Privacy Policy
Buzzbot: Core
This policy explains how this application handles information and how to contact us about privacy.
Information we process
Buzzbot: Core stores game progress, repaired mechanisms, discovered lights, robot appearance, object positions and unfinished repair steps locally on your iPhone. Sound, vibration, hints, flight sensitivity, language and backup preferences are also stored locally. Optional automatic backup sends the game snapshot, but not your device settings, to our Railway-hosted service. The app creates a random installation secret in this iPhone's Keychain and sends it over HTTPS to authorize backup requests. The server processes that secret in memory, uses its hash as the storage identifier and stores an encrypted snapshot. We do not ask for a name, email address, account, location, contacts, photos or advertising identifier. Requests to the API and public website necessarily expose connection information such as IP address, request time and technical HTTP metadata to Railway. The application keeps short-lived hashed connection and installation identifiers in memory for rate limiting. It does not include analytics, advertising or third-party tracking SDKs. When running in an iOS Simulator without the Keychain entitlement, a simulator-only adapter stores the random installation credential in a private, backup-excluded file inside that installation’s app container. Physical-device builds do not include this file adapter and continue to use Keychain.
How we use information
Local data lets you continue the offline adventure, keep restored districts and customize Buzzbot. The optional server snapshot provides a backup accessible only with the same installation secret. Network metadata supports request delivery, service operation, abuse prevention and troubleshooting. The installation secret is not an account and cannot be used as a login on another device. We cannot promise recovery if that secret is lost. The public privacy contact is used only when you independently contact us, not for an in-app email delivery feature.
Service providers and sharing
Railway hosts the application API, public home page, privacy page and persistent backup storage, and processes network requests as infrastructure provider. Railway may hold infrastructure logs and operational metadata under its own practices. The service does not send game progress to advertisers, analytics providers, social networks or other application integrations. Visiting this page does not require cookies or login and loads no external fonts, trackers or scripts. Information you choose to email to EirwenRooke@icloud.com is handled through the email providers involved in that correspondence.
Data retention
Local progress and preferences remain on the device until removed through device storage controls or application removal; the operating system may manage device backups separately. The Keychain secret uses this-device-only accessibility and is not a cross-device recovery credential. A server snapshot is replaced by a newer accepted snapshot and remains until you delete the server backup or the service's stored data is removed. We do not set an automatic expiration period. Rate-limit entries are held in bounded process memory and are evaluated in one-minute windows; process restart clears them. The application does not create separate archive copies or schedule volume backups. Railway infrastructure logs or provider-managed storage copies may follow provider retention that we do not specify or control here.
Deleting your information
In Settings, Delete server backup removes the active encrypted snapshot for this installation and disables future uploads. If offline, the app retains the deletion request and retries when connectivity returns; a pending message means server deletion has not yet completed. Enabling backup again can upload current local progress. Deleting a server backup does not erase local gameplay. You can remove local app data through iPhone storage controls. Server deletion cannot reach independent device backups or infrastructure copies controlled by the hosting provider, which may persist according to their lifecycle. If the installation secret is lost, we cannot identify or decrypt its anonymous snapshot through an email address or account. Contact EirwenRooke@icloud.com for privacy questions; never email the installation secret.
Permissions and your choices
The game does not request access to your location, camera, microphone, contacts, photos or notifications. All three districts and game content work offline. Internet access is used for optional backup and opening this public privacy policy. You can turn backup off in Settings to stop future uploads, or delete the server backup there. Vibration, sound and hints can be disabled in game Settings, and operating-system accessibility preferences remain available through iPhone Settings. Turning backup off alone does not delete an already stored snapshot.
Your privacy rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete or restrict processing of information relating to you. You can inspect your current progress in the game, restore an existing snapshot on this installation, disable backup and delete its active server snapshot in Settings. For questions or applicable privacy requests, contact EirwenRooke@icloud.com. We may need sufficient non-secret information to understand a request, but do not have an account directory to match a person to an anonymous installation. Do not send credentials or sensitive personal information in correspondence.
Security
The app uses HTTPS for the deployed API and keeps a cryptographically random installation credential in the iOS Keychain with this-device-only protection. Each request must present that credential; one installation cannot retrieve another installation's snapshot without its secret. Server snapshots use AES-256-GCM authenticated encryption with a key derived from the installation secret and a fresh random nonce. Files are written atomically to persistent Railway storage with restricted file permissions. Input limits, schema validation, revision checks and request rate limits reduce accidental or abusive writes. These measures do not guarantee absolute security; anyone who obtains an installation secret can access that installation's backup. The Simulator adapter is compiled only for Simulator, activates only when the Keychain entitlement is unavailable, uses a private directory and owner-only file permissions, excludes the credential from backups, and refuses to replace a malformed stored credential. It does not use a shared secret or add a physical-device fallback.
Children’s privacy
Buzzbot: Core is a calm adventure intended for players aged 10 and above. It has no accounts, purchases, advertising, chat or user-content sharing and does not ask children to submit personal information. Optional backup contains game state and technical installation authorization, not a child profile. A parent or guardian can disable backup and delete its server snapshot in Settings. If you believe personal information was provided in correspondence or otherwise handled improperly, contact EirwenRooke@icloud.com.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when the game's processing or hosting practices change. The current version is published at this privacy page with its effective date. Material changes will be reflected in the policy available from the app's Settings. Review this page periodically for the current description of local storage, optional backup and your controls.