Baobab is a trivia game about Africa, made by BenCode Studio (“we”, “us”). We built it to be played without handing over your personal life. This policy explains what the app collects, why, and the choices you have.
The short version. You can play as a guest — no name, email or sign-up needed. We store your game progress under a random anonymous ID so it can sync and back up. We use Firebase to understand app usage and diagnose crashes, AdMob to show ads to non-members, and RevenueCat to manage purchases. We don’t sell your data. You can reset or delete your data at any time.
1. Who we are
Baobab is developed and operated by BenCode Studio. For any privacy question you can reach us at info@bencodestudio.com. This policy covers the Baobab mobile app on iOS and Android and this website.
2. Information we collect
Account & identity
When you first open the app it creates an anonymous account through Firebase Authentication. This is a random app identifier and no sign-in is required to play. You may optionally link it to Apple or Google for account recovery and cross-device sync; those providers then share the account identifier and profile information you authorize. You can also choose an in-game display name, avatar and city. Display names and gameplay results may be visible to other players in leaderboards and Baobab Live rooms.
Game progress & in-app items
So your progress survives a reinstall and can sync across your devices, we store the following against your anonymous ID:
- Tiles woven, current streak, and which questions you’ve recently seen;
- Badge unlocks, Passport mastery, completed journeys and multiplayer results;
- Fixed-reason player safety reports and private block relationships when you use those controls;
- Your in-game wallet and its ledger (cowries, hints and freezes — the game’s virtual items, which have no cash value);
- Settings such as your chosen language and reminder preferences.
Device & technical data
Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics process app interactions, device type, operating-system and app version, approximate region derived from network information, installation identifiers, and crash or error diagnostics. We use this information to understand feature use, retention and reliability. We do not send names, email addresses, question text or precise location to analytics.
Advertising
Players may see interstitial ads between runs and may choose to watch rewarded ads for in-game benefits. Google AdMob may process advertising identifiers, device information, IP-derived approximate location, ad interactions and diagnostics to deliver, measure and prevent fraud. Consent choices are collected where required.
What we do not collect
We do not require your name, email or phone number to play; we do not access your contacts, photos or precise location; and we do not sell personal information.
3. How we use your information
- To run the game — save and sync your progress, wallet and settings across your devices;
- To keep the service reliable and secure, and to diagnose crashes and bugs;
- To measure feature use and improve gameplay, learning and retention;
- To display, measure and prevent fraud in ads;
- To respond to you when you contact support.
We rely on providing the service you requested and our legitimate interest in a working, secure app as our legal bases for this processing.
4. Service providers who process data for us
We keep the list short and use reputable providers, each acting on our behalf under their own terms:
| Provider | What they do | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Google Firebase | Authentication, cloud sync, analytics, App Check and crash diagnostics | Account/app identifiers, optional authorized profile data, game progress, app interactions, device and diagnostic data |
| Google AdMob | Advertising, measurement, consent and fraud prevention | Advertising/app identifiers, device data, IP-derived approximate location and ad interactions |
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising.
5. Where your data is stored
Your synced game data is stored in Google Firebase’s Cloud Firestore in the europe-west1 (Belgium) region. Depending on where you play, your data may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own; our providers use recognised safeguards for such transfers.
6. Data retention
We keep your synced game data and player blocks for as long as your app account exists so your progress and safety choices aren’t lost. Moderation reports are kept while needed to investigate abuse and enforce our rules. Account deletion removes reports and block relationships tied to your account.
7. Your choices & rights
- Reset on device. Settings → “Reset game progress” clears your tiles, streak and stats on the device.
- Delete your data. In Baobab, open Settings → Data → Delete account to permanently delete your account and associated cloud data — see Data & account deletion.
- Access, correction, objection. Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR or CCPA), you may have the right to access, correct, delete or restrict processing of your personal data, and to object to it. Contact us and we’ll help.
8. Children’s privacy
Baobab is a general-audience educational game. It is not directed at children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your country), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Because you can play anonymously without providing personal details, the app is designed to minimise data from every player. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
9. Security
Data in transit is encrypted (HTTPS/TLS), and access to your cloud data is restricted by security rules so that each anonymous account can only read and write its own record. No method of storage or transmission is 100% secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information.
10. Changes to this policy
If we change how the app handles data, we’ll update this page and revise the “last updated” date above. Material changes will be reflected in the app or on this site.
11. Contact us
Questions about your privacy?
info@bencodestudio.com