Privacy policy

Who operates the game

Pocket Bowlo and the Ditch Rink Labs website are operated by Timothy Jay Christie. Contact: support@ditchrinklabs.com.

This notice covers Pocket Bowlo, this website and support correspondence. It does not describe other future Ditch Rink Labs products.

Game progress on your device

Pocket Bowlo stores puzzle progress, unfinished games, preferences and achievement milestones locally so you can continue playing. The game does not require a Ditch Rink Labs account and does not send your saved game to a Ditch Rink Labs cloud-save service.

Local data remains until it is removed or replaced. Uninstalling or clearing app storage may delete it. Any operating-system backup depends on your device settings; Pocket Bowlo does not guarantee recovery or cross-device sync.

Optional Game Center

On iPhone, you can choose to connect Game Center to report achievement progress and view Apple's achievement dashboard. This sends achievement identifiers and completion progress to Apple for the signed-in player. After connecting, the app retries syncing when you return or make progress.

The app uses Apple's player identifier to keep a report associated with the authenticated player. It does not add that identifier to your game save or send it to a Ditch Rink Labs backend. Game Center is not needed to play, and achievements are not a backup of your saved game. Apple's handling of Game Center information is described in Game Center & Privacy.

App updates

When the app starts with an internet connection, it can contact Expo's update service to check for and download compatible updates. Expo receives your IP address and technical request information, including the platform, app runtime and update identifiers, update channel, and an installation identifier called the EAS Client ID. That identifier allows the update service to distinguish app installations; it is not an advertising identifier.

The update SDK can also send identifiers of updates that failed to launch and a limited previous fatal-error message to help recover from an unsuccessful update. These requests do not contain your saved bowls, puzzle scores or email address. Core gameplay works offline.

Expo processes this information to operate, secure and diagnose its update service. Its handling and retention of service information are described in Expo's privacy policy. We do not control Expo's service-log retention.

Support emails

If you email support, we receive your email address, any name your email includes, your message and attachments you choose to send. A bug report may include a device model, operating-system version, app version, screenshot or saved-game details. We use this information to answer your enquiry and investigate the issue, not to add you to a marketing list. Do not send passwords, payment-card details or unrelated personal information.

We normally delete support correspondence within 12 months after resolving the enquiry, unless it is still needed for an ongoing dispute or a legal obligation.

Our support mailbox is hosted by Google Workspace. Google processes messages and attachments to provide and secure the email service under its Cloud Data Processing Addendum. Deleted messages may remain temporarily in provider recovery systems and backups under Google's deletion processes.

Website

Our public website at ditchrinklabs.com is hosted using Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3 and CloudFront. AWS processes network-request information such as IP addresses, requested URLs and browser request headers to deliver and protect the website.

The website does not set cookies or use browser storage, advertising trackers, analytics scripts, accounts or a contact form. We have not enabled CloudFront visitor access logs or S3 server access logs for this website, and do not keep our own visitor-level access-log archive. AWS may process and retain operational and security information under its own privacy notice. The public site does not require a ChatGPT account.

Stores and diagnostics

Apple and Google handle purchases, refunds and their own account information. We do not receive your payment-card details from the game. The stores may make sales reports, reviews and app crash or performance diagnostics available to us under their own policies and your applicable device settings. We use reports made available to us to operate and improve the game.

Pocket Bowlo has no ads, in-app purchases or third-party behavioural analytics SDK. The game does not request your contacts, precise location, camera or microphone. The store platforms' handling of information is described in Apple's privacy policy and Google's privacy policy.

Sharing and overseas processing

Information is handled by the service providers described above for the relevant feature: Expo for app updates, Apple for optional Game Center, AWS for website delivery, and our email provider for support. Apple and Google also operate their stores independently. We may disclose information where required by law or reasonably necessary to address fraud, security incidents or legal claims. We do not sell personal information or use it for targeted advertising.

These providers operate internationally, so information may be processed outside Australia, including in the United States and other countries where they or their service providers operate. Our website files are stored in AWS's US East (Northern Virginia) region and delivered through CloudFront's international network. The provider policies linked above explain their international processing arrangements. Google Workspace may store and process support correspondence outside Australia, wherever Google or its service providers maintain facilities. Google publishes information about its subprocessors and their locations. We do not promise Australian-only email storage.

Security and retention

The game keeps saved progress in the app's local storage. Protect your device and any device backups; uninstalling the app may not remove an existing operating-system backup. Settings includes a puzzle-progress reset, but it does not delete achievements already reported to Apple.

Website delivery and update requests use HTTPS. The website's storage bucket is private, encrypted at rest and accessible to visitors only through CloudFront. No internet service or device storage can be guaranteed completely secure.

We retain information we hold only for the purpose for which it was collected, to resolve ongoing issues or as required by law, and delete it or remove identifying details when no longer needed. Local game data stays on your device until reset, replaced or removed; providers' independent records and backups follow their own retention rules.

Your choices, requests and complaints

You can play without connecting Game Center. Once you connect, achievement syncing is retried when you return to the app or make progress. You can manage or sign out of Game Center through your iPhone settings. Removing the app does not delete achievements held by Apple.

For questions, access or correction requests, deletion requests, or a privacy complaint, email support@ditchrinklabs.com. Describe the information or issue concerned. We may need to verify that a request relates to you, but please do not send identity documents unless a secure verification process has been agreed. We will review the request or complaint, investigate where appropriate and respond in accordance with applicable law.

We cannot remotely access or remove a save that exists only on your device. Information held independently by Apple, Google, Expo or AWS may require a request to that provider. Your privacy rights, including any right to complain to a privacy regulator, depend on where you live. In Australia, information about privacy complaints is available from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Changes to this policy

We will update this page if our features or information-handling practices change, and show the effective date of the updated policy. Where applicable law requires an additional notice or consent, we will provide it.