This Privacy Policy explains how the mobile game Huroof ("the app", "we")
handles information, on Android, on iPhone, and in the browser page used to join a room. Huroof is built to be privacy-respecting: it shows no ads, it
never sells your data, and it does not ask for your real identity. It does, however,
use a small number of Google Firebase services to run online play, to check answers, and to
understand how the game is used so we can improve it. This policy describes exactly what those are.
Information we collect
Anonymous account identifier. To play online (Friends mode) and to have your
answers checked, the app signs you in using Firebase Anonymous Authentication. This is
a random ID that is not linked to your real name, email, or phone number.
Install identifier. A short random identifier for this installation of the app
(on iPhone it is drawn on the phone; on Android it is derived from the anonymous account). It is
attached to the game records described below, together with the app version, the device type
(Android, iPhone or browser) and your device's region setting (not your location), so
that the records of one installation can be read together. It does not identify you.
Display name. The name you choose to play under. In Friends games it is shown
to the other players in the same room so they can see whose answers are whose. It is stored on
your device and, during a Friends session, in the shared room.
Answers and scores. The words you type during a round and the resulting
scores. How these are handled depends on the mode:
Friends mode: your answers and scores are stored in Google Cloud
Firestore so that everyone in the room stays in sync.
Solo games (including the course and the Daily Challenge): each game is
recorded — the letters, your answers and the bot's, their verdicts and scores, and the
difficulty — with the install identifier. We use these records to keep the game fair and
to improve it. They are deleted automatically after 12 months.
Answer checking (all modes, including Solo and Daily): when you enter a
word that is not in the app's built-in dictionary, that word — together with its category
and letter — is sent to our secure server, which uses Google's Gemini AI to
decide whether it is a valid word. This is not linked to your identity, and only the word
itself is sent, never your name.
Anonymous Daily record: for the Daily Challenge, the words submitted are
also kept in a separate list without any identifier — only the date, letter, category, word, and
whether it was accepted. These records contain no account ID, device ID, or name, so they
cannot be traced back to you; they help us study which words players use and improve the
game.
Notes you send us. If you send a note from inside the app, we receive its text,
your display name, the app version, your device's region setting and the install identifier.
Usage and diagnostics. When the server cannot check a word, that word is logged
with the install identifier so we can find and fix the cause. To understand how the game is
played and to fix problems, the Android app also uses two Google Firebase
services:
Firebase Analytics (Google Analytics): collects pseudonymous
usage data — for example which game mode you start, how many players are in a Friends
room, and when a result is shared — along with standard information such as device model,
operating system version, and approximate location (country/region, derived from your IP
address by Google). This is tied to a random per-installation identifier, not to your
identity.
Firebase Crashlytics: if the app crashes, it sends a crash report
including the error, the app version, and device state at the time, so we can fix the
bug.
The iPhone app does not use Firebase Analytics or Crashlytics. Instead, the first
time each new version of the app starts, it sends us one technical check, through the same channel
as a note: the phone model, the iOS version, the app version, and whether answer checking and the
game's settings server respond.
Protection of the answer-checking server. So that only genuine copies of the app
can use it, the app proves it is genuine through Firebase App Check — on Android with
Google Play Integrity, on iPhone with Apple's App Attest. These checks are about
the app, not about you, and they carry no personal information.
On-device data. Your profile (name and chosen icon), your Daily streak and
best score, your sound setting, and your preferred number of rounds are stored only on your
device and are not transmitted to us.
Information we do NOT collect
We do not collect your real name (unless you type it as your display name), email address, phone
number, contacts, photos, or files, and we do not track your precise location. The app contains
no advertising and does not sell or share your data with data brokers.
How we use the information
We use this information solely to: run online multiplayer rooms and keep players in sync; check
whether typed words are valid; understand which modes and features are used so we can improve the
game; and diagnose and fix crashes. We do not use it for advertising or to build a
profile of you, and we never sell it.
Third-party services
The app relies on Google Firebase for the features above: Anonymous
Authentication, Cloud Firestore, Cloud Functions (which call Google's Gemini AI to check words),
App Check, and — on Android only — Firebase Analytics (Google Analytics) and Crashlytics. On iPhone,
App Check relies on Apple's App Attest service. Google processes this data as our service
provider. See the
Firebase Privacy and Security page,
Google's Privacy Policy, and
how Google uses data.
Data security & retention
Data is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS). Friends-room records are kept only as
long as needed to run and review a session. Solo game records are deleted automatically after 12
months. Anonymous Daily records and usage/diagnostic data are
retained in line with Google's default retention periods for these services and are used only in
aggregate to improve the game.
Your choices
Because online sign-in is anonymous, this data is not tied to your personal identity. You can
reset the pseudonymous analytics identifier at any time by reinstalling the app, and you can avoid
the online features entirely by playing Solo offline (note that offline, words that are not in the
built-in dictionary cannot be checked). To request deletion of any data associated with your play,
contact us at the email below.
Children's privacy
Huroof is intended for players aged 13 and older and is not directed at children under 13. We do
not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy; the "Last updated" date above will reflect any change.
Contact
Questions or data-deletion requests: yousuf.osama@gmail.com