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Privacy Policy

This policy applies to the African Plains Studios website and to every mobile app, game and online service published by African Plains Studios (Pty) Ltd, unless a specific app provides its own policy.

Last updated: 15 September 2026

1. Who we are and scope

African Plains Studios (Pty) Ltd ("African Plains Studios", "we", "us" or "our") is a software studio registered in the Republic of South Africa. We build and publish web platforms, mobile apps and games (together, the "Services"). We are the responsible party (data controller) for personal information processed through the Services.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and share it, and the choices you have. It applies to:

  • our website at https://www.africanplainsstudios.co.za;
  • every app and game we publish on Google Play, the Apple App Store or elsewhere; and
  • any related online services, support channels and communications.

Where we build white-label or custom software for a client and that client operates it under its own brand, the client is the responsible party for its users' data and its own privacy policy applies.

2. Information we collect

What we collect depends on the Service you use. Many of our games and apps can be used without creating an account or telling us who you are.

2.1 Information you give us

  • Account details if a Service offers sign-in: name, email address, password (stored only as a secure hash), profile photo, and any details you choose to add.
  • Content you create inside a Service, such as records, notes, photos, uploads, game saves, usernames and messages.
  • Support and correspondence when you email us, including the contents of your message and your contact details.

2.2 Information collected automatically

  • Device and technical data: device model, operating system and version, app version, language, screen size, IP address, time zone, and crash logs.
  • Usage data: which screens and features you use, session length, in-game progress and events, and how you interact with the Service.
  • Identifiers: app instance IDs, Firebase installation IDs and, where ads are shown, the advertising identifier for your device (Google Advertising ID or Apple IDFA), subject to your device settings.
  • Approximate location derived from your IP address for analytics and to comply with regional advertising rules. We do not collect precise GPS location unless a specific app needs it for a feature and asks your permission first.

2.3 Information from third parties

  • Sign-in providers such as Google or Apple, if you choose to sign in with them. We receive your name, email address and a provider ID.
  • App stores: purchase and subscription status from Google Play Billing or Apple In-App Purchase. We never receive your full payment card details.

3. How we use information

We use personal information to:

  • provide, operate and maintain the Services, including saving your progress and content;
  • create and manage your account and authenticate you;
  • process purchases, subscriptions and restore transactions;
  • understand how the Services are used so we can fix problems and improve them;
  • diagnose crashes and monitor performance;
  • show ads and measure their performance, where a Service is ad-supported;
  • respond to support requests and communicate important service notices;
  • detect, prevent and address fraud, abuse, cheating and security issues; and
  • comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms and Conditions.

Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and, where it applies, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), our legal bases are: performance of a contract with you, our legitimate interests in running and improving the Services, your consent where required (for example personalised advertising), and compliance with legal obligations.

4. Advertising and AdMob

Some of our free apps and games show ads served by Google AdMob and its partner networks. AdMob may collect and use your advertising identifier, IP address, device information and in-app events to serve ads, measure ad performance and prevent fraud.

Where the law requires it (for example in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and certain US states), you will be asked for consent before personalised ads are shown. You can change your choice later from the app's settings or privacy options where available.

You can also limit ad personalisation at the device level:

  • Android: Settings, Google, Ads, then "Delete advertising ID" or "Opt out of Ads Personalisation".
  • iOS: Settings, Privacy and Security, Tracking, and Apple Advertising.

Google's own practices are described at policies.google.com/technologies/ads. A list of ad technology providers used by AdMob is available at support.google.com/admob/answer/9012903.

5. Children

Our Services are not directed at children under 13 (or the age of digital consent in your country) unless the store listing for a specific app or game says otherwise. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Where an app or game is designed for or likely to be used by children, we configure it to comply with the Google Play Families policy, Apple's Kids Category rules and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA): analytics is limited, ads are served in child-directed mode with no personalisation, and the advertising identifier is not used.

If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us at admin@africanplainsstudios.co.za and we will delete it promptly.

6. Sharing and service providers

We do not sell personal information. We share it only with:

  • Service providers who process data on our behalf and under our instructions: Google Firebase (authentication, cloud database, storage, hosting, Analytics, Crashlytics and Cloud Messaging), Google Cloud, Google AdMob (advertising), and the payment processors used by a specific Service.
  • App stores: Google and Apple receive purchase and installation data as part of distributing the app.
  • Our clients, where you use a white-label product that a client operates. In that case the client is the responsible party for your data.
  • Authorities and other parties when required by law, to protect our rights, or to prevent fraud or harm.
  • A successor in the event of a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, in which case this policy continues to apply to your information.

7. International transfers

We are based in South Africa and our service providers store data in data centres that may be located in other countries, including the United States and the European Union. Where we transfer personal information outside your country we rely on the provider's contractual safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses, and on the protections required by POPIA section 72 and the GDPR.

8. Data retention

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described above. In general:

  • account data is kept while your account is active and deleted within 30 days of deletion;
  • analytics data is retained by Firebase Analytics for up to 14 months;
  • crash logs are kept for 90 days;
  • purchase records are kept for as long as tax and accounting law requires; and
  • support emails are kept for up to 24 months.

9. Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including encryption in transit (HTTPS), encryption at rest on our cloud providers, access controls, and security rules on our databases. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a breach that affects you, we will notify you and the relevant regulator as required by law.

10. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

  • access the personal information we hold about you;
  • correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
  • delete your personal information (see section 11);
  • object to or restrict certain processing, including direct marketing;
  • receive a copy of your information in a portable format;
  • withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent; and
  • lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

In South Africa you may complain to the Information Regulator at inforegulator.org.za. Residents of the EEA and UK may contact their local data protection authority. California residents have the rights described in the CCPA/CPRA, including the right to know, delete and opt out of "sale" or "sharing" of personal information; we do not sell personal information, and you can opt out of personalised advertising as described in section 4.

To exercise any right, email admin@africanplainsstudios.co.za. We may ask you to verify your identity. We respond within 30 days, or sooner where the law requires.

11. Delete your account and data

You can request deletion of your account and the personal information linked to it at any time.

  • In the app: where an app or game has an account, open Settings or Profile and choose "Delete account". Deletion takes effect immediately and associated data is removed from our systems within 30 days.
  • By email: send a request to admin@africanplainsstudios.co.za with the subject line "Data deletion request". Tell us the name of the app or game and the email address or username linked to your account. We will confirm once deletion is complete.

We may keep limited records where the law requires it (for example purchase records for tax purposes) or where data has been fully anonymised. Uninstalling an app does not by itself delete server-side account data; please use one of the methods above.

12. Cookies on our website

Our website uses Firebase Analytics (Google Analytics for Firebase) to measure visits and understand which pages are useful. This sets first-party cookies and collects device and usage data as described in section 2. You can block cookies in your browser settings, or install the Google Analytics opt-out add-on. The website does not show ads and does not use marketing cookies.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it last changed. For material changes we will give notice inside the affected Service or by email where we have your address. Continued use of the Services after a change means you accept the updated policy.

14. Contact us

African Plains Studios (Pty) Ltd
South Africa
Email: admin@africanplainsstudios.co.za

Our Information Officer can be reached at the same address for any POPIA or GDPR request.