
The Google Mobile Ads software in the app starts only after you have answered Apple's tracking prompt (see below), or when the game starts if your iPhone doesn't let apps ask. From then on, when it loads or shows ads it sends Google information such as your IP address (from which an approximate location can be worked out), device and app details (iPhone model, iOS version, language, the game's version), device identifiers (the advertising identifier only if you allow tracking, otherwise identifiers limited to this app or developer), your interactions with ads (views and taps), and diagnostic data such as crash reports from the ad software. Google uses this to choose and show ads, cap how often you see the same ad, measure ads, and detect fraud and abuse. Google handles it under the Google Privacy Policy; How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services explains more.
Consent in Europe. In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, Google's consent form comes up before the ads start (right after the tracking explanation), and Google uses your answer to decide whether ads may use your data to be personalized. Without consent, Google shows only limited ads that don't rely on it. You can change your answer at any time in Settings › Privacy choices.
Tracking permission. After your first finished run, the game explains why it asks and then shows Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt. Only if you tap Allow can Google read your advertising identifier (IDFA) and use it to show ads based on your activity in other companies' apps and websites. If you tap Ask App Not to Track, Google cannot read it and ads may be less relevant. Nothing else in the game changes either way. You can change your answer at any time in the iOS Settings app › Privacy & Security › Tracking.
Ad measurement. The app lists the ad networks that may measure installs through Apple's SKAdNetwork, which lets Apple confirm that an ad led to an install without identifying you.
With Premium, the game doesn't start the Google Mobile Ads software at all (from the next launch, if you subscribe while playing). With Remove Ads, interstitial ads and sponsored cards are switched off and the software loads only rewarded ads, which you can still choose to watch.
4. Sponsored cards and reporting ads
Now and then the feed shows a card for another developer's game, labeled “Sponsored”. Its picture or video and icon are downloaded from our website (section 5). Tapping Get opens the game's App Store page through the App Store campaign link that developer gave us, which carries only campaign labels and nothing about you, so that developer can see in Apple's App Store Connect how many page views and downloads came from Thumbrot in total. Apple handles this under its own privacy policy; we receive nothing from it. You never get rewards for tapping a sponsored card.
Every ad card and offer to watch an ad has a Report ad button, and every sponsored card has a Report button. A report (the date, the reason you pick and, for a sponsored card, which one it was) is saved on your iPhone. If you then tap Email the report, your email app opens a message to us with the reason, which card it was, the date and the app and iOS versions; it reaches us only if you send it. Google's own ads also carry Google's ⓘ (AdChoices) button, which sends feedback to Google directly.
5. Game settings from our website
When the game starts, and at most once an hour, it downloads two small files from our website at thumbrot.pages.dev: the game settings (such as how often ads may appear) and the list of sponsored cards. The website is hosted by Cloudflare. Like any web request, these downloads give Cloudflare your IP address and basic technical details of the connection, which Cloudflare may log for security and to run its service under the Cloudflare Privacy Policy. The game sends no identifier, progress or other information about you with them, and we do not use these logs to identify anyone.
6. Purchases
Premium subscriptions, Remove Ads, coin packs and streak freezes are sold through the App Store. Apple processes your payment, your Apple Account and your purchase history under the Apple Privacy Policy. We never see your card or bank details. The game asks Apple (StoreKit) for product names and prices and for your purchases, and starts a purchase or a restore only when you tap the button.
7. Permissions and links
The game does not ask for your location, contacts, photos, camera, microphone, Bluetooth or notifications. The only permission it can ask for is tracking (section 3).
The Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and “Developers: promote your game” buttons open web pages in your web browser, and Get on a sponsored card opens the App Store. Those websites receive the usual information any browser sends; the game adds nothing of its own (a sponsored card's link carries only that developer's campaign labels).
8. Emails to us
If you email us, we receive your email address, your message and anything you attach. We use them only to answer you and fix problems. Please don't send passwords or payment details. Our email provider (Google) stores this correspondence for us.
9. Legal bases (EU/EEA and UK)
The developer, Alexandru Struta (Romania), is responsible for the information described here. Where the GDPR applies:
- showing ads relies on our legitimate interest in keeping the game free; personalized ads rely on your consent in Google's consent form, where it applies, and ads based on your advertising identifier on your permission in Apple's tracking prompt; you can withdraw either at any time in Settings;
- selling and restoring purchases is needed to provide what you buy (performance of a contract);
- downloading game settings relies on our legitimate interest in running and tuning the game;
- answering emails relies on our legitimate interest in supporting the game, or on steps you ask us to take.
We do not sell your information. We share it only with the companies named in this policy (Google, Cloudflare and Apple), for the purposes described here, or when the law requires it or to protect legal rights. We confirm that each of them gives your information the same or equal protection as this policy describes, under its own privacy policy and terms. They may process information outside your country, including in the United States, under the safeguards described in their own policies.
10. How long information is kept
- Game files stay on your iPhone until you delete the app. Deleting the app deletes your progress, and we cannot recover it. Offloading the app keeps its data, and device backups may keep copies.
- Emails are kept as long as needed to handle your request and any follow-up, then deleted, unless the law requires us to keep them.
- Google, Apple and Cloudflare keep their records under their own policies. Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription or delete Apple's records.
11. Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR in the EU or the CCPA in California), you may have the right to access, correct or delete information about you, to restrict or object to processing, to data portability, to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for targeted advertising, and to withdraw consent. To stop ads based on your activity elsewhere, tap Ask App Not to Track or turn tracking off in Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking. Email us to use your other rights; we may need to confirm the request is yours. We do not hold your game data, ad data or purchase records, so for those we may refer you to Google or Apple. You can also complain to a data protection authority, for example in the country where you live or, in Romania, the ANSPDCP (dataprotection.ro).
California and other US states. The information described in sections 3, 5 and 8 falls into these categories: identifiers (IP address, device identifiers including the advertising identifier only if you allow tracking, and your email address if you write to us), internet or other electronic network activity (your interactions with ads, device and app details and diagnostic data), and approximate location worked out from your IP address. It is kept as described in section 10. We do not collect sensitive personal information and we do not sell personal information. If you allow tracking, Google can use your advertising identifier to show you ads based on your activity in other companies' apps and websites, which California law calls “sharing” for cross-context behavioral advertising. To opt out, tap Ask App Not to Track, or turn tracking off for Thumbrot in Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking. We will not treat you differently for using any of these rights.
12. Children
Thumbrot is a game for a general audience. It is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, email us and we will delete it.
13. Changes and contact
We will post any changes here with a new date. If a change significantly affects how your information is used, we will also tell you in the game or ask for your consent where required. Questions or requests: alexandrustruta@gmail.com.