Privacy Policy: Hauntscope: AR Ghost Camera
In short: the game has no accounts and no servers of its own. Your progress and photos stay on your phone. The camera is used only for augmented reality and its images are processed on your device. Ads are served by Google AdMob, which asks for your consent where the law requires it. Google Analytics for Firebase gives us anonymous usage statistics (for example which country players are from and which screens they open), Firebase Crashlytics sends us crash reports so we can fix bugs, Firebase Remote Config lets us adjust game settings without an update, notifications arrive only if you turn them on, and purchases are handled by Google Play.
1. Who we are
Hauntscope: AR Ghost Camera ("the app", "the game") is developed by Pavko ("we", "us"). If you have any question about this policy or your data, write to pavkoapp@gmail.com.
2. What the app uses and why
Camera
In camera (AR) mode the game uses your phone's camera to show ghosts in your real room. The camera image is processed in real time on your device by Google Play Services for AR (ARCore) to understand the room. The app does not record video and does not send camera images to us or anyone else. The camera is not used in virtual room mode.
In-game photos
When you take a photo in the game (the spirit camera or a prank photo), it is saved inside the app's private storage on your device. It leaves the app only if you choose to:
- Save to gallery: a copy is saved to your phone's gallery (Pictures/Hauntscope).
- Share: the photo is handed to the app you pick in the Android share menu. That app's own privacy policy then applies.
Game progress and settings
Your progress (caught ghosts, ectoplasm, unlocked tools, tapes), settings and language are saved only on your device. They are not uploaded anywhere. There is no sign-in and no account.
Advertising (Google AdMob)
The game is free and shows ads: optional rewarded videos and occasional full-screen ads between hunts. Ads are provided by Google AdMob. To show and measure ads and to prevent fraud, Google may collect information such as your device's advertising ID, IP address, approximate location derived from it, device and app information, and how you interact with ads. Where you have given consent, ads may be personalised.
Users in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and other regions where it is required are asked for consent through Google's User Messaging Platform when the game starts. You can change your choice at any time with the Privacy button in the game's Settings. You can also reset or delete your advertising ID in your phone's settings (Settings → Google → Ads, or Settings → Privacy → Ads).
Learn more: How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services and the Google Privacy Policy.
Usage statistics (Google Analytics for Firebase)
To understand how the game is played and what to improve, the app sends anonymous usage events to Google Analytics for Firebase: for example that a hunt started or ended (which ghost, how long, caught or escaped), which menu screens were opened, whether the tutorial was finished, the answer to the camera permission request, offers shown, purchase attempts and whether a purchase was cancelled or failed, photos shared, the notifications setting, and whether the game was opened from a notification or a reminder. Together with them Google receives a random app instance ID, the device model, Android and app version, the game language and the country and city estimated from the IP address. We do not collect the advertising ID for analytics and do not use analytics data for advertising.
Where the GDPR applies, analytics follows the choice you made in the consent form: if you did not allow storing information on your device, Google Analytics works in a limited mode without that identifier. You can change your choice with the Privacy button in Settings. Learn more: Privacy and Security in Firebase.
Crash reports (Firebase Crashlytics)
If the game crashes or something in it fails (for example the AR session cannot start, a photo cannot be saved, or a purchase or an ad fails), the app sends a crash report to Firebase Crashlytics so we can find and fix the problem. A report contains the technical details of the error, the device model, Android and app version, free memory and disk space, a random installation ID, and a few facts about the game at that moment: the screen, AR or virtual room mode, whether AR is supported, whether the full version is owned and the game language. Reports contain no photos, no camera images and nothing that identifies you. Crashlytics keeps reports for 90 days. Learn more: Privacy and Security in Firebase.
Game settings (Firebase Remote Config)
The game asks Firebase Remote Config at most twice a day for settings we can change without an update, such as how often ads may appear, when offers are shown or the hours of the in-game witching hour. To do this Google receives a random installation ID and basic device and app information. Remote Config does not collect anything about how you play.
Notifications (Firebase Cloud Messaging)
Reminders (for example that your daily ration is waiting) are scheduled on your phone and need no internet. If you turn notifications on, the app also registers with Firebase Cloud Messaging so we can send occasional news about the game in your language; Google then receives a device token and the topic names (all players and your game language). If you do not turn notifications on, the app does not register at all. You can turn them off at any time in the game's Settings or in your phone's settings.
Purchases (Google Play Billing)
Optional purchases are processed entirely by Google Play. We never see your payment details. The app only receives a confirmation of the order (product and order ID), keeps it on your device so the purchase is delivered once, and Google Play restores permanent purchases if you reinstall the game. See the Google Payments Privacy Notice.
Google Play and ARCore
The game uses Google Play to offer updates inside the app and to let you rate the game. These features are run by Google Play under the Google Privacy Policy. This application runs on Google Play Services for AR (ARCore), which is provided by Google LLC and governed by the Google Privacy Policy.
Unity
The game is built with the Unity engine. Unity Technologies may receive limited, non-identifying technical information about the device (for example model, operating system and hardware specifications) to support and improve the engine. See the Unity Game Player and App User Privacy Policy.
3. What the app does not do
- It does not use the microphone. The EVP recorder in the game is a sound effect, not a real recording.
- It does not ask for your location, contacts, or files. The country and city in usage statistics are only estimated from the IP address by Google.
- It does not have accounts, chat or any way to contact other players.
- We, the developer, do not sell your data. We see only aggregated usage statistics and anonymous crash reports in Firebase and cannot identify you from them.
4. Children
The game is intended for players aged 13 and over and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the app, contact us and we will help.
5. Keeping and deleting your data
Everything the game stores lives on your device. You can delete it at any time by clearing the app's data or uninstalling the app; this also resets the app instance ID used for usage statistics. Google Analytics keeps usage events for the retention period set in the project (at most 14 months) and then deletes them; Crashlytics keeps crash reports for 90 days. Photos you saved to your gallery stay there until you delete them. Data collected by Google for advertising is kept and deleted according to Google's policies; you can manage it in your Google account and your phone's ad settings.
6. Security
The game's files are kept in the app's private storage, protected by Android so other apps cannot read them. All data sent to Google's services (ads, usage statistics, crash reports, game settings, notifications, purchases) is encrypted in transit.
7. Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR or the CCPA), you may have the right to access, correct or delete personal data, or to object to its use. We do not keep personal data that identifies you; usage statistics are linked only to a random app ID that you can reset by clearing the app's data. Requests about advertising data are best sent to Google, but you are always welcome to write to us and we will help.
8. Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the new version will be published on this page with a new effective date.
9. Contact
Pavko · pavkoapp@gmail.com