Privacy Policy

Effective Date: September 17, 2026

BirdBrainz (“the App”) is developed by Shark River Studios LLC (“we,” “us,” or “our”).
We are committed to respecting your privacy and collecting as little data as possible.

This Privacy Policy explains what information is handled when you use the App.

1. Overview

BirdBrainz is designed to be privacy-respecting by default.

• Your puzzle progress and preferences live primarily on your device.
• We do not operate user accounts. There is nothing to sign up for.
• We do not collect names, email addresses, or contact information.
• We do not collect precise location data.
• We do not track you across apps or websites.
• We do not use ad networks or advertising SDKs (see §3).

We do use a privacy-focused analytics service to understand basic app usage patterns — how many people finish a puzzle, where they ask for hints, when they give up — all in an anonymous, aggregated way.

2. Anonymous Analytics (TelemetryDeck)

BirdBrainz uses TelemetryDeck, a privacy-first analytics service.

TelemetryDeck is designed to collect anonymous, aggregated usage information without building user profiles or tracking individuals.

TelemetryDeck uses anonymized identifiers designed to measure overall app usage without identifying individual people.

What may be collected

TelemetryDeck may collect limited technical and usage information such as:

• App version
• Device model (general category, not a unique identifier)
• Operating system version
• Country (derived from IP, not stored as exact IP)
• Basic app events (e.g., puzzle started, puzzle completed, puzzle given up on, hint requested, onboarding progress, error occurred, interstitial or rewarded ad shown, house ad shown, bird placement made, purchase completed or restored)
• The puzzle identifier, chosen difficulty tier, and outcome of a session (e.g., completed, given up on)

BirdBrainz does not collect any free-form text from you. The game involves placing birds on a grid; there is nothing you type or speak that is transmitted anywhere.

Analytics events are sent without account information or direct personal identifiers, and we do not use analytics data to identify individual users or devices.

What is NOT collected

TelemetryDeck does not collect:

• Names
• Email addresses
• Exact location
• Advertising identifiers (IDFA)
• Cross-app tracking data
• Behavioral advertising profiles
• Personally identifiable information intentionally provided by users

We do not store IP addresses ourselves. TelemetryDeck is designed to minimize retention of identifying network information.

Why we use analytics

We use anonymous analytics to:

• Understand which features are used most
• Identify puzzles or difficulty tiers that players commonly give up on
• See where the hint system provides the most value
• Improve app performance and stability
• Make design decisions based on real usage patterns

Analytics are used strictly to improve the app experience.

3. Ads

BirdBrainz displays fictional in-app ads. They are not real advertisements: no ad network is involved, no one pays for their placement, and the app earns no revenue from them.

Ads are static images bundled with the app. Nothing is fetched from any server at runtime, and nothing about you is transmitted to any advertising network. There is no ad SDK, no cross-app tracking, and no App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt because there is nothing to authorize.

Ads appear in three contexts:

• Rewarded ads. View an ad to earn an extra hint when your hint bank is empty.
• Interstitial ads. Shown occasionally between puzzles.
• House ads. Promotions for Lifetime Unlock (see §4).

Purchasing Lifetime Unlock (see §4) removes all ads.

4. In-App Purchases

BirdBrainz is free to play. Every puzzle in the catalog is available without payment.

The app offers one optional purchase:

• Lifetime Unlock — a one-time purchase that removes ads and makes hints unlimited.

Specific pricing is shown in the App Store at the point of purchase.

Purchases are handled entirely by Apple through the App Store. We do not have access to:

• Your payment information
• Your Apple ID
• Your billing history

BirdBrainz uses RevenueCat to keep track of whether you own Lifetime Unlock and to support Restore Purchases across your devices. RevenueCat receives purchase-receipt information from Apple’s servers and returns entitlement information to the app; it does not receive names, email addresses, or other directly identifying personal information from us. See RevenueCat’s privacy policy for details on how they handle receipt data.

Apple processes purchase data according to Apple’s own Privacy Policy.

5. Data Storage

Puzzle progress, preferences, and related app data are stored primarily on your device.

We do not operate user accounts.
We do not maintain user databases.
We do not sell or share personal information.

Unless restored through Apple-provided backup or device transfer mechanisms, uninstalling the App or switching devices may reset locally stored progress.

6. Children’s Privacy

BirdBrainz is not directed to children under 13.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

7. Data Security

TelemetryDeck is designed with privacy and data minimization as core principles.
All analytics data is transmitted securely.

Because we do not collect directly identifying personal information, the privacy risk profile of the App is intentionally minimal.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have additional privacy rights under applicable law.

9. Changes to This Policy

If this Privacy Policy changes, the updated version will be posted within the App and/or on the associated website with a revised effective date.

10. Revision History

Each published revision of this policy is recorded here.

• September 17, 2026. Second revision. In-App Purchases section rewritten to describe the newly released Lifetime Unlock purchase and RevenueCat’s role in tracking entitlement state. Ads section rewritten to describe the fictional in-app ads that are bundled with the app as static image assets, with no ad network, no ad SDK, and no cross-app tracking.
• August 17, 2026. Initial version, published for BirdBrainz 1.0 launch. Ads and In-App Purchases sections described intended-but-not-yet-shipping practices.

11. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, you may contact:

Shark River Studios LLC
support@sharkriverstudios.com