Privacy Policy
Cat O' Combs is a game for iPhone and for TikTok (as a TikTok Mini). This policy explains what information the game collects, why, who it's shared with, how long it's kept and the choices you have. "We" and "us" mean the developer of Cat O' Combs. Questions go to privacy@catocombs.com.
The short version
- You can play without an account. The game gives you a random player ID. We never ask for your name, email address or phone number.
- Your progress is saved on your device, and a copy is kept on our server so you can restore it or move it to another device.
- We record gameplay events, such as finishing a stage, to balance the game and fix bugs. They're tied to the random player ID, not to you.
- Ads come from Google AdMob on iPhone and from TikTok inside TikTok. On iPhone, ads use your device's advertising identifier only if you allow tracking.
- Apple or TikTok handles payments. We never see your card details.
- We don't sell your information. You can delete your data at any time in the game: Settings, then Delete my data.
1. Information we collect
Information the game creates
- Player ID. A random identifier made when the game first connects to our server. Your device keeps a signed token so our server knows which save is yours.
- Your save. Your cats, levels, items, fish, gems, settings, the run in progress and your total play time. It's stored on your device, with a copy on our server.
- Gameplay events. Things that happen in the game, for example a stage starting or ending and how it went, which combs and blessings you chose, ad offers shown and accepted, purchases, cats unlocked and missions completed. Each event carries the time, the platform (iPhone, TikTok or web) and your player ID.
- Link codes. When you use Link devices, the game shows an 8-character code that works for 10 minutes. We store only a scrambled (hashed) form of it.
Information from Apple, TikTok and the stores
- Sign in with Apple (optional). Apple gives us an identifier that's unique to our game for your Apple Account. Apple may also send an email address; we don't store it.
- TikTok. When you play inside TikTok, TikTok gives the game an identifier for your account that only works with our game. We don't ask TikTok for your username, profile, contacts or videos.
- Purchases. When you buy gems or other items, Apple or TikTok sends us a signed record of the purchase: a transaction ID, the item, the date and whether it was a test purchase. We use it to confirm the purchase and deliver it exactly once. We never receive your payment card, name or billing address.
Technical information
- IP address. When the game talks to our server, the server sees your IP address. We use it for about a minute, in memory, to stop too many requests from one place. It isn't stored with your save or your gameplay events.
- Server logs. Our hosting provider, Cloudflare, records technical details about a sample of requests to our server (such as the time, the address requested, errors and network details that can include an IP address) so we can keep the service working. We keep these logs for up to 7 days.
Information our ad partners collect
Most ads in the game are ones you choose to watch for a reward. There are also occasional full-screen ads after a cleared stage, which a purchase removes.
- Google AdMob (iPhone). Google collects information to show ads, measure them and prevent fraud. This can include device and app information, your IP address, an approximate location based on it, and how you interact with ads. Your device's advertising identifier (IDFA) is used only if you allow tracking when iOS asks. In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, Google's consent message asks for your choice first. See how Google uses information from apps that use its services.
- TikTok. Inside TikTok, ads are served by TikTok under TikTok's privacy policy.
Ad partners tell us whether an ad finished, so the game can give you the reward. We don't receive personal information about you from them.
What we don't collect
We don't collect your name, email address, phone number, contacts, photos, precise location, or anything from your camera or microphone. The share card after a stage is made on your device. It leaves your device only if you choose an app in the share sheet, and that app's own privacy policy then applies.
2. How we use information
- To run the game: save and restore your progress, and keep linked devices on the same save.
- To deliver purchases, and to stop the same purchase being delivered twice.
- To balance difficulty and rewards, fix bugs and understand which features get used. We look at this in aggregate.
- To show ads and give you the rewards they unlock.
- To keep the service secure and prevent abuse.
- To meet legal obligations.
If you're in the European Economic Area, the UK or Switzerland, our legal bases are: contract (running the game, your save and your purchases); legitimate interests (gameplay analytics, security and non-personalized ads); consent (personalized ads and tracking, which you can withdraw at any time); and legal obligation (purchase records).
3. Who we share it with
- Cloudflare, which hosts our server, database and analytics storage on our behalf. See Cloudflare's privacy policy.
- Apple and TikTok, which run the platforms, sign-in and payments. See Apple's privacy policy.
- Google, for ads on iPhone, as described above.
- Authorities, only if the law requires it, or to protect people's rights and safety.
- A buyer or successor, if the game is ever sold or transferred. This policy would still apply to information collected under it.
We don't sell your personal information. If you allow personalized ads, ad partners may use information from our game to show you ads in other apps. Some US state laws call this "sharing" or "targeted advertising". To opt out on iPhone, choose Ask App Not to Track when iOS asks, or turn it off later in iPhone Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Tracking. You can also email us.
Our server runs on Cloudflare's global network, so your information may be processed in the United States and other countries. Where the law requires it, these transfers are covered by Cloudflare's standard data protection terms.
4. How long we keep it
| Information | Kept |
|---|---|
| Your save, player ID and sign-in link | Until you delete them in the game (Settings, then Delete my data) or ask us to |
| Link codes | 10 minutes, or until used |
| Gameplay events | About 3 months, then deleted automatically |
| Server logs | Up to 7 days |
| IP address for request limits | About a minute, in memory only |
| Purchase records | As long as needed to prevent double delivery, handle refunds and meet tax and accounting rules. After you delete your data, they're no longer linked to your player ID |
5. Your choices and rights
- Delete your data. In the game, open Settings and tap Delete my data. This erases your save on the device and on our server, your sign-in link and any link codes. Purchase records stay, without your player ID, as explained above. Gameplay events expire within about 3 months. Other devices you linked keep their own copy until you delete it there too.
- Uninstalling the game removes everything stored on that device. Your server copy stays until you delete it, so you can restore it later. If you've already uninstalled and want the server copy gone, reinstall, use Link devices or Sign in with Apple to get your save back, then delete it. If that isn't possible, email us; because your data isn't tied to your name, tell us what you can (platform, roughly when you played, whether you signed in with Apple) and we'll help where we can.
- Tracking and personalized ads. On iPhone, change it any time in iPhone Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Tracking. In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, you can also change your ad consent in the game: Settings, then Ad choices.
- Your rights. Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or move your information, to object to or restrict how we use it, and to withdraw consent. Email privacy@catocombs.com. You can also complain to your local data protection authority.
6. Children
Cat O' Combs isn't directed at children under 13, or the minimum age in your country. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has given us personal information, email us and we'll delete it.
7. Security
The game talks to our server only over encrypted connections (HTTPS). Player tokens are signed so they can't be forged, purchases are checked against Apple's or TikTok's signatures before anything is delivered, and link codes are stored only in hashed form. No system is perfectly secure, but we keep what we store to the minimum the game needs.
8. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If a change is significant, we'll also tell you in the game.
9. Contact
Email privacy@catocombs.com with any question about this policy or your information.