Who we are
Hamster Home is developed and operated by ObscuraCode Ltd, London, United Kingdom. We are the controller of personal information processed for the purposes described here. Contact legal@codeobscura.com about privacy, or support@codeobscura.com for help.
The game is in development. Features and services vary between builds. This website currently provides information and support; it does not host the playable game.
Photos and information on your device
The app stores your local game progress, preferences, pet names and saved appearance information on your device. If you choose a camera or photo feature, the selected image is processed locally. Saved image derivatives and appearance information stay in the app’s local storage.
We do not upload selected photos, photo contents, pet names, local image paths or touch and pen stroke recordings to our account, advertising or analytics services. We do not use your photos to train an AI model or to create marketing material.
You choose which photo to share with the app. Camera and photo permissions are controlled by your device settings. You can cancel photo selection and revoke permissions. Local data may be included in device backups depending on your operating system and settings; those backups are governed by the backup provider.
Optional online accounts
Core play does not require an online account. If you choose to create an account for supported online wallet and recovery features, Firebase Authentication processes your email address, sign-in credentials and verification or recovery requests. Passwords are handled by Firebase; our wallet endpoint does not receive your password.
The wallet service processes an account identifier, store-account binding, balances, transaction hashes, timestamps and item grants needed to provide recovery and prevent duplicate credit. Account services can operate independently of your play-statistics choice. Photos, pet names and local photo paths are not sent with account or wallet requests.
Purchases and verification
Where available, in-app purchases are processed by Apple or Google. We receive purchase or entitlement information necessary to unlock an eligible purchase, restore access, deliver virtual items and handle refunds or fraud. We do not receive your full payment-card details.
Purchase verification may transmit signed store transaction information to the wallet service. Raw signed proofs are not retained in the wallet database or included in app analytics. Minimal transaction hashes are used to prevent the same purchase being credited more than once.
Product availability, price and contents are shown at checkout. No purchases are sold on this website. See Ads and purchases.
Advertising in the app
Builds with advertising enabled may use Google AdMob. Google may process network information such as an IP address and approximate location, app and device details, advertising interactions and diagnostic information to deliver and measure ads and prevent fraud.
The current app configuration requests non-personalized, age-restricted advertising and disables advertising identifiers. Development builds use test advertising, and some builds disable ads entirely. Non-personalized advertising can still require technical data and consent for storage or access on a device.
Where a privacy message or choice is required, it is presented in the app before eligible ad requests. Available privacy choices depend on the build and your region. Permission to use optional statistics does not itself grant permission for personalized advertising. See Google’s advertising information and Google’s privacy policy.
Optional play statistics and attribution
The mobile app integrates Firebase Analytics and AppsFlyer for limited play statistics and app-install measurement. Play statistics are off by default. If you turn them on in the app, fixed gameplay events and limited parameters, such as an internal level or item identifier, completion result and virtual-currency amount, may be sent to these services.
These providers may also process app-install or SDK-generated identifiers, device and operating-system details, session information, timestamps and network information. Removing advertising identifiers does not mean that all technical data is anonymous.
The current configuration disables advertising identifiers and sharing with attribution partners. It does not send your account email, selected photos, pet names, local paths or raw purchase proofs as gameplay-event parameters.
You can change your statistics preference in the app. Turning it off stops further optional app events and requests that the providers stop collection; it does not automatically erase previously collected information. Provider processing and device startup behavior can differ. Contact us if you want help with a deletion request.
This website and support emails
This information website does not run analytics tags, advertising pixels, advertising SDKs, contact forms or an email-signup service. It does not write cookies or browser storage. Fonts and the watercolor illustration are served from this website.
Cloudflare hosts and protects the site. Delivering a page may involve processing an IP address, requested URL, browser or device information, timestamps and security information. Hosting and security processing can occur even when a website has no trackers.
If you email us, we receive your email address and anything you include in the message. We use that information to answer you and resolve your request. Please do not send passwords, payment-card details or unnecessary personal photos. External links lead to services with their own policies.
Why we use information
We use information to provide the features you request, maintain eligible purchases and accounts, recover supported wallet items, answer support requests, protect services from fraud and understand app use when you choose optional statistics.
Where UK or European data-protection law applies, our bases are performance of a contract for requested account and purchase services; legitimate interests for proportionate service security, fraud prevention and support; consent for optional analytics and any advertising or device access that requires consent; and compliance with legal obligations where relevant.
Providing account details is optional, but an online account cannot operate without the information needed to authenticate it. You can use core local play without creating one. Declining optional statistics does not prevent core play. We do not use this information to make automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects.
Service providers and international processing
Providers may process information needed for the services described above:
- Google Firebase — optional authentication and analytics.
- Google AdMob — advertising where enabled.
- AppsFlyer — optional app-install measurement and analytics.
- Cloudflare — website hosting, security and the supported wallet service.
- Apple and Google — app distribution, billing and store services.
The wallet database is configured for an EU jurisdiction. This does not mean all Firebase, analytics, hosting or network processing occurs in the EU. Providers may process information in other countries. Where required, transfers rely on applicable adequacy decisions or contractual safeguards, including standard contractual clauses or their UK equivalents. Contact us for information about safeguards relevant to your request.
We do not sell your personal information. The current app configuration does not share it with attribution partners for cross-app behavioral advertising. We may disclose necessary information where required by law or to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.
How long information is kept
Local saves and saved photo derivatives remain until you delete them through available app controls, clear app storage or remove the app. Operating-system backups may need to be deleted separately.
Account and wallet information is kept while the account is active and as needed to provide recovery. Account deletion removes the Firebase identity and the associated wallet, inventory and ledger records. Minimal one-way hashes of the closed account identifier and credited store transactions remain to prevent purchase replay for as long as those transactions could be presented for credit. Raw purchase proofs are not retained for that purpose.
Support correspondence is kept for as long as needed to handle the request and relevant disputes or legal obligations. Provider operational and optional analytics records follow the applicable service settings and retention policies, with retention limited to what is needed for the stated purpose. Ask us if you need information about a particular record.
Your choices and rights
You can manage camera and photo permissions in device settings, change your statistics preference in the app, delete local data through available app controls and request deletion of an optional account. See Delete an account or data for the different steps.
Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to processing, receive a portable copy of information and withdraw consent. Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that was lawful before withdrawal. Some information may need to be kept for fraud prevention or legal obligations.
Send a request to legal@codeobscura.com. We may need proportionate information to verify that a request relates to your account; do not send your password. You can also complain to your local data-protection authority. In the UK, that is the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Children and families
A cute game can be used by children, so the current app uses conservative privacy and advertising settings. It does not provide public photo sharing or player chat. We do not send player-entered names or photos to analytics or advertising services.
Parents and guardians should supervise optional account creation, purchases, photo access and any data-sharing choice. Where a child cannot legally give the necessary consent, a parent or guardian must provide it before that optional processing is used. Age requirements and available privacy controls may differ by region and build.
If you believe a child’s personal information has been provided to us improperly, contact legal@codeobscura.com. We will investigate and take appropriate action, including deletion where required.
Security and changes
We use measures appropriate to the information, including encrypted connections, access controls and verification of supported purchase proofs. No device or online service can guarantee absolute security.
We update this policy when our processing changes. The date above shows the latest revision. Material changes that require a fresh choice will be brought to your attention before the relevant processing is enabled.