Charades is a party game for iPhone made by an independent developer ("we", "us"). This page explains what the app keeps on your phone, what it never collects, and what the few services it relies on for purchases receive.
The short version. Charades has no sign-up, no ads, no analytics and no tracking. We never see your name, email, contacts, photos or location. Your settings and progress stay on your phone. To make purchases work, and survive a reinstall, the app uses a random anonymous ID with Apple, RevenueCat and Google Firebase, as described below.
What stays on your iPhone
Charades saves a few things in its own storage on your device:
- your settings: round length, sounds, haptics and tap controls;
- your team names and the number of rounds per team;
- which cards you have already seen in each deck and language, so cards don't repeat;
- whether premium is unlocked, so your decks open instantly, even offline.
None of this is sent to us. Like other app data it can be included in your iCloud or computer backups, which you and Apple control. Deleting the app deletes it.
Motion sensors
During a round, Charades reads your iPhone's motion sensors to tell a tilt down (correct) from a tilt up (pass). The readings are used on the device in real time, then thrown away. They are never stored and never leave your phone. If you would rather not use them, the app's settings offer tap controls instead.
What we collect
Nothing that identifies you. We do not run our own servers, analytics or crash reporting, and there is no account to create. We do not collect your name, email address, phone number, contacts, photos, location or advertising identifier. Charades shows no ads and does not track you across other companies' apps or websites.
If you email us, we receive what you choose to send and use it only to reply.
If you have chosen to share analytics with app developers in your iPhone's settings, Apple may share crash reports and aggregated usage statistics with us. You control this in Settings › Privacy & Security › Analytics & Improvements.
Purchases and the anonymous ID
Charades is free to download. The premium decks are unlocked with a yearly subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase from the App Store. To confirm purchases, and to bring them back automatically if you delete and reinstall the app, Charades sets up a random, anonymous ID the first time it runs:
- Google Firebase Authentication creates an anonymous account identified only by that random ID. Firebase keeps it in your iPhone's keychain, which is why it is still there after you reinstall the app on the same phone. It holds no name, email or phone number.
- RevenueCat uses the same ID to record which purchases belong to it and to check with Apple that they are valid.
- After a fresh install, the app asks the App Store once for purchases already made with your Apple Account, so a reinstall unlocks your decks without a password.
| Service | What it does in Charades | What it may receive |
|---|---|---|
| Apple App Store Apple privacy policy |
Takes payment for the yearly plan and the lifetime unlock, and handles free trials, cancellations and refunds. | Your Apple Account and payment details, handled by Apple. We never see payment information. |
| RevenueCat RevenueCat privacy policy |
Confirms purchases with Apple and tells the app whether premium is unlocked. | The anonymous ID, purchase and subscription records (product, dates, price, currency, App Store country), device model, iOS and app versions, and IP address. |
| Google Firebase Authentication Firebase privacy and security |
Creates and keeps the anonymous ID that purchases are attached to. | The anonymous ID, plus the IP address and basic device and app information that come with each request. No name, email or phone number. |
RevenueCat and Google process this data on our behalf, only to provide and restore purchases. Apple handles payments under its own terms. None of it is used for advertising.
Children
Charades is a family game, and its Kids deck is written for younger players, but the app is meant to be set up and handled by an adult. It has no chat, no content from other users, no ads and no analytics, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone, including children under 13. Purchases go through the App Store, where Apple's parental controls and Ask to Buy apply.
Your choices and rights
- Delete what is on your phone. Delete the app. Your settings, team names and progress go with it.
- Delete the anonymous ID. The keychain entry outlives the app on the same phone so that a reinstall can restore purchases. To have the anonymous ID and its purchase record erased from Firebase and RevenueCat, email us. As we hold no name or email, include the order ID from your App Store receipt so we can find the right record.
- Access, correction and portability. Since we hold nothing that identifies you, a request to us usually has nothing to return. For data held by Apple, RevenueCat or Google, use the routes in their policies above, or ask us and we will help.
- Selling or sharing. We do not sell or share personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.
We process the anonymous ID and purchase records because they are needed to provide what you bought. Residents of the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and US states with privacy laws can ask us to access or erase this data at the address below, and may also complain to their local data protection authority.
Changes to this policy
If the app starts using a new service or collecting something new, we will update this page first and change the date at the top. Material changes will also be mentioned in the App Store release notes.
Contact
Questions about privacy: support@charadesgame.dev. For anything else, see the support page. The rules for using the app are in the terms of use.