Games privacy

Who we are and what this covers

Static Carnival games are provided by Static Carnival Technologies Limited, company number 17059001. Our registered office is The Old Church, The Green, Melkridge, Haltwhistle, United Kingdom, NE49 0LX. For privacy questions or requests, email graham@staticcarnival.com. Our website is staticcarnival.com.

This supplement describes Portraitwake, including the Android internal test of adverts and advert removal. The iOS section identifies what still needs confirming for that version. It does not describe the data practices of other Static Carnival games. The existing portal and separate education-service policies continue to cover those services.

Internal testing can involve real personal information and communication with platform providers. A test advert or test purchase does not mean that no data is processed.

Portraitwake records on your device

The game does not require a Portraitwake player account. It saves puzzle progress, character unlocks, move records and settings on your device. The Android monetisation test also stores your chosen age group, counters used to limit adverts, and a separate record of whether the store confirmed advert removal and when it last did so. The game asks for an age group, not your exact birthday or name.

Portraitwake has no separately integrated player-analytics service or developer-operated cloud-save service. This does not exclude data handled by the app store, testing platform or Google's advertising tools. Local records normally remain until you clear the app's data or remove it; device backups may be handled separately by your platform. Clearing local records does not erase purchases or information already held by a platform provider.

Android internal test: sample adverts and privacy choices

This test integrates Google's consent tools and official sample adverts. Advert requests are enabled only for the adult age choice, after the store and privacy checks succeed. The under-13, teen and unspecified-age choices do not trigger automatic advert requests or new advert-removal purchases through the game. These are restrictions on this test, not a promise that the included Google software performs no other activity or data processing when the app starts.

Google may process network information, device identifiers, advert interactions and diagnostic information to manage privacy choices, deliver adverts, measure performance and prevent abuse. The precise behaviour of the Google software included in this build is still being checked. See Google's Privacy Policy. Sample adverts still communicate with real services.

Open Privacy in Options, then Privacy choices, and select Manage ad consent when Google's form is available. Applicable controls for changing or withdrawing previous consent remain available after advert removal or an age-group change. Selecting an age group, passing the parent purchase gate, or joining the internal test is not consent to all data processing.

Android purchases and restoration

Google Play handles purchases. Portraitwake reads store transaction and ownership information to confirm or restore the one-time removal of adverts, and keeps the local confirmation record described above. The game does not ask you to enter payment-card details; Google handles store account and payment information under its own privacy arrangements.

Use Restore purchases with the same store account when needed. Previously confirmed ownership keeps adverts off while the store is unavailable. Removing adverts does not delete earlier consent, advertising or store records. For this test, only proceed with a purchase when the Google Play sheet clearly identifies a no-charge test purchase; being an internal tester alone does not make purchases free.

iOS and TestFlight

The iOS advert and purchase integration is being prepared separately. The Android description above does not confirm what is enabled in an installed iOS build. Its final advertising, consent, purchase and data-handling details must be confirmed before that integration is offered for testing. Where Apple purchases are enabled, Apple handles them; an Apple purchase does not transfer to Google Play, or vice versa.

TestFlight itself processes information independently of those game features. Apple automatically collects beta-app crash and usage information and shares it with the developer. It also shares feedback you submit; invitation details may include your name and email address. We may use that information to investigate problems and improve the game. See TestFlight & Privacy for Apple's details, including what sharing cannot be turned off.

PC and Steam

Portraitwake on PC is advert free and saves progress and settings locally. The mobile advertising, consent and in-app advert-removal integration is not included in that runtime. The planned Steam edition is a paid game; Steam's account and purchase processing is separate.

Test invitations, help and your choices

To arrange internal access, we may use the email address you provide in the store's testing tools. If you email us or submit feedback, we receive the information you choose to send and use it to respond, administer the test or investigate the problem. Please avoid including sensitive information or another person's details in screenshots or reports unless needed.

You can contact us about information we hold, including requests to access, correct or delete it. Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, you may also have rights to restrict or object to processing, obtain a portable copy, and withdraw consent where processing depends on it. Removing the game does not by itself delete store or testing-platform records. You can complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office.

Our grounds for using test and support information

For information we handle directly, our purposes and legal grounds are:

• Test invitations: our legitimate interest in administering the internal test you have asked to join, including arranging access and essential test communications.
• Support and feedback: our legitimate interest in answering enquiries, resolving problems and improving the game. Where handling a request is necessary to fulfil a purchase or service contract with you, we rely on that contract instead.
• Diagnostics: our legitimate interest in investigating crashes and faults and checking fixes, using only information needed for that work. This describes our use of reports we receive, not the separate legal grounds used by Apple or Google.

We use legitimate interests only where necessary and where your interests and rights do not override them, taking particular care with children's information. You can object to processing based on legitimate interests by contacting us. We rely on a legal obligation where we must keep or disclose a record to comply with the law. Where processing requires consent, we seek that consent separately; you can withdraw it without affecting processing that was lawful before withdrawal. Joining a test is not blanket consent, and we do not use these administrative grounds as permission for advertising or tracking.

How long we keep test and support records

These criteria apply to records we control, including copies downloaded from testing platforms:

• Invitations and tester contact details: we keep these while you participate. When you leave or the test ends, we remove you from active invitation lists and delete contact copies once any outstanding access question is resolved.
• Support messages and identifiable feedback: we keep these until the enquiry and any related follow-up or complaint are resolved. If a bug report remains useful afterwards, we remove personal details that are no longer needed.
• Downloaded diagnostics: we keep identifiable crash and fault reports while investigating the problem and checking the relevant fix. After that, we delete the reports or remove personal information from any technical findings we retain.

We review records at those points rather than keeping identifiable material indefinitely. A specific legal requirement or unresolved dispute may require relevant records to be kept longer; we limit this to the records and period needed. Records retained independently by Google or Apple follow their own retention and deletion arrangements. Leaving our test or deleting our copies does not delete their records.

Processing in other countries

Google and Apple operate international services and may process information outside the UK, including in the United States. Their policies describe their processing locations and transfer arrangements: Google Privacy Policy and Apple Privacy Policy. Those arrangements depend on the service and provider involved. Contact us if you need information about a transfer involving records we control; the providers' policies also explain how to contact them about their own processing.