Privacy policy

On iPhone and iPad the game is paid for once, on the App Store. It has no ads and no in-app purchases, and it contains no advertising or analytics software. It does not use the internet and it does not collect or send any information about you or your device.

Buying the game is handled entirely by Apple through your Apple Account, under Apple's privacy policy; we never receive your payment details. The sections below on advertising, usage statistics and in-app purchases apply to the Android version only. The sections on what is saved on your device and on the motion sensor apply to both.

We do not run our own servers for the game and we do not collect your name, email address, phone number, contacts, photos or other personal information. There is no sign-up and no account.

On Android, the game uses three outside services, all from Google: Google AdMob, which shows the ads; Google Analytics for Firebase, which records anonymous statistics about how the game is played; and Google Play Billing, for in-app purchases. All three are described below, and each processes some information under Google's own policies.

On Android, the game is free to play and shows ads provided by Google AdMob: a banner at the top of the screen and a full-screen ad between races. To deliver and measure these ads, and to prevent fraud, the Google Mobile Ads software in the game automatically collects and sends to Google:

• device identifiers, such as your Android advertising ID;
• your IP address, which may be used to estimate your general location;
• how you interact with the ads and the game, such as app launches, taps and ad views;
• diagnostic information, such as app launch time and performance.

Google and its advertising partners may use this information to show ads, including personalised ads where you allow them, to measure how ads perform and to detect fraud. This is covered by Google's privacy policy; see also how Google uses information from apps that use its services. We do not receive this information in a form that identifies you.

If you are in the UK, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, the game asks for your consent before showing ads, and you can change your choice at any time with the “Ad privacy” button in the game's settings. On any Android phone you can also reset or delete your advertising ID in the phone's settings, under Privacy, then Ads.

Buying “remove ads” in the game switches the ads off, and the game then stops loading them.

On Android, from version 1.1.2, the game uses Google Analytics for Firebase to understand how it is played, so we can improve it. The Firebase software in the game collects and sends to Google:

• what happens in the game: races started, finished or left early, the level, difficulty, number of laps and controls used, finishing position, levels won, and whether the “remove ads” screen was opened or a purchase made;
• general usage: when the game is first opened, how long and how often it is played, and when it is updated or removed;
• device information: device model, Android version, language, app version and your country or region, estimated from your IP address;
• identifiers: an app-instance ID created by Firebase and, where available, your Android advertising ID.

We see this information as totals and charts, not as a record of who you are. It is not linked to your name, email or other contact details, which the game never asks for. Google may also use it to measure the game's own advertising and the ads shown in the game. Google keeps this data for up to 14 months. It is covered by Google's privacy policy and Firebase's privacy information.

If you are in the UK, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, these statistics are only collected if you agree in the consent message the game shows, and you can change your choice at any time with the “Ad privacy” button in the game's settings. Uninstalling the game stops all collection.

On Android, the game offers optional in-app purchases. Payments are processed entirely by Google Play using your Google account; we never receive your card or payment details. When you buy something, Google Play tells the game what was purchased so it can unlock it, and the game remembers this on your device. Google's handling of your purchases is covered by Google's privacy policy and the Google Play Terms of Service.

To remember your choices between sessions, the game saves a few values in its local game preferences on your phone or tablet:

• your settings: number of laps, difficulty, chosen surfer, touch or tilt controls and tilt sensitivity;
• your progress: which levels you have won;
• whether you have already seen the controls tutorial;
• on Android, whether you have paid to remove the ads;
• on Android, your ad consent choice, where one was asked for.

These values stay on your device and we cannot see them. You can erase them at any time by clearing the app's data in your device's settings, or by uninstalling the game. On Android, purchases can be restored from Google Play.

If you choose tilt steering, the game reads your device's motion sensor to steer your surfer. These readings are used on the spot to move your surfer and are not saved or sent anywhere.

The races themselves play offline. On Android, the game uses the internet to load ads, to send usage statistics and to make and restore purchases through Google Play. On iPhone and iPad it does not use the internet at all.

We do not sell your personal information. Apart from the information Google AdMob, Google Analytics for Firebase and Google Play process in the Android version as described above, the game does not share data with third parties.

Surfer is not directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal information through the game, please contact us and we will help.

If the game changes in a way that affects your privacy, we will update this page and change the effective date at the top.

Questions about this policy or the game? Email Jalal Technologies at jalal.technologies@gmail.com.