Velalou Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Velalou is a phone game made by Velvet Owl Games. Velvet Owl Games is the trading name of Nikolas Ionides, a sole trader based in Australia.

In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" mean Velvet Owl Games. "You" means anyone who plays Velalou.

This policy covers the Velalou app on Google Play. Questions go to [email protected].

2. Data the game keeps on your phone

Velalou saves your progress in a file on your phone. The file holds your levels, stars, stardust, shop items, streaks and settings.

• The save file stays on your device. The game never sends it to us or to anyone else.
• We have no copy of your save.
• Velalou has no accounts, no login, no chat and no way to share content with other players.
• The game asks for no access to your contacts, photos, camera, microphone or precise location.

3. Ads from Google AdMob

Velalou shows 2 kinds of ads:

• A short full-screen ad on the level complete screen, every few levels.
• Reward videos you choose to watch for a bonus, such as a free hint or extra stardust.

Google AdMob provides these ads through the Google Mobile Ads SDK, a piece of Google code inside the game. To show ads, measure them and stop fraud, Google collects this data from your device:

• Your IP address. Google uses it to estimate your general location, such as your country or city.
• Your Android advertising ID and app set ID, and other IDs tied to accounts signed in on the device.
• Basic device information, such as your phone model, Android version and language.
• How you interact with the app and ads, such as app launches, taps and video views.
• Diagnostic information, such as app launch time, hang rate and energy use.

Google uses this data for advertising, analytics and fraud prevention. For ad data, Google acts as an independent controller under its own terms and policies. We don't receive this data in a form that identifies you. We see only total reports, such as how many ads ran.

Read how Google uses this data:

• How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services
• Google Privacy Policy
• How Google uses advertising data

Personalised and non-personalised ads

In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, Google shows personalised ads based on your interests and activity only with your consent. Without consent, Google shows non-personalised or limited ads. In other countries, Google shows personalised ads unless you delete your advertising ID (section 10) or turn off personalised ads in My Ad Center. Non-personalised and limited ads use general context, such as the app and your rough location. Google still uses some data for frequency capping, reporting and fraud prevention, as its policies describe.

4. Your consent and how to change it

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, Velalou shows a consent message from Google the first time you open the game. The message lets you accept or refuse personalised ads and the storage of data on your device for ads.

To change your choice later:

1. Open Velalou.
2. Open Settings.
3. Tap Ad privacy.
4. Pick your new choice and save.

The Ad privacy button opens Google's consent form where the law needs a consent choice. Elsewhere, the game tells you no form is needed. Outside those regions, use your phone's ad settings in section 10.

Refusing consent does not stop you playing. Every level, reward and feature works the same.

5. Purchases

Velalou offers 1 purchase: Remove Ads, a one-time payment of US$4.99. Google Play sets the local price in your currency.

• Google Play processes the payment. Google Play's terms and the Google Privacy Policy apply.
• We never see your card or bank details.
• Google gives us basic order records, such as an order number, the item, the price, the date and your country. We use these for refunds, tax and our accounts.
• The game checks with Google Play on your phone whether you own Remove Ads.
• If you said yes to sharing play data, the game also sends the purchase to GameAnalytics. See section 6.
• Remove Ads stops the full-screen ads. Reward videos stay available if you choose to watch them, so the Google Mobile Ads SDK stays in the game.
• Your purchase stays with your Google account. Reinstall Velalou with the same account to restore it.
• Refund requests go through Google Play.

6. Game analytics

Velalou uses GameAnalytics to learn which levels feel hard, where players stop, and how long a night of play lasts. GameAnalytics runs only if you say yes. The game asks once, with the question "Help improve Velalou?" on the home screen. Until you answer, and if you tap "No thanks", nothing goes to GameAnalytics. Change your answer any time in Settings with the "Share play data" switch.

If you say yes, GameAnalytics receives: a random player ID made by GameAnalytics, your Android advertising ID and app set ID, your device model and maker, your Android version, your connection type (Wi-Fi or mobile), your IP address (GameAnalytics uses this to work out your country), the game version, and play events such as levels started, finished or restarted, hints and undos used, stardust earned and spent, reward videos watched, and the Remove Ads purchase with price and currency. For the purchase, GameAnalytics also receives the Google Play purchase token to check the purchase is real. GameAnalytics never receives your name, email or payment details. If the game hits an error, GameAnalytics also receives an error report.

GameAnalytics processes this data on our behalf, as our data processor, to produce game statistics. We do not sell this data or use it for advertising. Our legal basis is your consent. Switch sharing off and the game stops sending. Under its standard terms, GameAnalytics deletes raw event data after 1 month and player data after 1 year. You can read how GameAnalytics handles data at gameanalytics.com/privacy.

7. Children

Velalou is made for adults 18 and over. The game is not directed at children under 13, or under 16 in countries where the law sets 16 as the age of digital consent.

We don't knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has played Velalou and you want ad data or play data removed, contact us. We will help you make the request to Google and to GameAnalytics.

8. Where data goes and how long Google keeps it

Google processes ad data in the United States and other countries. Google describes its safeguards for international transfers in the Google Privacy Policy.

We keep no player data on our own systems. Your save file stays on your phone until you delete the game or clear the game's storage. If you share play data, GameAnalytics stores the data for us for up to 1 year (see section 6). Google keeps ad data under its own rules, described in How Google retains data.

9. Your rights

EEA, UK and Switzerland

Under the GDPR, the UK GDPR and Swiss data protection law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data held about you.
• Correct data that is wrong.
• Ask for your data to be deleted.
• Restrict or object to processing.
• Receive your data in a portable format.
• Withdraw your consent at any time: Settings, Ad privacy for ads, and Settings, Share play data for GameAnalytics.
• Complain to the data protection authority in your country.

We rely on your consent for personalised ads, for storing or reading data on your device for ads, and for GameAnalytics. We rely on our legitimate interest in keeping the game free for non-personalised or limited ads and for fraud prevention.

Australia

We follow the Australian Privacy Principles where the Privacy Act 1988 applies to us. You have the right to ask for access to your personal information and to ask us to correct it. If you have a complaint, contact us first. If our answer does not resolve it, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.

How to use your rights

Requests about ad data go to Google. Use My Ad Center or the tools in the Google Privacy Policy. You can also email us at [email protected]. We reply within 1 month.

10. How to delete your data

Your game progress

• Uninstall Velalou. Android deletes the save file and all game data from your phone.
• Or keep the game and reset it: open your phone's Settings, then Apps, then Velalou, then Storage, then Clear storage. This deletes all progress.

Your advertising ID

Menu names differ a little between phones. On most Android phones:

1. Open your phone's Settings.
2. Tap Privacy, then Ads. On some phones, tap Google, then Ads.
3. Tap Reset advertising ID to get a new one, or Delete advertising ID to stop apps using one for ads.

Play data held by GameAnalytics

Turn off Share play data in Settings to stop sending. GameAnalytics deletes raw event data after 1 month and player data after 1 year. The data carries a random ID, with no name or email, so we have no way to find your records from your name alone. To ask for deletion sooner, email [email protected] and we will pass the request to GameAnalytics.

Ad data held by Google

Manage or delete it through My Ad Center and your Google Account.

Purchase records

Google Play keeps your order history in your Google Account. See the Google Play order history page in your account to view it.

11. Security

Google encrypts ad data in transit using TLS. GameAnalytics encrypts play data in transit and at rest. Google Play protects payment data. We run no servers of our own.

12. Changes to this policy

We will post any change on this page with a new effective date. For a big change, such as adding an analytics tool, we will also show a notice in the game.

13. Contact us

Velvet Owl Games
Nikolas Ionides, sole trader
Email: [email protected]

Velalou on Google Play: package com.velvetowlgames.velalou