~/oldmansgames $ games/signal-heist/privacy

Privacy Policy — Signal Heist

Last updated: 14 October 2026

This Privacy Policy explains what information the Signal Heist mobile game (package com.oldmansgames.signal_heist, “the app”, “we”, “us”), developed by Yasin Oruç (Old Man's Games, “the developer”), handles, why, and the choices you have. If you have questions, contact us at contact@oldmansgames.com.

Plain-language summary: Signal Heist does not ask you for your name, email, or any personal details, and needs no account. We don't run our own servers or collect personal data ourselves, and your progress stays on your device. The app offers an optional rewarded ad from Google AdMob (watch an ad to get one hint); to serve it, Google collects some device data, including the advertising ID (see 1.4 and section 3). Where required, you are asked for consent first and can change your choice at any time in Settings → Privacy options. The app has no in-app purchases. Google Play Games powers the optional Daily leaderboard (see 1.3).

1. Information handled

1.1 Data stored on your device

The app saves a small amount of data locally on your device using the platform's standard preferences storage, so the game remembers where you are. We do not transmit it to the developer.

  • Campaign progress (which sectors you have completed).
  • Daily-puzzle results (today's attempts, best score and time) and your vault total.
  • Unlocked achievements.
  • Your hint stock, and when you last earned a hint from a rewarded ad (used to space out rewarded ads).
  • Settings: sound and music volume, vibration on/off, language.
  • Which tutorial cards and the opening briefing you have already seen.

1.2 Device backup

Android may back up the app's local data (the items in 1.1) to your own Google account through Android's standard “Auto Backup” feature. This backup is performed and controlled by your device and your Google account — not by us. We have no access to it. You can turn it off in your device's backup settings.

1.3 Google Play Games leaderboard (optional)

The Daily puzzle has an online leaderboard provided by Google Play Games Services. Google's Play Games SDK starts together with the app, and if you have a Play Games profile Google may sign you in automatically at launch. The app itself submits your daily-puzzle score only after you open the Daily leaderboard. The campaign and the daily puzzle work fully without Play Games.

  • Data involved: your Play Games player ID and display name, and your daily-puzzle score. According to Google, the Play Games SDK also collects analytics and diagnostics data automatically to keep the service working.
  • Other players can see your Play Games display name and daily score on the leaderboard, and you can see theirs.
  • Controlled by: Google. See Google's Privacy Policy.

1.4 Advertising (Google AdMob)

When you run out of hints, the app offers an optional rewarded ad: you can choose to watch an ad served by Google AdMob to receive one hint. The app shows no other ads — no banners and no full-screen ads between levels. Watching is never required: you also earn hints by finishing a sector or solving the daily puzzle, and the game remains fully playable if you decline ads or if ads are unavailable.

To provide ads, the Google Mobile Ads SDK in the app collects the following data and shares it with Google. The data is encrypted in transit.

  • Device or other IDs — the Android advertising ID and other device and app identifiers.
  • Approximate location — derived from your IP address. The app never accesses your precise (GPS) location.
  • App interactions — interactions with ads, such as ads shown, taps and completed rewarded ads.
  • Diagnostics — technical data such as SDK performance and crash information.

This data is used for advertising (serving, limiting, measuring and — only if you allow it — personalizing ads), analytics (measuring ad performance) and fraud prevention (detecting invalid traffic and abuse). It is collected and processed by Google, not by us; we only receive aggregated reports such as impressions and earnings. Google describes its use of this data in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services. Consent and your choices are covered in section 3.

1.5 Purchases and other tracking

The app offers no in-app purchases and contains no analytics, crash-reporting or tracking SDKs other than the Google services described in 1.3 and 1.4. If a future version changes this, this policy and the store listing's data-safety declarations will be updated before that version is released.

1.6 Permissions

The app requests the vibration permission for optional haptic feedback (you can turn it off in Settings). The Google Mobile Ads SDK adds internet and network-state access (to load ads) and the advertising ID permission (com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID). The app does not access your precise location, contacts, camera, microphone, photos or files.

2. Third-party services

The app relies on the following third-party services, each governed by its own privacy policy:

3. Advertising & consent

Google and its partners may use identifiers and similar technologies (the in-app equivalent of cookies) to serve and measure ads, as described in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.

  • Consent (EEA, UK, Switzerland and other regions where required): before personalized ads are shown, the app displays a consent message from Google's User Messaging Platform (UMP). If you do not consent, you may still be offered non-personalized or limited ads.
  • Change your choice at any time: where consent applies, open the app's Settings and tap Privacy options to show the consent form again and update or withdraw your consent.
  • Reset or delete your advertising ID (Android): open your device's Settings → Privacy → Ads (on some devices Settings → Google → Ads) and choose Reset advertising ID or Delete advertising ID. After deletion, apps can no longer read an identifier.
  • Ad personalization: you can manage how Google personalizes ads in your Google account's My Ad Center.

4. Children

Signal Heist is a general-audience puzzle game intended for players aged 13 and over. It is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Ads in the app are limited to content suitable for the app's age rating (G / Everyone). If you believe a child has provided data through the app, contact us and we will help address it.

5. Data retention & deletion

  • On-device data is removed when you uninstall the app or clear its data. A copy in your Android backup is managed through your Google account.
  • Leaderboard scores are held by Google Play Games; you can manage or delete your Play Games data through your Google account / Play Games settings.
  • Advertising data is retained by Google according to the Google Privacy Policy. You can withdraw ad consent in the app (Settings → Privacy options) and reset or delete your advertising ID at any time.
  • We keep no personal data on our own servers, so there is no account to delete. For any request related to data the app handles, contact contact@oldmansgames.com.

6. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or port your personal data, to object to or restrict its processing, and to withdraw consent at any time (for example under the EU/UK GDPR). We do not sell personal information. If personalized advertising counts as “sharing” where you live, you can opt out by withdrawing consent in Settings → Privacy options and by resetting or deleting your advertising ID in your device settings. You may also lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

7. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app evolves. Material changes will be reflected by updating the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, within the app or store listing.

8. Contact

Questions or requests: contact@oldmansgames.com