1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy explains how Farkas József ("I", "me", "my") collects, uses and protects personal data when you use the NOREN mobile application ("the App"). I process personal data in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws.
2. Controller and contact
NOREN is developed and operated by Farkas József, an individual developer based in Hungary, who is the data controller.
Contact: jozsef.farkas@gmail.com
3. Data I collect
3.1 Account data
You can use NOREN without signing in. When you submit your first puzzle result (or first save a quote, turn on offline mode or subscribe to Premium), the App creates an anonymous account for you. It has a random identifier and contains no name, email address or other contact details. Until you choose a username (possible once you sign in with Apple), you appear on leaderboards as "Guest" followed by a number.
If you sign in with Apple, I also receive:
- a unique user identifier issued by Apple;
- an email address, if you choose to share it (Apple may provide a private relay address).
When you sign in, your anonymous account is linked to your Apple sign-in, so your results, name and saved quotes are kept. If you sign in with an Apple ID that already has a NOREN account, you switch to that account; if your anonymous account already has results, the App asks you to confirm first, because those results are not carried over to the existing account.
I never receive your Apple ID password or payment card details.
3.2 Profile data
- Username (up to 20 characters). Your username is publicly visible on leaderboards and to other users in the friends features.
- Country. It is pre-filled from your device's region setting and you can change it in your Profile. It is used for country leaderboards. I do not determine your location from your IP address.
- Profile settings, such as notification preferences and whether offline mode is enabled.
- Subscription status (whether Premium is active, which plan, and until when).
- Technical profile fields: your timezone offset and the time you were last active.
- Technical records used to prevent abuse of offline result syncing.
3.3 Gameplay data
- Daily puzzle results: solve time, error count, solve date and timezone, and the type of solve (ranked, replay, or a late first solve from the archive).
- Weekly challenge results (Fusuma): solve time, error count and the values you revealed in each stage, and your weekly ranking.
- Streaks, personal bests, tier and percentile rankings.
- Puzzle ratings, if you rated a puzzle in earlier versions of the App.
With each solve, the app also records the app version and build you used, whether a screenshot or screen recording was taken while that puzzle was in progress (only a yes/no flag — no image or recording is ever collected), and how much time was spent outside the app after such a capture. These are used to keep solve times fair on the leaderboards and to support older app versions.
3.4 Words to Keep
When you save a quote with Words to Keep, I store which quote you saved and when, linked to your account, so that your collection is available on all your devices.
3.5 Friends features
- Friend connections and pending friend requests between accounts.
- Invite links you create and accept.
- Records of friend events (for example, that a friend accepted your invitation).
3.6 Push notifications
If you allow notifications, I store your device's push token to send the notifications you have opted into (for example, friend activity and streak reminders). A notification about a friend's activity contains that friend's username.
3.7 Using NOREN without signing in
An anonymous account (section 3.1) stores the same gameplay, profile and Words to Keep data as a signed-in account, so your results can appear on leaderboards and are kept if you later sign in. I cannot identify you from an anonymous account.
If you use an older version of the App without signing in, your solve results are sent without any identifier that could link them to you or your device and are kept as anonymous statistics.
3.8 Game Center
If you are signed in to Game Center, the App submits your Slitherlink daily solve time and your best streak to Game Center leaderboards. This data is processed by Apple under Apple's terms. The App does not store your Game Center name on my servers.
3.9 What I do not collect
NOREN contains no advertising, no third-party analytics and no third-party crash reporting. I do not collect precise location, contacts, photos, microphone or camera data, and I do not track you across apps or websites.
If you have chosen to share analytics with app developers in your iOS settings, Apple may provide me with aggregated, anonymous crash reports and usage statistics. I cannot identify you from these.
4. How I use your data
I use your data only to:
- provide the puzzles, your solve history, archive, replays and Words to Keep;
- calculate leaderboards, tiers, percentiles, streaks and weekly challenge rankings;
- provide the friends features;
- send the push notifications you have opted into;
- manage your Premium subscription;
- protect the integrity of the leaderboards (for example, detecting manipulated solve times) and the security of the service.
I do not use your data for advertising, profiling or any automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.
5. Internal statistics
I use the data described above to produce internal, aggregated statistics — for example how many people play each day or week, how many return, which puzzles and features are used, and which app versions are still in use. These statistics are produced only by me, on NOREN's own server, to understand and improve the app. They are never shared with third parties and are not used for advertising or tracking. NOREN still contains no third-party analytics.
6. Legal bases (GDPR)
- Performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b)): providing the App, your account, gameplay features, leaderboards, friends features, Words to Keep and your subscription.
- Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): leaderboard integrity, abuse prevention and security.
- Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): push notifications. You can withdraw consent at any time in iOS Settings > Notifications.
7. Service providers
I do not sell your personal data. I share data only with the following providers, who process it on my behalf or as needed to provide the service:
- Apple Inc.: Sign in with Apple, App Store payments, push notification delivery (APNs) and Game Center. Apple Privacy Policy
- Supabase Inc.: database and server hosting in the EU (Frankfurt). Supabase Privacy Policy
- RevenueCat, Inc. (United States): subscription management. RevenueCat receives your account identifier (for an anonymous account, its random identifier) and your App Store purchase and subscription information. RevenueCat Privacy Policy
8. International transfers
Your account and gameplay data are stored in the EU (Frankfurt). Subscription data processed by RevenueCat and data processed by Apple may be transferred outside the European Economic Area. Such transfers rely on appropriate safeguards, such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses or an adequacy decision.
9. Retention and deletion
Signed-in accounts: I keep your data for as long as your account exists.
Anonymous accounts are deleted automatically:
- 30 days after creation, if no puzzle result or saved quote was ever recorded;
- 365 days after the last activity (sign-in or submitted puzzle result), if results or saved quotes were recorded.
An account with an active Premium subscription is never deleted automatically.
You can delete your data at any time in the App under Profile > Settings > Account:
- "Delete account" (signed-in accounts) or "Delete my data" (anonymous accounts) immediately deletes your account, profile, solve history, weekly challenge results, rankings, streaks, personal bests, puzzle ratings, saved quotes, friend connections, invites, notifications and push tokens from the production database, and clears your account's data stored on your device;
- for signed-in accounts, your Sign in with Apple authorization is also revoked;
- your customer record at RevenueCat is deleted;
- Backups of the database are kept for no longer than 30 days and are then deleted. Data you delete may remain in a backup until that backup is deleted.
Deleting your account or data does not cancel an active subscription. Subscriptions are managed by Apple; cancel yours in your Apple ID settings.
Solve results sent without any identifier (section 3.7) cannot be linked to you and are kept as anonymous statistics.
10. Your rights
Under the GDPR you have the right to:
- access your personal data and receive a copy;
- have inaccurate data rectified;
- have your data erased;
- restrict processing;
- receive your data in a portable, machine-readable format;
- object to processing based on legitimate interests;
- withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
To exercise these rights, contact me at jozsef.farkas@gmail.com. I will respond within one month.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Hungarian National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH) or with the supervisory authority of your country of residence.
11. Children
NOREN is not directed at children under 13, or under 16 in the EEA. I do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided personal data, contact me and I will delete it.
12. Security
Data is transmitted over encrypted connections (TLS). Access to the database is restricted by access-control rules, so that each user can access only their own private data. If you have a security concern, contact me immediately.
13. Changes to this policy
When I change this policy, I will update the effective date above. If a change materially reduces your rights or expands how your data is used, I will inform you in advance through the App or other appropriate means.
14. Contact
Farkas József · jozsef.farkas@gmail.com · Hungary