Game Spot — Privacy Policy

Effective date: 24 October 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Game Spot (the "App", Android package com.xanjay.gamespot) handles your information. Game Spot is developed and operated by Sanjay Chawla, an individual developer based in India ("we", "us"). If you have any questions, contact us at xanjay.chawla@gmail.com.

Game Spot is a free collection of casual games (a 5-letter word-guessing game, 2048, Tic-Tac-Toe, Sudoku, Word Wheel, Brick Puzzle and Memory Match). It is supported by ads, and offers an optional paid subscription that removes ads.

1. Information we collect

1.1 Information you give us

• Account information. You need an account to use Game Spot. When you create one we collect:
  • your email address;
  • if you sign up with email: a password, which we store only as a one-way salted hash (bcrypt). We never store your password in readable form;
  • if you sign in with Google or Facebook (or Sign in with Apple on iOS): the email address that provider shares with us and the provider's account identifier for you. We do not receive your password for those services, and we do not store your name or profile photo.
• Friends. If you use the Friends feature, we store the friend requests you send and receive and your list of accepted friends. To send a request you search for other players by their email address.
• Game suggestions. If you use "Suggest a game", we store the title and description you type.

1.2 Information collected automatically when you use the App

• Gameplay records. Each time you finish a round (win, lose or draw) the App records which game you played, the date and time, and your local calendar date. We use this to show your play counts and "recently played" order, and to decide when an ad is due.
• Word Wheel word reports. When you try a valid-looking word in Word Wheel that is not in that level's word list, the App sends us the word, the level number and the level's letters so we can improve the word lists.
• Time zone. Your device's time zone setting (for example "Asia/Kolkata") is sent when you sign up or sign in, so that daily statistics follow your local day.
• Subscription records. If you subscribe to "Game Spot No Ads", we receive from Google Play the subscription's product, its purchase token, its status (active, grace period, expired, cancelled) and its expiry date, so we can verify the purchase and remove ads. We also receive and store Google Play's subscription status notifications (which contain the purchase token).
• Sign-in tokens. To keep you signed in, the App stores sign-in tokens in your device's secure storage (Android Keystore). Our server stores only a hashed copy of your refresh token.
• Advertising data (collected by Google AdMob). See section 3.
• Server logs. Like most online services, our servers and hosting provider may record technical information such as your IP address and request times, and error details, to operate and secure the service.

1.3 Information stored only on your device

Some data never leaves your device: your Word Wheel level and coin balance, and which games you have pinned. The games themselves run on your device.

1.4 What we do not collect

We do not request access to your contacts, photos, files, microphone, camera or precise location. We do not collect your real name, phone number, or payment card details (payments are handled entirely by Google Play).

2. How we use your information

We use the information above to:

• create and secure your account, sign you in and keep you signed in;
• run the games and show your play counts and recently played games;
• run the Friends feature;
• show ads to players who have not subscribed, and decide how often ads appear;
• verify your subscription and remove ads for subscribers;
• review game suggestions and improve word lists;
• prevent fraud and abuse, fix bugs, and keep the service working;
• respond to your requests and comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information.

3. Advertising (Google AdMob) and the advertising ID

If you do not subscribe, Game Spot shows a full-screen (interstitial) ad from Google AdMob after finished rounds (how often is a setting we control on our server, for example after every round or every few rounds).

• Google's ad SDK in the App automatically collects and shares with Google your device's advertising ID and app set ID, your IP address (which can be used to estimate your general location), interactions with ads and the App (such as app launches and ad taps/views) and diagnostic information (such as app performance). Google uses this to serve and measure ads, for analytics, and to prevent fraud. Google's handling of this data is described in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services and the Google Privacy Policy.
• Consent. Before ads load, the App uses Google's User Messaging Platform (UMP) to ask for your consent where the law requires it (for example in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, and certain US states). You can choose personalised or non-personalised ads there. If consent is required and not given, the App may show only limited or no ads.
• Your controls. You can reset or delete your advertising ID, or opt out of personalised ads, in your Android settings (Settings > Google > Ads or Settings > Privacy > Ads, depending on your device).
• Subscribers. If you have an active "Game Spot No Ads" subscription, the App does not show ads.

4. Who we share information with

We share information only as needed to run the App:

When you use Google, Facebook or Apple sign-in, those companies also process information under their own privacy policies.

If the App is ever transferred to another owner, your information may be transferred as part of that, subject to this policy.

5. How long we keep information

• Account, friends, gameplay records, game suggestions, Word Wheel word reports and subscription records are kept for as long as your account exists, and are deleted when you delete your account (section 6).
• Sign-in sessions expire after 30 days of inactivity on a device; signing out revokes the session.
• Google Play subscription notifications we receive from Google are not linked to your account by name or email, and may be kept after account deletion for billing, accounting and fraud-prevention records.
• Server logs are kept for a limited period by our hosting provider for security and troubleshooting.
• If we build a game from your suggestion, we may credit you by a display name in that game; that credit may remain after you delete your account. Tell us if you'd like it removed.
• Data collected by Google AdMob is retained under Google's policies.

6. Deleting your account and data

You can delete your account at any time:

1. In the App: open Profile (the person icon on the Game Library screen) and tap Delete account, then confirm. This immediately and permanently deletes your account and its associated data from our server: your email, password hash, sign-in links, friends and friend requests, gameplay records, game suggestions, Word Wheel word reports and subscription records.
2. By email: if you can't access the App, email xanjay.chawla@gmail.com from the email address on your account with the subject "Delete my Game Spot account". We may ask you to confirm the request, and we will delete your account and data within 30 days.

Important: deleting your account does not cancel a Google Play subscription. Cancel it in Google Play > Profile > Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions to stop being charged. Uninstalling the App removes the data stored only on your device.

You can also ask us for a copy of your data or to correct it by emailing us. Depending on where you live (for example under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, or the EU/UK GDPR), you may have rights to access, correct, delete or object to processing of your data, to withdraw consent, and to complain to a data protection authority.

7. Children

Game Spot is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or the higher minimum age that applies in your country). If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us at xanjay.chawla@gmail.com and we will delete it.

8. Security

We protect your information with reasonable measures, including: encrypted HTTPS connections between the App and our server; passwords stored only as salted bcrypt hashes; refresh tokens stored only as hashes; short-lived access tokens; and sign-in tokens kept in your device's secure storage. Purchases are verified directly with Google. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. International transfers

We are based in India, and our servers and service providers (including Google) may process data in India or other countries. Where required, we take steps to protect your information when it is transferred.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time, for example when we add features. We will change the effective date above and, for significant changes, notify you in the App or on the store listing.

11. Contact

Sanjay Chawla (developer of Game Spot), India Email: xanjay.chawla@gmail.com