Privacy Policy

Accounts and local game data

Lockstep does not require an account or login. Normal game progress, puzzle state, streaks, settings, Hint and Undo balances, and related gameplay information are stored locally on your device.

The app’s own gameplay records and local gameplay and monetization event buffer remain on your device. Artificial Luck does not operate a remote database for normal Lockstep gameplay records. Embedded advertising, consent, and purchasing SDKs process data separately, as described below; the local event buffer does not mean that those services transmit no data.

Advertising model

Lockstep uses the Google Mobile Ads SDK to deliver forced interstitial advertisements at designated post-puzzle navigation points and optional rewarded advertisements. Rewarded ads are voluntary and may provide Hint or Undo refills or a Restart.

Lockstep offers a lifetime Remove Ads non-consumable purchase. When that entitlement is active, forced interstitial advertisements are disabled, while optional rewarded assist ads remain available if you choose to use them. Lockstep does not use its own gameplay information to personalize advertising or build cross-app profiles.

Google Mobile Ads and device identifiers

Lockstep does not request Apple’s App Tracking Transparency permission and does not include an NSUserTrackingUsageDescription entry. On iOS, publisher first-party ID and publisher ad personalization are disabled.

Google Mobile Ads is an embedded third-party advertising service. Google’s final iOS vendor privacy manifest declares Device ID as linked to the user or device, used for tracking, and used for third-party advertising, analytics, and developer advertising purposes. That vendor declaration remains present even though Lockstep disables publisher personalization and first-party ID and does not request ATT.

This does not mean that Lockstep has received ATT permission, accesses IDFA without permission, or creates its own cross-app advertising profile. It does mean that non-personalized advertising should not be understood as “no device information is processed.” Google’s SDK may process device identifiers for advertising, measurement, analytics, fraud prevention, security, and related ad operations, subject to applicable consent and platform controls.

On Android, Google Mobile Ads collects and shares IP addresses, which can indicate approximate location; app and ad interactions; diagnostic and performance information; and device or account-related identifiers such as advertising ID and app set ID, where available. Google uses this information for ad delivery and measurement, analytics, fraud prevention, and security. Advertising consent and platform controls affect processing; choosing non-personalized ads or purchasing Remove Ads does not turn off all embedded SDK processing.

Consent and privacy choices

Lockstep uses Google User Messaging Platform (UMP) for applicable advertising consent and privacy-choice flows. UMP updates consent information when the app is opened from a cold launch, presents a required consent form when applicable, and reports whether advertising requests may be made. Lockstep gates advertising requests on the SDK’s CanRequestAds() result.

In regions where UMP requires a privacy message, you can make the choices shown in that message. Settings displays a Privacy Choices option when UMP indicates that it is required, allowing you to review or change applicable choices.

Google’s UMP vendor privacy manifest declares coarse location, performance data, and product interaction as unlinked, non-tracking data used for app functionality. Google or UMP may use approximate or coarse location to determine which privacy and consent requirements apply. Lockstep does not request precise location.

Purchases

Lockstep uses Apple App Store and StoreKit purchasing systems on iOS and Google Play Billing on Android, when applicable, for the lifetime Remove Ads purchase. The app checks and restores the Remove Ads entitlement so it can apply the purchased feature.

Apple, Google, and their payment providers process purchase and transaction information under their own privacy terms. Artificial Luck receives the entitlement or transaction information needed to provide and restore the purchase, but does not receive your full payment-card details.

On Android, Google Play Billing is integrated through Unity In-App Purchasing. The SDK processes purchase events, transaction and receipt information, installation or session identifiers, device information, and technical diagnostics for purchasing functionality and purchase analytics. Unity’s purchasing SDK may transmit this information to Unity even when the app’s own gameplay event buffer remains local. Lockstep does not use Unity Authentication, a Unity webshop, or an in-app email signup in this Android integration. The purchase and restoration flow does not provide Artificial Luck with full payment-card or bank-account details.

Local data removal and privacy requests

You can remove locally stored Lockstep data by deleting the app and its data from your device, subject to any device backup or restore settings you control. Because Artificial Luck does not operate a production Lockstep account or remote gameplay database, it generally cannot retrieve or delete local progress from your device for you.

Advertising, consent, purchase, diagnostic, security, and transaction records processed by Google, Apple, Unity, or other providers are governed by those providers’ retention practices, privacy terms, and available controls. For help understanding the process, use the dedicated Lockstep data deletion page or email developer@artificialluck.com.

Service providers

Lockstep and its public support pages use the following providers for the purposes described above:

• Google Mobile Ads / Google AdMob supports advertising delivery, measurement, fraud prevention, security, and related advertising processing.
• Google User Messaging Platform provides advertising consent and privacy-choice messaging.
• Apple App Store / StoreKit processes iOS purchases and supports entitlement restoration.
• Google Play Billing processes Android purchases and supports entitlement restoration when applicable.
• Unity In-App Purchasing supports Android purchase processing and purchase analytics, including SDK transaction, identifier, and diagnostic processing.
• Cloudflare and related hosting or network providers deliver and protect the public Artificial Luck website and support pages. They are not an in-app Lockstep provider in production v1.0.

Provider processing may occur in countries other than your own, subject to each provider’s contractual and legal safeguards. Their privacy policies explain their processing, retention, and available user controls in more detail.

For Unity IAP records processed on Artificial Luck’s behalf, contact us so we can validate the request and instruct Unity where applicable. For processing where Unity acts independently, Unity accepts requests at unity-iap-contact@unity3d.com. Provider-held records are not automatically deleted when you uninstall the app; some records may be retained for transaction, security, or legal purposes.