Privacy Policy

1. About this policy

This policy explains how information is handled when you play Sipshore: Merge & Serve (“Sipshore” or “the game”) on Android, and when you visit this website, sipshore.arbudam.com.

Sipshore is made and published by Arbudam, an independent creator studio (“Arbudam”, “we”, “us”). Arbudam is responsible for the game and this website. You can reach us about privacy at support@arbudam.com.

2. The short version

• Sipshore has no player accounts, and Arbudam does not run a game server. Your progress is saved on your device.
• The game shows ads from Google AdMob. Google collects device information, including your device’s advertising ID, to show and measure ads and to prevent fraud.
• Where the law requires it, the game asks for your consent before ads are personalized, and you can change your choice later.
• If you buy the optional Remove Ads purchase, Google Play handles the payment. We never see your card or bank details.
• Arbudam does not add its own analytics, crash reporting or tracking tools to the game or this website.

3. Data in the game

Saved on your device

To keep your place in the game, Sipshore stores the following on your device only:

• Game progress: unlocked and selected levels, stars, scores, wins, coins, boosters and tutorial progress.
• Settings: music, sound, haptics and language preferences.
• An ad-timing record (which level completion last showed a full-screen ad), so one completion never shows more than one ad.
• If you buy Remove Ads, a copy of Google’s signed purchase receipt, so the game can confirm your purchase.

This saved data does not contain your name, email address or advertising ID, and the game does not send it to Arbudam.

Android backup

If backup is turned on in your Android settings, Android may include Sipshore’s saved data in your device backup with Google. This lets your progress return when you reinstall the game or set up a new device. Google’s backup service is controlled by your device settings and Google’s privacy policy, not by Arbudam.

Permissions

Sipshore uses internet and network-state access to load ads and connect to Google Play, vibration for haptic feedback, and Google Play billing for purchases. The Google Mobile Ads SDK and its libraries add the advertising ID permission, Android’s Privacy Sandbox advertising permissions (ad ID, topics and attribution) and background-task permissions used to deliver ad-related work. Sipshore does not ask for access to your location, contacts, camera, microphone, photos or files.

4. Advertising (Google AdMob)

Sipshore is free to play and supported by ads served by Google AdMob, using the Google Mobile Ads SDK. The game can show:

• Banner ads at the bottom of some screens.
• Interstitial ads, which are full-screen ads shown after you complete a level.
• Rewarded ads, which you can choose to watch in exchange for an in-game reward such as coins or a reroll. Watching them is always optional.

To show and measure ads, the Google Mobile Ads SDK collects information from your device and shares it with Google. According to Google, this includes:

• IP address, which can indicate your approximate location;
• device and other identifiers, such as the advertising ID and app set ID;
• app interactions and app performance information, such as diagnostics and crash logs.

Google uses this information for advertising, analytics and fraud prevention, and it is encrypted in transit. Google handles it under its own policies. See the Google Privacy Policy, how Google uses information from apps that use its services and Google’s AdMob data disclosure.

Arbudam does not receive your advertising ID or the other information Google’s SDK collects. We see only summary reports from AdMob, such as how many ads were shown and earned revenue. Those reports do not identify you.

5. Consent and ad choices

Sipshore uses Google’s User Messaging Platform to manage consent. Where the law requires consent, for example in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, the game asks for your choices before ads are personalized. If you decline, you can still play. Depending on your choices and the law, you may see non-personalized or limited ads, or no ads.

When the consent tool applies to you, a Privacy options entry appears in the game’s Settings. Use it to review or change your choices, or withdraw consent, at any time. Your new choices apply straight away. Depending on them and the law, Google may then show only non-personalized or limited ads. If ads can no longer be requested, the game removes its banners and stops requesting ads.

You can also manage ads on your Android device:

• Open your device’s Settings, then Privacy (or Google), then Ads. There you can delete or reset your advertising ID. The exact menu names depend on your device.
• Visit My Ad Center to manage how Google personalizes ads for your Google account.

Arbudam does not sell personal information for money. Some laws treat sharing device identifiers with an ad network for targeted advertising as a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information. You can limit this with the controls above.

6. Purchases (Google Play)

Sipshore may offer one optional in-app purchase: Remove Ads, a one-time purchase that turns off the game’s ads. Purchases are made through Google Play Billing, and your payment is handled by Google under the Google Privacy Policy and Google Play’s terms. Arbudam never receives your card or bank details.

The game receives a purchase record from Google Play, which includes the product, purchase status and Google’s signed receipt. It uses that record on your device to confirm and restore your purchase. Google also gives Arbudam limited order information in the Google Play Console, such as order number, product, date, price and country. We use it for accounting, refunds and fraud prevention.

Coins and boosters are earned in the game and cannot be bought with real money.

7. Planned features: not yet available

The following features are planned. They are not part of the game today, and the game does not collect data for them:

• Google Play Games sign-in. If added, Google Play Games would share your Play Games player ID, display name and avatar with the game.
• Cloud save and sync. If added, your game progress would be stored with Google Play Games Saved Games, linked to your Play Games account, so it can sync across devices.

How Google user data would be used

If these features are added, the information Sipshore receives from Google would be handled as follows:

• Use: only to sign you in to Play Games in Sipshore, show your Play Games name and avatar in the game, and save and restore your game progress.
• Storage: saved progress would be stored by Google in your Play Games account. Sipshore has no Arbudam server, so Arbudam would not copy this information to its own systems.
• Sharing: it would not be sold, used for advertising, or shared with anyone else, except as needed to provide these features or where the law requires it.
• Deletion: you could delete your saved progress and Play Games data through Google Play Games settings and your Google Account.

Sipshore’s use and transfer of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

We will update this policy before either feature becomes available, and explain what changes and what choices you have.

8. This website

This website is a set of static pages. It does not use cookies, analytics, advertising, tracking pixels, sign-in or forms. It is hosted by Cloudflare. Like any web host, Cloudflare processes technical information such as your IP address, browser type and the pages requested, to deliver the site and protect it from abuse.

9. When you contact us

If you email us, we receive your email address, your message and anything you attach, such as screenshots or device details. We use this only to reply, solve your problem and keep a record of the conversation. Please don’t send passwords or payment details. Our email is hosted by an email service provider, which processes messages on our behalf.

10. Service providers

Sipshore and this website rely on these providers:

• Google AdMob (Google Mobile Ads SDK and User Messaging Platform): advertising, ad measurement and consent.
• Google Play (including Google Play Billing): distribution, updates, payments and refunds.
• Android backup by Google, if you have turned it on: device backup of saved game data.
• Cloudflare: website hosting and security.
• Our email provider: receiving and answering support email.

These providers may process information in countries other than your own. Each handles data under its own privacy terms and safeguards.

11. Retention and deletion

• Saved game data stays on your device until you delete it. Uninstalling the game or clearing its storage in Android Settings (Apps → Sipshore → Storage) deletes it permanently, including your progress. A copy may remain in your Android device backup until you delete that backup or Google removes it under its backup rules.
• Advertising data is kept by Google under Google’s retention policies. You can reset or delete your advertising ID at any time.
• Purchase records are kept by Google, and order records are kept as long as accounting and tax law requires.
• Support emails are kept only as long as needed to help you and keep a reasonable record, then deleted.

To ask us to delete the information we hold about you, such as your support emails, email support@arbudam.com with the subject “Privacy request”. Arbudam cannot delete data held by Google on your behalf, but we can point you to Google’s tools.

12. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or receive a copy of your personal information, and to object to or restrict some uses of it. Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time. To make a request, email support@arbudam.com. We may need to ask a question to confirm the request is yours. We will not treat you differently for using these rights.

For data held by Google, use your Google Account and the ad controls described above. You may also complain to your local data protection authority.

13. Children

Sipshore is not directed at children under 13, or under the minimum age set by the law where you live. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

14. Changes and contact

We will update this policy when the game or this website changes, for example before Google Play Games sign-in or cloud save becomes available. The date at the top of this page shows when it last changed. For significant changes, we will also give notice in the game or on this website.

Questions or requests: support@arbudam.com. For help with the game, see Support. Our Terms & Conditions explain the rules for using Sipshore.