Hold Paws Privacy Policy
Hold Paws is a mobile game for Android. This policy explains what information the game handles, who processes it, and the choices you have.
In short
- There are no accounts, no ads and no in-app purchases.
- The game sends usage statistics to Google Analytics for Firebase, for example when a run starts and ends and how far you got. We use them to see how the game is played and to improve it. You can switch this off in Settings.
- We never receive your name, email address, contacts, photos or files. The game does not use your advertising ID, and we do not sell data.
What the game stores on your device
Your progress is saved on your device so you can pick up where you left off:
| What is saved | Why |
|---|---|
| Best scores, records and totals | Shown on the title screen and in your journal |
| Shells, otter pairs and missions | Your collection and your current goals |
| Daily gift streak and days played | So your gifts grow when you come back |
| Settings for sound, music, vibration, screen shake and usage statistics | So your choices stay the way you set them |
This save file stays on your device; the game does not upload it. If Android backup is turned on for your Google account, Android may include the save file in your device backup, so your progress can come back on a new phone. Google handles that backup, and we cannot access it.
Usage statistics (Google Analytics for Firebase)
Hold Paws uses Google Analytics for Firebase, a service from Google, to count how many people play and how the game is used. It records:
| What is recorded | Why |
|---|---|
| Game events: a run starts or ends (with its score, leaves hopped, game mode and length), the season you reached, missions finished, otter pairs unlocked, daily gifts opened, a run continued or a score shared, and which screens you open | To see which parts of the game people enjoy and where they stop playing |
| Information collected automatically: app version, phone model, Android version, language, when the game is opened and for how long, and an approximate country or region worked out from a shortened (masked) IP address | To understand who plays and to keep the game working on many phones |
| A random app-instance ID that identifies this installation of the game, not you | To count players and returning players without knowing who they are |
These statistics are used only to understand and improve the game. They are not used for advertising, and the game does not use or collect your advertising ID. Google processes this data for us as our service provider under the Google Analytics terms. You can read how Google handles it at Safeguarding your data and in the Google Privacy Policy. The data is sent over an encrypted connection.
Usage statistics are on by default. To turn them off, open Settings → Usage statistics in the game; the game then stops sending events.
Information we collect
We receive the usage statistics above in the form of reports from Google Analytics. They are linked to a random installation ID, not to your name or email address, and we cannot tell who you are from them. Hold Paws has no account system and no servers of its own. It does not ask for your precise location, contacts, photos, camera, microphone or files.
Permissions
The game asks Android for a few permissions:
- Vibration, for a light buzz when the otters land. You can turn it off in Settings → Vibration.
- Internet and network state, so usage statistics can be sent when you are online. The game itself plays fine without a connection.
The analytics library may also keep the phone awake for a moment while it finishes an upload. While you play, the game keeps the screen from dimming; that needs no permission.
Sharing your score
When you tap Share after a run, the game draws a picture of your score and opens Android's share menu. Nothing is sent unless you choose an app and send it yourself. The picture is kept in the game's temporary storage on your device.
Ratings and Google Play
The game may ask Google Play to show its rating prompt. If you leave a rating or review, Google Play handles it under Google's privacy policy, and the game does not receive it. Google Play also processes information when you download and update apps, as described in the Google Privacy Policy.
Children
Hold Paws is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has used the game, contact us and we will help.
Keeping and deleting your data
Your progress stays on your device until you delete it. You can erase it in Settings → Erase progress, clear the app's storage in Android's settings, or uninstall the game. Turning off usage statistics stops new data from being sent, and uninstalling the game removes the installation ID from your phone, so later statistics are no longer linked to it. Google Analytics deletes event-level data automatically after a limited time, at most 14 months. We hold no other copy of your data.
Security
Your progress is protected by your device's own security. Usage statistics are sent to Google over an encrypted connection.
Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR or US state privacy laws), you may have rights to access, correct, delete or object to the processing of your personal data. Because usage statistics are linked only to a random installation ID, we cannot look up a person in them, so the switch in Settings is the easiest way to stop them. You can also contact us with any question or request.
Changes to this policy
If a future version handles data differently, for example by adding ads or purchases, we will update this policy before that version is released and change the date at the top.
Contact
Questions about privacy? Email verzroad@gmail.com.
Hold Paws