Privacy Policy

Effective Date: May 18, 2026

Half/Wit ("we", "our", or "the app") is a multiplayer party game that connects players directly, device-to-device, using peer-to-peer Bluetooth and/or an encrypted internet connection. Your privacy is important to us. This policy explains what data the app handles and how it is used. This policy applies to the Half/Wit app on all platforms, including iOS and Android. Half/Wit Games is an independent developer based in South Carolina, United States.

Your use of the app is also governed by our Terms and Conditions.

1. Information We Do Not Collect

Half/Wit is built to handle as little data as possible. We do not run servers of our own that store your personal data or game content, we do not use analytics or tracking, and we do not build profiles of our users. Specifically:

• We do not operate any servers that store or process your game content or personal data. We rely on third-party services from Apple, Google, and Cloudflare to verify the integrity of the app at launch and, in online game mode, to establish connections between players, as described in Section 3.
• We do not use analytics, crash reporting, or tracking tools.
• We do not serve advertisements or use advertising SDKs.
• We do not collect email addresses, phone numbers, or account credentials.
• We do not access your contacts, camera, microphone, or files.
• We do not create user profiles. Your device's IP address is necessarily visible to third-party services as described in Section 3 — briefly at app launch (for device-integrity verification and connection warmup), and during online game play. In online game mode, your IP address is also temporarily included in the connection-setup data stored in Google Firebase Realtime Database, as explained in Section 3. We do not use this information to identify you or build a profile of you.
• We do not track you across apps or websites owned by other companies.

2. Information Stored Locally on Your Device

The app stores the following preferences locally on your device using platform-native encrypted storage (iOS Keychain on iOS; Android Keystore on Android). This data never leaves your device:

• Player name — The display name you choose for gameplay.
• Game settings — Your preferred number of rounds, answer timer duration, and anonymous mode preference.
• Purchase records — Records of which expansion packs you have purchased, used to restore your purchases.

3. Network Activity and Peer-to-Peer Communication

Activity at App Launch

When the app launches, two brief background tasks run to prepare for any possible online game session later in the session:

• Device attestation — On iOS, the app uses Apple's App Attest service to confirm the app is genuine and is running on a real Apple device. On Android, the app uses Google's Play Integrity service for the equivalent check. Cryptographic attestation data is sent to Apple or Google to verify your device. No personal information, player names, or game content is included.
• Connection warmup — The Firebase SDK registers an anonymous installation identifier with Google and opens a connection to Firebase Realtime Database to perform a single empty read. No data is written. This is solely to prepare the connection so that, if you later choose to host an online game, the access-code check is responsive.

As a technical consequence of any internet connection, your device's IP address is visible to Apple's and Google's servers during this launch-time activity. We do not receive, log, or store any of this information.

If your device has no internet connection at launch, both tasks fail silently and the app continues to function normally. Bluetooth-only gameplay does not require any internet connection.

Peer-to-Peer Communication

During gameplay, the app communicates directly with other players' devices over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or, in online game mode, via an encrypted WebRTC connection. Data exchanged includes:

• Your chosen player name and avatar icon
• Game prompts, answers, and votes
• Game state information (scores, round progress, etc.)

This communication is:

• Device-to-device — Game data is exchanged only between players' devices. In Bluetooth mode the connection is always direct. In online mode the connection is normally direct; if network conditions prevent a direct connection, encrypted game data is relayed through Cloudflare's infrastructure, which cannot read it (see "Online Game Mode" below). No game content is ever stored on or processed by a server operated by Half/Wit Games.
• Encrypted — Bluetooth communication is encrypted using the Noise Protocol framework; online communication is end-to-end encrypted using DTLS.
• Ephemeral — Game data exists only in memory during an active game session and is discarded when the game ends.

As a technical characteristic of Bluetooth Low Energy, your device's radio may passively detect nearby Bluetooth device names and hardware identifiers during scanning. This is a function of the underlying operating system and device hardware, not the app. Half/Wit does not access, record, or use any such incidentally detected device information.

Online Game Mode

Online game mode is available on both iOS and Android. When you choose to play in online mode, Half/Wit uses two third-party services solely to establish a connection between players. Neither service has access to any game content.

Game Session Setup — Firebase Realtime Database (Google LLC)

When hosting an online game, a temporary session record is created in Google Firebase Realtime Database. This record contains:

• The randomly generated 6-character access code for the session
• Technical network routing data (SDP) required to establish a connection between devices
• Network address information (IP addresses) embedded in that routing data
• Basic non-personal technical fields: a creation timestamp, the current and maximum player counts, a started/not-started flag, and a random session identifier generated fresh for each game

No player names, chosen icons, game answers, votes, scores, or any other game content are stored. No account information, email addresses, phone numbers, or persistent device identifiers are stored. The random session identifier is not linked to your device or to you, and the access code is randomly generated and has no connection to you personally.

This record remains in Firebase while the game is being set up and while it is in progress. It is deleted automatically when the host ends or leaves the game, and Firebase removes it automatically if the host's device disconnects. In the rare event that the host's app shuts down abnormally, a record may persist longer; it contains only the non-personal technical connection data described above, and it is cleared when its access code is next reused.

Connection Setup and Relay — Cloudflare, Inc.

At the start of every online game, Half/Wit contacts Cloudflare to obtain the technical credentials needed to negotiate a connection between devices and to assist with network address discovery. As a technical consequence, your device's IP address is visible to Cloudflare during connection setup for any online game, whether or not a relay is ultimately used. No game content, player names, or personal details are sent to Cloudflare during this step.

Separately, some network conditions prevent a direct connection between players. In those cases, Half/Wit uses Cloudflare's network infrastructure to relay encrypted game traffic between devices. When relay is used:

• The IP addresses of connecting devices are visible to Cloudflare's servers as a technical requirement of routing the connection
• Encrypted game data packets pass through Cloudflare infrastructure
• The content of those packets — including all player names, answers, votes, scores, and any other game data — is end-to-end encrypted using DTLS (Datagram Transport Layer Security) and cannot be read by Cloudflare or any other party

No game content, account information, or personal details of any kind are accessible to Cloudflare. The information visible to Cloudflare is your device's IP address and connection metadata — that a connection occurred, when, and how much encrypted data was transferred.

Online game mode is entirely optional. Selecting the offline option at game creation uses only Bluetooth as described above and transmits no data to any external service.

4. Chromecast

If you choose to cast your game to a Chromecast device, game state data (prompts, answers, scores) is sent to the Chromecast on your local network. No personal data is transmitted to Google as part of this feature.

5. Permissions

The app requests device permissions that are required for core gameplay functionality. Permissions vary by platform:

iOS:

• Bluetooth — Required for peer-to-peer game communication.
• Local Network — Used to discover and communicate with Chromecast devices on your local network.

Android:

• Bluetooth — Required for peer-to-peer game communication.
• Location (Android 11 and below only) — Required by the Android operating system to perform Bluetooth scanning on older devices. The app does not access, store, or use your actual location. On Android 12 and above, this permission is not requested.
• Notifications — Used to display a notification while the Bluetooth service is running in the foreground, as required by Android.
• Wi-Fi state — Used to detect Chromecast devices on your local network.

6. In-App Purchases

Half/Wit offers optional expansion prompt packs as one-time in-app purchases. All transactions are processed entirely by the platform's app store (Apple App Store or Google Play). We do not collect, process, or have access to any payment or financial information.

7. Children's Privacy

Half/Wit is designed for teen and adult audiences and is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has used the app or provided any personal information, we will take steps to address the situation promptly. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has used the app, please contact us at developers@halfwitgames.com.

Users between the ages of 13 and 17 may only use the app with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian, who agrees to these terms on their behalf. The parent or guardian takes responsibility for ensuring appropriate use.

8. Third-Party Services

The app uses the following third-party services:

• Apple App Store / StoreKit (iOS) — For processing in-app purchases. Apple's privacy policy applies: https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/
• Google Play Billing (Android) — For processing in-app purchases. Google's privacy policy applies: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• Google Cast SDK — For Chromecast functionality. No user data is shared with Google through this service.
• Apple App Attest (iOS) — Used at app launch to verify that the app is genuine and is running on a real Apple device. Cryptographic attestation data is sent to Apple. No personal information or game content is included. Apple's privacy policy applies: https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/
• Google Play Integrity (Android) — Used at app launch to verify that the app is genuine and is running on a real Android device. Cryptographic attestation data is sent to Google. No personal information or game content is included. Google's privacy policy applies: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• Firebase / Firebase Realtime Database (Google LLC) — The Firebase SDK is initialized at app launch to enable online play. At launch, an anonymous installation identifier is registered with Google and a brief connection check is performed; no game data is transmitted. In online game mode, Firebase Realtime Database temporarily stores session setup data (access code, network routing information, and IP addresses) so players can establish a direct connection. This data is deleted when the host ends or leaves the game, or when the host's device disconnects. Google's privacy policy applies: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• Cloudflare, Inc. — Used in online game mode to obtain connection-setup credentials at the start of every online game and, when a direct connection between players cannot be established, to relay encrypted game traffic. Cloudflare can see IP addresses and connection metadata but cannot read game content, which is end-to-end encrypted. Cloudflare's privacy policy applies: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/

Firebase and the device-attestation services (App Attest / Play Integrity) are used briefly at every app launch as described in Section 3. Cloudflare is used only in online game mode, which is entirely optional. We do not use any third-party analytics, advertising, or tracking services.

9. Tracking

Half/Wit does not track you. We do not collect any data for the purpose of tracking across apps or websites owned by other companies. In accordance with Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework, we do not request tracking permission because we do not engage in any form of tracking.

10. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or transfer any user data to third parties for commercial purposes. At app launch, your IP address is visible to Apple (iOS) or Google (Android) and to Google Firebase as a technical consequence of device-attestation and connection-warmup checks, as described in Section 3. In online game mode, technical connection data (including IP addresses) is additionally shared with Firebase (Google LLC) and Cloudflare, Inc. solely for the purpose of establishing and relaying connections between players. No game content, account information, or personal details are accessible to any of these services.

11. Data Retention

Local preferences remain on your device until you clear the app's data or uninstall it. Game session data (answers, votes, scores) is held in memory only during active gameplay and is automatically discarded when the game ends. In online game mode, a temporary session record is stored in Firebase Realtime Database for the duration of the game session and is automatically deleted when the host ends or leaves the game or the host's device disconnects; in rare abnormal-shutdown cases a record may persist longer until its access code is reused. Aside from this transient setup record, we do not retain user data on any server.

12. Your Rights

Half/Wit does not maintain user accounts and does not store personal data that could identify you. The only data that leaves your device is the transient technical connection data described in Section 3, which is automatically deleted and is not tied to your identity. Because we hold no personal profile, account, or game content, there is no personal data archive for us to access, export, modify, or delete. You can clear all locally stored preferences at any time by clearing the app's data in your device settings or by uninstalling the app.

Regardless of where you are located, we want you to know that:

• You have the right to know what data is collected about you — this policy, and Section 3 in particular, describes everything the app transmits.
• You have the right to request deletion of your data — uninstalling the app removes all locally stored data.
• You have the right to opt out of data sales — we do not sell any data.
• You will not be discriminated against for exercising any of these rights.

13. International Users

At app launch, brief technical activity (device attestation and connection warmup) is processed by Apple Inc. or Google LLC, both US-based companies. In online game mode, additional temporary technical connection data is processed by Firebase (Google LLC) and Cloudflare, Inc., also US-based, solely for the purpose of establishing connections between players. No personal information such as your name, game responses, or any other game content is included in any of this data. In Bluetooth-only gameplay, no game content or personal information is transferred across borders. This policy is intended to comply with applicable privacy laws worldwide, including the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. Continued use of the app after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: developers@halfwitgames.com

Website: www.halfwitgames.com