Shiftline Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-06-14

Shiftline ("the app", "we", "us") is a puzzle game published by Nawaf Salman. This policy explains what data the app collects, why, and your choices.

We try to keep the app's data footprint as small as possible. We do not sell your data to anyone. We do not run third-party trackers without your explicit consent.

TL;DR

We collect anonymous gameplay analytics (which levels you cleared, how many moves it took) to make the game better — but only if you allow tracking via Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt. Decline it, and nothing is sent.
We show ads from Google AdMob — these are personalized only if you grant tracking permission via Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt. By default they are not personalized.
We use Apple's StoreKit for in-app purchases. Your payment information never reaches our servers.
We use Apple's Game Center for the daily leaderboard. Your Game Center nickname is shared with us only if you submit a score.
Crash reports are sent to Sentry to help us fix bugs. They contain no personal information.
We do not collect your name, email, photos, contacts, location, or browsing history.

What we collect

1. Gameplay analytics (Amplitude)

To understand which puzzles are too hard, which world you got stuck on, and how often you finish a level on your first try, we send anonymous events to Amplitude. Each event is tagged with an anonymous random ID generated on first launch (e.g. player-x4f9k2). This ID never leaves your device unless you grant tracking consent.

Events include:

level_started, level_completed, level_failed
coins_granted, coins_spent, diamonds_granted, diamonds_spent
store_opened, store_item_purchase_initiated
rewarded_ad_offered, rewarded_ad_completed
daily_completed, event_started, event_completed

We do NOT send:

Your name, email, address, or phone number
Your contacts, photos, files, or location
The content of your messages or browsing history
Your Apple ID or any account credentials

Your control: On iOS these analytics events are sent only if you allow tracking when Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt appears. If you decline — or later turn tracking off in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking → Shiftline → Off — no analytics events are sent. Apple's tracking control governs this; there is no separate in-app analytics toggle.

2. Ads (Google AdMob)

The app shows a full-screen ad at natural breaks between levels (on the Results screen, with a frequency cap — never during a puzzle and never during the tutorial), plus optional rewarded ads you choose to watch in the store and as fallbacks when you can't afford a hint, undo, or reset.

Google AdMob may use a device-level advertising identifier (IDFA on iOS) to:

Limit the frequency you see the same ad
Personalize ad content to your interests
Measure ad performance

You control this via Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt the first time the ad SDK initializes. If you deny tracking, ads are still shown but they are not personalized.

Opt out at any time: iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking → Shiftline → Off. Or purchase Remove Ads in the store ($3.99 one-time) to disable the between-level and rewarded ads entirely.

Google's privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy

3. Crash reports (Sentry)

When the app crashes, an anonymous crash report is sent to Sentry. Reports contain:

The error message and stack trace
The screen you were on (e.g. "Gameplay W02 L11")
The iOS version and device model

We do NOT send:

Your name, email, or any identifying information
The contents of any text fields
Your IP address (Sentry strips this at ingestion)

This is on by default because crash reports help us ship fixes faster. You cannot opt out individually today; the toggle will land in a future version.

Sentry's privacy policy: sentry.io/privacy/

4. Purchases (Apple StoreKit)

Purchases are processed entirely by Apple. Your name, email, and payment method never touch our servers. We only receive a transaction receipt from Apple confirming the purchase, which we validate to grant you the entitlement.

Apple's privacy policy: apple.com/legal/privacy

5. Daily leaderboard (Apple Game Center)

The daily challenge leaderboard uses Apple Game Center. If you submit a score, your Game Center alias (nickname you chose in iOS Settings → Game Center) appears on the leaderboard for other players to see. We do not see this nickname; it stays inside Apple's Game Center system.

Apple's Game Center privacy: apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Data we do NOT collect

Real name, email, postal address, phone number
Photos, files, contacts, calendar entries
Location data of any kind (the app has no location permission and does not request one)
Health data (no HealthKit integration)
Browsing history outside the app
Voice recordings (no microphone permission)
Camera access (no camera permission)

Children's privacy

Shiftline is rated 4+ on the App Store and is safe for all ages. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. The anonymous analytics described above contain no information that could identify a child or anyone else.

Data retention

Amplitude analytics: retained for up to 24 months, then auto-deleted from Amplitude's storage.
Sentry crash reports: retained for up to 90 days, then auto-deleted.
Local app data (profile, progress, settings): stored only on your device. Uninstalling the app deletes it. Resetting profile via Settings → Reset all data wipes it inside the app.

Your rights

Depending on where you live (EU, UK, California, etc.) you have legal rights including:

The right to access the data we hold about you
The right to correct or delete that data
The right to opt out of analytics (decline Apple's tracking prompt, or iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking → Shiftline → Off)
The right to opt out of personalized ads (iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking → Shiftline → Off)

Because the analytics we collect is anonymous and not linked to any account, we may not be able to identify "your" data on request. If you'd like us to try, email shiftline.app@gmail.com describing the situation — but note that anonymized data often can't be traced back to a single person, so deletion of specific records can't be guaranteed.

Changes to this policy

If we change how we collect data, we'll update this page and bump the "Last updated" date at the top. Material changes (e.g. adding a new third-party SDK) will also be announced in the next App Store version's "What's New" section before they ship.

Contact

For privacy questions, email shiftline.app@gmail.com.

For technical support, see shiftline-ten.vercel.app/support.

For takedown / legal requests, email shiftline.app@gmail.com with "LEGAL" in the subject line.

Shiftline is published by Nawaf Salman.