Privacy policy

English translation: October 14, 2026

This policy explains how the operator handles user information in the PoKeBo board game app and its official website (the “Service”). Contact details are provided below. This is an English translation of the Japanese policy, last updated October 1, 2026.

Available features and information collected vary between standard, development and evaluation versions, devices and the features you use. We do not collect all the information listed below for features you do not use.

1. Accounts and evaluation versions

We use Firebase Authentication (Google). When you sign in with Google or Apple, we handle your account identifier (UID), authentication status and, if provided, display name and email address. The Service does not obtain your Google or Apple password.

Guest use creates a Firebase anonymous account without asking for an email address. “Anonymous” means that you do not register your name or similar details; it does not mean that usage records cannot be identified. We use the UID for authentication and troubleshooting.

Evaluation versions provided to rights holders and others show an explanation and links to this policy and the terms on the initial screen. Anonymous authentication starts after you select Start. No login details are required, and saved authentication information may be reused. Evaluation versions use the development environment, with authentication separate from production and ordinary development versions. Advertising, AppsFlyer attribution, payments and the purchase-management API are disabled, but authentication, game delivery, online matches and troubleshooting involve network communication.

Uninstalling the app does not delete your server account. On iOS, authentication information may remain in the Keychain and the same anonymous account may be used after reinstalling. If you lose authentication information, you may be unable to return to the same account. Restoration of data stored on the device is not guaranteed.

2. Game, purchase and support information

• Device data: Player names, settings, shelf layouts, saved game states, downloaded assets and caches are stored on your device.
• Initial survey: We collect the games you know, how you found PoKeBo, your age range and gender selected during onboarding. You can choose not to answer age and gender questions. Partial responses, progress and display language are associated with the account UID, including guest accounts, and stored on the device and Cloudflare servers. The server also records when responses were started and updated. This supports resuming the survey, analysing user trends and improving the Service. We do not collect your date of birth or exact age, send survey responses to AdMob or AppsFlyer, or use them to select ads. Start, answer and completion events are collected separately as usage records. Survey responses are deleted when the account is deleted.
• Purchases and ownership: Versions with purchase management store purchase and subscription status, coin balances and changes, owned games, shelf layouts and coupon use on the server, linked to your UID. These support purchase verification, fraud prevention and transfer of supported data between devices.
• Country at first use: In the standard version, at the first authenticated API connection, we save the country code estimated by the delivery infrastructure from the source IP, and the confirmation time, linked to the UID. This is used to analyse regional usage trends. This feature does not save the IP address itself or obtain your App Store or Google Play country setting. It does not establish nationality or actual location, and a VPN may affect the result. If the first country cannot be determined, it remains unknown; later connections do not overwrite it, and past countries are not inferred for existing accounts. It is deleted with the account. Evaluation versions without the purchase-management API are excluded.
• Installation source: Standard iOS versions store the assessed source (App Store, TestFlight/review distribution, direct installation and similar sources), assessment method, per-installation identifier, app version/build and first/last confirmation times, linked to the UID. These distinguish testing, support troubleshooting and measure usage. The assessment is imperfect and does not alone determine purchase validity or access rights. It is deleted with the account.
• Subscription history: Subscription periods, renewal, renewal cancellation and expiry status and confirmation times, and purchase identifiers/events received from the store are associated with the UID. They support access and points management, history display, fraud prevention and support.
• Pre-cancellation survey: Optional reasons and free-text answers are associated with the UID, a device hash, app version and similar information and used to improve the Service. You may skip the survey. Answering or successful transmission is not required to open the store’s subscription management screen. Cancellation takes place in the store. Survey information is subject to deletion when the account is deleted.
• Usage: Features that send usage data collect game download/start events, game IDs, timestamps, app versions and hashes derived from persistent device identifiers. These may be associated with the UID when authenticated. Hashed identifiers are not fully anonymous information.
• Support and requests: We collect your message and contact details and, depending on the channel, UID, device hash, app version and similar information. These support replies, game improvements and prevention of abusive submissions.
• Network information: Providers of delivery, authentication, APIs and the official website may process source IP addresses, access times, destinations and device/browser information for communication, protection and troubleshooting.

Purchases use App Store or Google Play payments. The stores manage payment details such as credit card numbers; the Service does not obtain them. Versions using RevenueCat send purchase information and identifiers linking accounts to purchases to manage purchases and subscriptions.

3. Multiplayer communication

Nearby matches use local communication between devices. Player names, participant details and information needed to run the game are shared with opponents. Even during local matches, other features such as authentication, asset downloads and troubleshooting may use the internet.

Online matches use relay servers on Cloudflare. In addition to forwarding game messages, we temporarily store room codes/names, game IDs, host names, host UIDs, connection authentication information, creation times and similar data to manage rooms and reconnections. Room information is deleted based on inactivity and validity periods. Entire match messages are not permanently stored as match histories, but separate operational logs about connections and errors may be recorded.

4. Advertising and attribution

Standard versions with ads enabled use Google AdMob. Ad display is restricted according to Premium status and other conditions. Advertising identifiers (IDFA/Android advertising ID) and device, usage and network information may be sent to advertising providers for delivery, fraud prevention and measurement.

Production versions with attribution enabled use AppsFlyer to process installation sources, app launch/usage events, device and advertising identifiers and link referral information. AppsFlyer and device identifiers may be associated with RevenueCat for purchase attribution.

Tracking on iOS follows your ATT permission. You can use games if you refuse permission. Where ad consent settings are available, you can change them in the app’s advertising privacy settings; tracking and advertising identifier settings can be changed in device settings. Refusing tracking does not stop all processing needed to display ads or non-tracking communication such as authentication and troubleshooting.

5. Troubleshooting

Distribution builds use Firebase Crashlytics. Evaluation versions enable it after the initial screen confirmation. Device model, OS/app version, errors, locations and recent operational logs are sent to identify and fix problems. A UID is attached to investigate issues affecting the same user. Names and email addresses are not set as user identification fields, but logs and errors may contain information being processed.

6. Experimental external AI features

External AI and voice matches are disabled in standard and ordinary evaluation versions. The following applies only to experimental versions where these features are explicitly enabled. These differ from normal CPU opponents running on the device.

• AI matches send board/game state and available moves to OpenAI through the operator’s server to generate moves and responses.
• Voice matches send microphone audio and information needed for the match directly to OpenAI and receive voice responses. Anything included in the audio is also transmitted.
• For usage limits and abuse prevention, the operator’s server records UID, game ID or voice-feature usage category, and usage time. Audio and board contents are not stored in this usage-history table.

The external AI provider’s applicable terms govern its processing and retention; this does not mean that no data is ever stored at the destination. If you do not use voice features, no audio is sent for them. Microphone permission can be revoked in device settings.

7. External services and sharing

The Service uses the following external services as required by the features:

• Google (Firebase Authentication, Firebase Crashlytics): authentication and troubleshooting
• Google (AdMob): advertising and measurement
• AppsFlyer: attribution and link navigation
• RevenueCat: purchases, subscriptions and purchase attribution
• Cloudflare: APIs, match relays, storage, game assets and website delivery
• Apple/Google: sign-in, store distribution and payments
• OpenAI: external AI and voice matches in enabled experimental versions

These services may process information in facilities outside your country. Their processing is also subject to applicable contracts and privacy terms. We do not provide collected personal information to third parties except for the feature-related sharing described here, with your consent, as required by law or similar applicable circumstances.

8. Retention and deletion

Accounts, purchase/ownership information, usage records and support enquiries are retained as needed to provide the Service, respond to enquiries and prevent abuse. They are not all automatically deleted after a single fixed period. Temporary room information is deleted as described above. Device settings and assets may be lost when the app is removed. External-service records and backups may be subject to provider retention policies or legal retention requirements.

You can delete accounts, including anonymous accounts, from My page → Account management → Delete account. Versions using the purchase-management API also delete associated coin balances, owned games, shelves, initial/pre-cancellation surveys, device associations, support enquiries and AI usage histories. Evaluation versions delete their evaluation authentication account and relevant local shelf/registration data without affecting production accounts.

To prevent deleted accounts from being recreated by payment notifications and similar events, the purchase-management server retains a hash of the deleted UID and the deletion time. Deleting an account in the app does not simultaneously erase all Crashlytics, ad/measurement or store records. You may also contact us about deletion of this information.

Resuming an evaluation version after deletion may create a new anonymous account. Uninstalling does not delete an account, and deleting an account does not cancel store subscriptions. Cancel subscriptions separately in App Store or Google Play.

If you cannot use the app, see account deletion instructions. Anonymous accounts are not linked to email addresses; loss of authentication information may prevent verification or identification of the relevant data.

For post-deletion refund enquiries and transaction verification, production transaction IDs, product IDs, store environment and confirmation times are retained with a hash of the deleted UID for 400 days from deletion and removed by scheduled processing after expiry. Profiles, IP addresses and enquiry text are not included. The hash is not fully anonymous. Counts by game, acquisition source and day needed for creator settlements, without user identifiers, are retained for up to 2,562 days (about seven years) from acquisition and removed by scheduled processing after expiry. These are operational retention periods, separate from payment/accounting records held by stores and others.

After account deletion, we separately retain UID, registration time and deletion time to measure usage and account deletions. Names, display names and email addresses are not stored in deletion records. Play/download records (game, time and hashed device identifier) are retained, while account-device mappings are deleted. Records containing these identifiers are not treated as fully anonymous, and access is restricted.

9. Contact and changes

For questions about processing, access, correction or deletion of information, contact the Service operator at [email protected]. We verify identity and respond in accordance with applicable law. Do not send passwords or authentication tokens.

Changes are published on this page. Important changes are announced in the app or official website, and consent is obtained where required by law.