ZUDOKU
ZUDOKU Privacy Policy
Effective date: July 17, 2026
Version: launch-8
Controller: ZUDOKU / zudoku.ai. Contact and privacy requests: support@zudoku.ai. Safety contact: safety@zudoku.ai.
1. Scope
This Policy explains what personal data the ZUDOKU app and website at zudoku.ai collect, how and why we use it, who we share it with, and your rights. It applies to all users; some rights depend on where you live.
2. Data we collect
You provide / your account: username, avatar, profile settings, and, if you use Google or Facebook Login, the profile data those providers share with us, typically name, email address, profile picture, and a provider user ID. Guest play may use a device-generated or locally stored identifier.
Gameplay and social: puzzle IDs, modes, difficulty, progress, moves, notes, mistakes, hints, scores, times, streaks, ZP, ZOKU, awards/badges, ranks and season data, Daily Dojo results, friends list, blocks, duel/PVP/battle activity, chat messages, message metadata, delivery/read/unread state, muted/pinned/deleted chat preferences, user reports, child-safety reports, support feedback, automated chat safety flags, matched risk categories or terms, and safety/anti-cheat records.
Chat messages are stored and processed so they can be delivered, synced, shown in conversation history, notified, reported, moderated, and protected against abuse. Chat and feedback may be scanned by automated safety tools for risky words, links, spam, threats, harassment, sexual content, self-harm concerns, or other abuse signals, and may be reviewed by authorized people where needed. Chat is not designed as end-to-end encrypted confidential messaging. Other chat participants can view, copy, screenshot, forward, or otherwise disclose messages outside ZUDOKU's control. ZUDOKU team members or service providers may access chat content and related records where needed for operation, support, moderation, safety, security, legal compliance, or dispute handling.
Purchases: subscription and purchase status, product IDs, purchase tokens, entitlement status, expiry time, verification time, and transaction identifiers. We do not receive or store your full payment-card details; payments are processed by the app store such as Google Play.
Device and technical: device model, OS version, app version, language, screen-view/session analytics where enabled, crash and performance logs where enabled, security logs, server logs, notification tokens where used, and identifiers used for security, authentication, diagnostics, analytics, and service reliability. Analytics events do not include usernames or chat message text, and ZUDOKU removes advertising ID permissions from the Android app.
Local PVP / Bluetooth: Local PVP match communication uses Bluetooth directly between nearby devices. The Bluetooth room handoff and match sync do not use mobile data, Wi-Fi, or the internet for the local match communication. Bluetooth identifiers and connection details are handled by Android on your device. ZUDOKU stores your Local PVP safety-consent record when you enable the feature, and may store local PVP opponent/result summaries on your device for history and stats.
Support: information you provide when you contact us, including messages, screenshots, files, account identifiers, and troubleshooting details.
3. How we use your data and our legal bases
- Operate the App, including accounts, sync, puzzles, matchmaking, leaderboards, awards, chat, purchases, and content updates: performance of our contract with you.
- Security, anti-cheat, fraud prevention, abuse prevention, and safety: legitimate interests and legal compliance.
- Service communications, billing notices, support, and important updates: contract performance or legitimate interests.
- Analytics and product improvement, if enabled in Settings after legal acceptance: legitimate interests or consent where required.
- Advertising or marketing, if added later: consent where required. ZUDOKU does not use ads at launch.
- Legal compliance, platform compliance, dispute handling, accounting, and defending claims: legal obligation or legitimate interests.
We rely on consent only where the law requires it or where an optional feature asks for it. You can withdraw consent at any time without affecting prior processing.
4. Children
The App is intended for users aged 13+ and, in the EEA/UK, the higher of 13 or your country's digital-consent age, up to 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children below that age. If we learn we have, we will delete or restrict it. Parents or guardians can contact support@zudoku.ai. Child safety concerns can be sent to safety@zudoku.ai.
5. Who we share data with
- App stores such as Google Play for purchases, subscription verification, refunds, and distribution.
- Google / Firebase for backend hosting, authentication, Firestore, Realtime Database, Cloud Functions, Cloud Messaging, Firebase Analytics, server logs, and related infrastructure.
- Google sign-in and Facebook Login when you choose those sign-in methods.
- Analytics, crash, performance, moderation, safety, legal, accounting, or support providers if enabled or needed.
- Authorities or third parties where required by law, to enforce our Terms, or to protect rights, safety, users, and the service, including reporting confirmed child sexual abuse material or exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or the relevant regional authority.
- Successors in a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or asset transfer.
We do not sell your personal data for money. ZUDOKU does not use ads at launch. If any advertising SDK, targeted advertising, cross-context tracking, or data sharing that counts as "sale" or "sharing" under US state laws is added later, we will update this Policy and provide required choices before use.
6. International transfers
We and our providers may process data in the United States, the European Union, and other countries. Where required for EEA/UK data, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses, provider transfer mechanisms, or certification frameworks where available.
7. Data retention
We keep personal data for as long as your account is active and as needed for the purposes above, then delete or anonymize it, except where longer retention is required or appropriate for security, fraud prevention, anti-cheat, abuse investigations, dispute handling, tax/accounting, legal obligations, backups, or platform compliance. Guest/local data may remain on your device until you clear app data or uninstall.
8. Your rights
Depending on where you live, especially in the EEA/UK, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, export, object to processing, withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, and complain to your local data protection authority.
California and other US state laws may give rights to know, access, delete, correct, receive a portable copy, opt out of sale/sharing and targeted advertising, limit certain sensitive-data uses, and not be discriminated against for exercising rights. ZUDOKU does not sell personal data or run ads at launch.
To exercise privacy rights, email support@zudoku.ai or use the data-deletion instructions at https://zudoku.ai/data-deletion.html. If you signed in with Facebook, you can request deletion of Facebook Login data and related ZUDOKU account data through that page or by emailing support@zudoku.ai.
9. Advertising and sale/sharing disclosures
ZUDOKU does not use advertising or cross-context tracking at launch. If we add advertising, ad SDKs, or targeted advertising later, we will update this Policy, disclose the providers, and provide consent or opt-out controls where required.
10. Security
We use technical and organizational measures appropriate to the risk, including encryption in transit, Firebase security rules, protected Cloud Functions, server-side purchase verification, access controls, and audit or abuse logs. No method is perfectly secure; please protect your device and sign-in method.
11. Third-party services
Google, Firebase, Google Play, Facebook/Meta, app stores, and any analytics, crash, or support providers process data under their own policies and contracts. Firebase Analytics helps us understand app screens and feature use; it does not receive chat text or usernames from our analytics events. We are not responsible for provider independent practices; review their policies.
12. Cookies and website
The public website zudoku.ai provides support, information, legal pages, app updates, web Sudoku play, Puzzle Lab, and Solver tools. The website uses Google Analytics with consent mode. Until you allow analytics, analytics storage is denied and Google Analytics may receive limited cookieless measurement signals so we can confirm the site is working. If you allow analytics, analytics cookies may be used. We do not use advertising cookies, ad personalization, or cross-context advertising tracking at launch.
13. Changes
We may update this Policy when laws, features, vendors, subscriptions, or data practices change. For material changes, we will give reasonable notice in-app, by email, or through another appropriate method.
14. Contact
Privacy and support requests: support@zudoku.ai. Safety and child-safety reports: safety@zudoku.ai. Data deletion: https://zudoku.ai/data-deletion.html.