I am Corey Zapin, the solo developer of CoreSquares ("the app", package name com.coresquares.coresquares). This policy explains what the app collects, what it does not, who the third parties are, and the choices you have. I wrote it in plain language because I want you to actually be able to read it.
If anything here is unclear, email me at corey@coresquares.com.
The app saves the following locally using Android's standard key-value storage (SharedPreferences):
If you uninstall the app or clear its data, this local copy is deleted. Game progress (not settings, not entitlements) is also backed up to cloud save, described next.
The app includes software development kits (SDKs) from Google. These services collect data on their own systems, governed by Google's own privacy terms. I have configured the app to collect as little as is practical.
When the app crashes or hits a fatal error, Crashlytics records a diagnostic report so I can fix the problem. A report can include:
These reports do not contain your name or contact details. I use them only to diagnose and fix stability problems.
Analytics gives me anonymous, aggregate insight into how the app is used, for example which levels are reached and how often the app is opened. It may collect:
Firebase relies on Google Play Services, which is present on most Android devices. I use this data only to understand which parts of the game work and which need attention. I do not use it to identify you.
The app may show advertising through Google AdMob, including optional rewarded video ads that you can choose to watch in exchange for an in-game hint. Ads are never forced on you to continue playing, and a paid subscription removes ads entirely.
To serve, frequency-cap, and measure ads, and to fight fraud and invalid traffic, AdMob may access a device advertising identifier (on Android, the Advertising ID) and similar technical signals. Where I serve non-personalized ads, those ads use contextual information (such as the app being shown and rough location) rather than a profile of your past behavior, but AdMob may still process a limited identifier for the operational reasons above.
You can learn how Google uses data from apps that use its services here: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites
Note: AdMob is part of the planned launch configuration. If a given release of the app does not yet include ads, this section describes how ads behave once they are enabled.
Some worlds and packs are paid, and the app offers a subscription and consumable hint packs. All payments are processed by Google Play Billing. I do not see or store your credit card number, billing address, or other payment details. Google handles that.
What I do receive and store is a record of what you are entitled to, for example that a pack or world is unlocked, that a subscription is active and when it renews or expires, and your hint balance. Most of this is kept on your device so the app knows what to unlock. To validate a purchase and restore it across devices or reinstalls, the app queries Google Play, and Google processes that transaction under its own terms. Refunds, payment methods, and subscription cancellation are managed through your Google Play account.
To prevent fraud, the app may also confirm a purchase with my server: it sends the purchase token Google issues (not your payment details) to a Cloud Function that checks it with Google Play and keeps a record linking that purchase to your anonymous account id. The same record lets me automatically remove an entitlement if Google notifies me of a refund or chargeback. I use it for nothing else.
So your progress survives a lost phone or a reinstall, the app signs in to Google Firebase anonymously on launch and backs up your game progress to a per-account document in Firebase (Firestore). Anonymous means the account is a randomly generated identifier: it is not your name, email, phone number, or Google account, and I cannot use it to figure out who you are.
What syncs is gameplay progress only: completed levels, unlocked worlds' progress, daily-challenge history and streaks, hint balance, statistics, achievements, and which tutorials you have seen. Settings stay on the device. Ownership entitlements are never written by the app to cloud save.
You can delete the cloud copy at any time: Settings > Account > Delete cloud data. That removes the document and the anonymous account itself from my systems; the progress on your device is kept. This is also the data-deletion mechanism I declare in the Play Console.
The app has a "Report a bug" screen. If you use it, I receive what you typed plus basic device context attached automatically: app version, platform, OS version, device model, and language/locale. There is an optional contact field; if you fill it in (for example an email address), I use it only to follow up about that report, and you can leave it empty. Reports are stored in my Firebase project, readable only by me, and used only to investigate and fix the problem.
CoreSquares is suitable for a general audience, and parts of it (the school and grade framing, the playful pack themes) appeal to children. I take that seriously.
If you are a parent or guardian and you believe I have somehow received personal information from your child, email me at corey@coresquares.com and I will delete it.
If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, California, or another region with similar laws, you have rights over your personal data, including the right to access, correct, or delete it, and the right to object to certain processing. I do not sell personal information.
To exercise any right, or to ask me to request deletion of data held by the Google services above, email corey@coresquares.com. You also control much of this directly: clearing the app's data removes everything stored on your device, and Settings > Account > Delete cloud data removes your cloud save and anonymous account from my systems.
Game data stays on your device. The limited diagnostic, usage, advertising, and purchase data described above is transmitted to Google over encrypted connections and handled under Google's security practices.
If I change how the app handles data, I will update this page and change the "Last updated" date above. Significant changes will be reflected in the app or its store listing.
CoreSquares is a solo project. If you have any question about privacy, email me directly:
Corey Zapin
corey@coresquares.com