Puzzle Quest Privacy Policy

Last Updated: June 10, 2026

This Privacy Policy governs your use of the mobile application Puzzle Quest (the "Application"). By using the application, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy.

Puzzle Quest is a puzzle game offering multiple game modes — Custom Photo Jigsaw, Sliding Tile Puzzle, Memory Card Match, Zen Word Search — with optional cloud-backed user accounts, gameplay history tracking, and custom puzzle creation using user-provided images.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

• Email address — Used for account registration, login authentication, password reset, email verification, and abuse prevention.

• Username — Display name shown in your profile.

• Password — Managed entirely by Firebase Authentication. We never store or see your plain-text password.

• Custom puzzle images — Images you optionally upload from your device gallery or camera to create custom Jigsaw or Sliding Tile puzzles.

1.2 App Preferences & Settings

We store the following preferences linked to your account so they sync across devices:

• Sound effects (SFX) and background music toggle and volume levels

• Dark Mode / Light Mode theme preference

1.3 Gameplay Activity Data

When you complete a puzzle, we automatically record the following statistics to your cloud history log:

• Game type (e.g., Jigsaw, Sliding Puzzle, Memory Match, Word Search )

• Grid size / difficulty selected

• Time elapsed (in seconds) to solve the puzzle

• Completion timestamp

1.4 Technical Data

• Network connectivity status — used to decide whether to fetch fresh data from the cloud or serve from the local offline cache.

• Local device cache — profile settings and history are cached on-device for offline functionality via Firestore's built-in persistence layer.

2. How We Use Your Information

• Authentication — We use your email and password to verify your identity and protect your account.

• Gameplay synchronization — We keep your puzzle history, settings, and uploaded images consistent across devices.

• Email communications — We send account verification and password-reset emails only. We do not send marketing emails.

• Abuse prevention — After an account is deleted, we retain only a record of the associated email address to block re-registration using the same email.

• Rate limiting — We log the timestamps of verification emails sent to an address (maximum 3 per 24-hour period) to prevent email abuse. These logs are not linked to personal profile data.

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for advertising or marketing purposes.

3. Custom Puzzle Images

If you use the Custom Jigsaw or Custom Sliding Puzzle features, images you select are

• Uploaded to Firebase Storage under a private path tied to your unique account ID.

• Not shared publicly — accessible only to your authenticated session.

• Permanently deleted from cloud storage when you delete your account.

Important: Please ensure any images you upload do not violate copyright, intellectual property rights, or applicable laws, and do not contain offensive, sensitive, or illegal content.

4. Third-Party Services

The application is built on top of third-party cloud infrastructure. These services process data according to their own privacy policies.

Google Firebase Authentication — Handles secure credential management. Privacy Policy: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy

Google Cloud Firestore — Stores user profiles, settings, gameplay history, and email lists. Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Google Firebase Storage — Hosts custom puzzle images. Privacy Policy: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy

5. Data Retention & Deletion

Active Accounts

Your data is retained for as long as your account is active.

Account Deletion

You can permanently delete your account directly within the application:

Profile tab → DELETE ACCOUNT

You will be prompted to enter your current password to confirm. Upon confirmation, the following data is immediately and permanently deleted:

• Your user profile (username, email, settings)

• All gameplay history records

• All custom puzzle images stored in Firebase Storage

• Your Firebase Authentication account (login credentials)

Retained after deletion: Your email address is retained in a secure internal list solely to prevent re-registration with the same email. This record contains only the email address and deletion timestamp — no profile data, no game history.

Deletion by Request

If you are unable to delete your account in-app, you may contact us to request manual deletion. We will process your request within 30 days of verification.

6. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

• Passwords are never stored by the application. Firebase Authentication handles all credential management with secure hashing.

• Firestore Security Rules ensure each user can only read and write their own profile and history documents.

• Storage security rules restrict file access to the authenticated owner's path only.

• Reauthentication before deletion—the application requires you to re-enter your current password immediately before deleting your account, satisfying Firebase's elevated security requirement without requiring a manual logout/login cycle.

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Children's Privacy

The application is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately and we will take prompt steps to delete that data from our systems.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated Last Updated date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the application after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

9. Contact Information

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact:

Email: atharvait81@gmail.com