Plain-Language Summary
Air Hockey Buddies collects no personal data, includes no behavioural tracking, and displays only occasional child-safe, G-rated, non-personalized ads between matches.
1. Information We Do NOT Collect
Air Hockey Buddies does not solicit, gather, or transmit any personal data. Specifically:
- No Personal Identifiers: We do not ask for or collect names, email addresses, physical addresses, telephone numbers, photos, or audio recordings.
- No User Accounts: There are no accounts, social logins, usernames, or passwords.
- No Location Tracking: We never access GPS or fine location. Bluetooth Low Energy scans are strictly configured without location flags (
neverForLocationon Android). - No Free-Form User Input: Players cannot enter custom text. Nicknames (such as "Speedy Otter" or "Cosmic Penguin") are generated strictly from curated, built-in lists of safe words.
- No Persistent Device Identifiers: We do not collect MAC addresses, IMEI, Android ID, or Advertising IDs for tracking.
2. Child-Safe & Non-Personalized Advertising
Air Hockey Buddies displays occasional interstitial advertisements between game matches to support development, configured strictly in compliance with Google Play's Families Policy and COPPA guidelines:
- Child-Directed Flags: Ad requests strictly set
TagForChildDirectedTreatment.yesandTagForUnderAgeOfConsent.yes. - Content Rating: The maximum ad content rating is restricted to General Audiences (
MaxAdContentRating.g). - No Behavioral Targeting: All ad requests specify
nonPersonalizedAds: true. No tracking cookies or advertising profiles are created. - Capped Frequency: Interstitial ads appear only at natural transition points (after every 2 completed matches when leaving the Result screen).
- Audio Muted: In-game audio is paused during ad presentation.
- Parental Toggle: Parents can disable ads entirely at any time in Settings → Parent Settings → Show Child-Safe Ads.
- 100% Offline Support: If the device is offline or in Airplane Mode, the entire game works seamlessly without ads.
3. Local Bluetooth Friend Play
Air Hockey Buddies features an optional local multiplayer mode allowing two friends in the same room to play together:
- Direct Peer-to-Peer: Uses standard Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) GATT to communicate directly between two phones within a few metres. No data is sent over the internet or through any cloud server.
- Explicit Host Acceptance: A guest cannot connect uninvited. The host player must explicitly tap "OK" to accept an incoming match.
- Safe Game Data Only: Only numeric avatar IDs, safe adjective/animal nickname IDs, and real-time 2D puck/mallet coordinates are transmitted across the local link. Custom messages or chat are impossible.
- Automatic Timeout: Bluetooth advertising automatically terminates after 2 minutes or as soon as a match begins to preserve device battery and privacy.
4. Parental Gate & Parental Controls
To prevent accidental taps by young children, all sensitive actions and settings are protected behind a Parental Gate ("Ask a Grown-Up"):
- Requires either holding three fingers simultaneously for 3 seconds or answering a written-out multiplication question (e.g., "What is six times seven?").
- Controls access to: Bluetooth toggles, Ad toggles, System Settings links, and external web links.
5. Local Storage & Data Retention
All game progression is stored solely on your device using standard local preferences (SharedPreferences on Android, NSUserDefaults on iOS):
- Stored items include: unlocked pucks, unlocked mallets, table themes, high scores, audio volume preferences, and selected nickname/avatar IDs.
- If you uninstall the application or clear app data in system settings, this local progression is erased. We do not maintain server-side backups.
6. Third-Party SDKs & Services
The only third-party SDK integrated into Air Hockey Buddies is:
- Google AdMob (Google Mobile Ads SDK): Used solely to display non-personalized, G-rated advertisements. AdMob is a self-certified ad SDK under the Google Play Families Policy program. For more information, please visit Google Advertising Privacy & Terms.
7. Children's Privacy (COPPA & GDPR-K)
Air Hockey Buddies complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in the United States and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR / GDPR-K) in the European Economic Area:
- We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in certain jurisdictions).
- If a parent or guardian believes any information was inadvertently collected, please contact us immediately, and we will promptly investigate and purge any such records.
8. App Store Data Safety Summary
| Data Category | Collected? | Shared with 3rd Parties? | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name, Email, Phone | No | No | None |
| Precise / Coarse Location | No | No | None (BLE uses neverForLocation) |
| Photos, Media, Audio | No | No | None |
| Contacts & Messages | No | No | None (No chat feature) |
| Advertising / Tracking IDs | No | No | Non-personalized ad requests only |
| Game Progress & Unlocks | On-Device Only | No | Local gameplay & theme unlocking |
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy periodically. Any revisions will be reflected on this page with an updated "Effective Date". We encourage parents and players to review this page occasionally.
10. Contact Us
If you have questions, feedback, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or our child-safety practices, please contact us:
App: Air Hockey Buddies
Developer: Air Hockey Buddies Team
Email: contact@bestnordic.com
(Please replace this email with your preferred store support email before publishing.)