Privacy Policy

Last updated: 6 October 2026

Cipherwink is a cryptogram quote game for iPhone, made by Fabio Mignogna, an independent developer ("we", "us"). This policy explains what the app collects, why, and the choices you have. There are no accounts: we never ask for your name, email address or phone number.

Questions or requests: support@cipherwink.com.

The short version

• Your game progress stays in your own iCloud account. We can't read it.
• We collect anonymous gameplay analytics, with your consent in the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland.
• Free players see ads from Google AdMob. Ad tracking only happens if you allow it in Apple's prompt.
• Premium is bought through Apple. We never see your payment details.
• We don't sell your data.

Your game progress (iCloud)

Puzzle progress, stats, streaks and settings are saved on your device and in your own iCloud account (Apple's CloudKit private database and iCloud key-value storage), so they sync between your devices. This data belongs to your iCloud account and is handled by Apple under Apple's privacy policy. We can't see or access it.

Daily reminders are local notifications scheduled on your iPhone. Nothing about them leaves the device.

Gameplay analytics (PostHog)

To learn which puzzles are too hard or too easy and how the game is used, the app sends gameplay events to PostHog, hosted in the EU. Examples: the app was opened, a puzzle was started or solved (with the quote, difficulty, time taken and hints used), a hint was used, Premium was bought (and from which screen, never the price or your payment details).

• Events carry a random ID created on your device when the app first runs. It isn't linked to your name, Apple Account, advertising ID or anything else about you, and no profile of you is built.
• Events never contain text you type.
• In the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland, nothing is sent until you consent in the consent form shown when the app starts. Elsewhere, analytics is on by default.
• The app also fetches a few game settings from PostHog (for example how many free hints a day). That request includes the same random ID and happens whether or not analytics is on.

Ads (Google AdMob)

Free players see an occasional full-screen ad between puzzles, provided by Google AdMob. Premium players see no ads, and the ad service is not used for them.

• Consent. In the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland, Google's consent form (the User Messaging Platform) asks for your choices when the app starts. Your answer decides whether ads may use data from your device and whether they are personalised.
• Tracking. Just before the first ad, the app shows a short explanation, then Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt. Only if you tap Allow can AdMob use your device's advertising identifier (IDFA) to track you across other companies' apps and websites. If you don't allow it, you still see ads, just less tailored ones.
• What Google collects. Google may collect device identifiers, an approximate location derived from your IP address, how you interact with ads, and performance and crash data, to show and measure ads and prevent fraud. Google acts as an independent controller for this data.

Ad-revenue measurement (Firebase Analytics)

We use Google's Firebase Analytics only to measure how much the ads earn. It is off when the app starts and is turned on only for free players who see ads and whose consent allows it (in the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland, only after you consent). It is never on for Premium players, and buying Premium turns it off immediately. It receives no gameplay events from us, no user ID, and the app's version of it can't read your advertising identifier.

Purchases (Apple)

Premium is a one-time in-app purchase handled entirely by Apple through the App Store. We never receive your payment details or Apple Account information. The app checks with Apple whether Premium is active on your account.

Quote downloads and app security

New quotes are downloaded from our backend on Google Firebase (Cloud Storage). To make sure requests come from the genuine app, the app uses Firebase App Check with Apple's App Attest. These requests carry no ID of ours. As with any internet request, Google's servers see your IP address to deliver the response; we don't store it or use it to identify you.

Quote reports

If you report a quote, the app sends our backend (Google Firebase, Cloud Firestore in the EU, Belgium) the quote, the reason you picked, the app version and the date and time. You can add an optional note of up to 500 characters; please don't put personal information in it. The report includes an App Check token, used only to confirm it came from the genuine app. It contains no account, player or device ID. Only we can read reports.

Why we use your data (EU and UK legal bases)

• Consent: gameplay analytics, Firebase Analytics and personalised ads in the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland, and ad tracking everywhere (Apple's prompt).
• Contract: providing the game you chose to use, including iCloud sync and Premium.
• Legitimate interests: keeping the quote collection accurate and appropriate (reports), protecting our backend from abuse (App Check), serving quote downloads and game settings, non-personalised ads that keep the game free, and, outside the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland, anonymous gameplay analytics to improve the game.

How long we keep data

• Report notes are deleted automatically after 90 days.
• The rest of a report (quote, reason, app version, date) is kept while the quote collection exists, because it contains nothing about you.
• PostHog (gameplay analytics): up to 12 months.
• Firebase Analytics (ad-revenue measurement): 14 months.
• Ads data is kept by Google under its own policies.
• iCloud data stays in your iCloud account until you delete it.

Your choices and how to withdraw consent

• Change your consent: in the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland, open Settings in the app and tap Privacy options. Your new choice applies straight away, to analytics and ads.
• Ad tracking: in the iPhone Settings app, go to Privacy & Security, then Tracking, and turn Cipherwink off.
• No ads at all: Premium removes ads and turns Firebase Analytics off.
• Delete your progress: in the iPhone Settings app, tap your name, then iCloud, manage your storage, and delete Cipherwink's data. Deleting the app removes what is stored on the device and its random analytics ID.

Your rights (EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland)

You have the right to access, correct or delete your personal data, to restrict or object to its use, to data portability, and to withdraw consent at any time without affecting what happened before. Because we don't know who you are, we usually can't link analytics or reports to you; write to us and we'll do what we can. You can also complain to your local data protection authority.

Who processes data for us, and where

• PostHog (gameplay analytics, game settings): EU hosting.
• Google (Firebase, AdMob): our backend runs in the EU (Belgium); Google may process data in other countries, including the United States, under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and standard contractual clauses.
• Apple (iCloud, App Store purchases, App Attest).

Children

Cipherwink is not directed at children under 16, and we don't knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has sent us personal data, for example in a report note, write to us and we'll delete it.

Changes to this policy

If what the app collects changes, we'll update this page and the date at the top.

Contact

Fabio Mignogna, support@cipherwink.com.