A parent’s guide to our games

01Which games this covers

This guide applies to every game published by Chaosryn Studios:

When we release a new game, we add it here and note the change in the version history below.

02How the age screen works

The first time one of our games opens, it asks for the player’s year of birth on a neutral screen. It doesn’t suggest an answer, and it doesn’t say that some ages get more features, so there’s no reason to fib.

We use the answer to put the player in an age band (under 13, 13 to 17, or 18 and over). We keep the band, not the birth year. The band decides which protections apply, as shown in the table above.

If your child entered the wrong year, email privacy@chaosrynstudios.com with the name of the game and their player ID, and we’ll correct it. The player ID is in the game’s account screen:

• Word Crumbs: Profile → Account

03What we collect from children

For players under 13, we collect only what each game needs to work:

• a random player ID, created by the game;
• the age band;
• the display name they picked from our list of generated names;
• game progress, such as levels, coins, XP, streaks, badges and scores;
• basic technical data our servers need, such as app version and device type;
• a record of any purchase made through the App Store or Google Play (we never see payment details).

We don’t ask children for their name, email address, phone number, photos, contacts or location. They can’t type messages to other players, and there is no chat.

04Ads

Some of our games show ads, through Google AdMob. These can be:

• Rewarded ads the player chooses to watch in exchange for something in the game, such as a hint;
• Short ads between some levels.

Players under 13, and players whose age we don’t know, only see non-personalised ads. These are based on the game itself, not on the child’s activity elsewhere. We tell Google that these ad requests are for a child, which also limits the kinds of ads that can appear.

Here is what each game does:

• Word Crumbs: Google AdMob: optional rewarded ads for hints, and ads between some levels. Personalised only for consenting adults.

Where a game offers a one-off Remove Ads purchase, it turns off the ads between levels.

05Purchases

Our games are free to play. Some offer optional purchases, but they are never needed to finish levels, and rank on leaderboards can’t be bought. Here is what each game offers:

• Word Crumbs: Coins, hints, Premium subscription and Remove Ads, through Apple or Google.

All purchases go through Apple or Google, so your family’s store settings apply. We don’t show children purchase prompts beyond what the store rules allow. We recommend turning on purchase approval:

• iPhone and iPad: use Ask to Buy with Family Sharing, or limit purchases in Screen Time.
• Android: turn on purchase approvals in Google Play, or manage them through Family Link.

Refunds for purchases are handled by Apple or Google. See the support page for links.

06Leaderboards and names

In games with leaderboards, players under 13 can take part and see their own score, but they aren’t listed on public leaderboards. Other players can’t see them.

Their display name always comes from our list of safe generated names, like “BraveOtter” or “AmberQuill”, so it can’t include a real name or anything personal.

07Signing in

Signing in with Google or Apple is optional. It only lets a player move their progress to another device. If your child signs in, we store only the account identifier that Google or Apple gives us, to link the save. We don’t use it to contact them or for ads.

08Reviewing or deleting your child’s data

As a parent or guardian, you can ask us at any time to:

• tell you what information we hold about your child;
• correct their age band or other details;
• delete their account and data, and stop collecting it.

The quickest way to delete is inside the game:

• Word Crumbs: Profile → Account → Delete account

You can also use our delete account form, or email privacy@chaosrynstudios.com with the name of the game and the player ID from its account screen. We may ask a couple of questions to check that the account is your child’s before we act.

We reply within one month, and deletion is completed within 30 days of confirming the request.

09Talk to us

We’re a small team and we read every message. If anything here worries you, email privacy@chaosrynstudios.com or write to [Legal entity name], [Street address, City, Postcode], [Country].

You can also contact the data protection authority where you live. In the US, that’s the Federal Trade Commission. In the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Version history