Privacy Policy

Summary

• Our reading apps and GIF STORM don't ask you to create an account or give us your name or email address. Only Word Flick offers an optional account.
• Our apps are free and supported by ads. Google AdMob and its partners may use your device's advertising ID, IP address and device information to show and measure ads.
• We use Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics to understand how the apps are used and to fix crashes.
• Optional purchases are processed by Google Play. We never see your payment details.
• You can reset or delete your advertising ID, opt out of personalised ads and contact us at any time to exercise your rights.

Who we are

Grindstone Studio is an independent mobile app studio that publishes Android apps on Google Play. In this policy, "Grindstone Studio", "we", "us" and "our" refer to that business. For personal data processed through our apps and website, we are the data fiduciary (under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023) and the controller (under the GDPR).

• Business name: Grindstone Studio
• Privacy contact: [email protected]
• General contact: [email protected]

What this policy covers

This policy applies to this website, grindstonestudio.com, and to every Android app we publish on Google Play under the developer name Grindstone Studio. You'll find a short section for each app under App-by-app details. It doesn't cover third-party websites or services that our apps or website link to; those have their own privacy policies.

Information we collect

Information collected automatically in our apps

Our apps include software development kits (SDKs) from Google and advertising partners. When you use an app, these SDKs may collect:

• Advertising ID and other device identifiers, such as the Android advertising ID, the app set ID and identifiers created by Firebase for your app installation.
• Device and app information, such as your phone model, Android version, language, screen size, app version and network type.
• IP address and approximate location. Your IP address is used to estimate a general location such as your country or city. Our apps don't request your device's precise (GPS) location.
• Diagnostics and analytics, such as crash reports, performance data, the screens you open and how you interact with ads.

Information you choose to give us

• Emails you send us. If you contact us, we receive your email address, your message and anything you attach, such as screenshots.
• Word Flick accounts. If you sign up, we store your email address, username, password (handled by Firebase Authentication), an optional profile photo and status message, your stars, referral code and a device identifier. Your list of solved words is stored on your phone. The username, status, photo and stars of the top-ranked players are shown to other players. Feedback you send from the app is also stored. See the Word Flick section.

What we don't collect

Our apps don't ask for your contacts, call logs, SMS messages or precise location. Apart from an optional profile photo you choose to upload in an app that offers accounts, we don't access your photos or files. We don't receive your card or bank details when you make a purchase; Google Play handles payments.

How we use information

• To show and measure ads, including personalised ads where you have agreed to them.
• To prevent fraud and abuse, such as invalid ad clicks, and to keep our apps secure.
• For analytics, to understand which features are used and to improve our apps.
• To fix problems, using crash reports and diagnostics.
• To provide app features, such as loading GIFs and search results in GIF STORM, or signing in, saving progress and showing rankings in apps with accounts.
• To process purchases and restore them on a new device, through Google Play.
• To reply to you when you email us, and to keep a record of our conversation.
• To meet legal obligations and to protect our rights and our users.

We don't sell your personal information for money, and we don't use it to make decisions that have legal effects on you.

Legal bases (EEA and UK)

If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we rely on these legal bases:

• Consent for personalised ads and for storing or accessing information on your device where consent is required.
• Legitimate interests for analytics, crash reporting, non-personalised ads, security and fraud prevention. These keep our apps free and working well, and we balance them against your rights.
• Contract to provide account features you sign up for and purchases you make.
• Legal obligation where the law requires us to keep or disclose information.

Under India's DPDP Act, we process personal data on the basis of your consent or for legitimate uses permitted by the Act, such as when you voluntarily provide information to us.

Third-party services

These companies process data on our behalf or as independent controllers when their SDKs run in our apps or on our website. Not every ad partner serves ads in every app or country. Each company's own privacy policy explains how it handles data.

Personalised ads and consent

Consent message in the EEA, UK and Switzerland

Our reading apps use Google's User Messaging Platform to ask people in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland whether they agree to personalised ads before such ads are shown. If you don't agree, you may still see non-personalised ads, which are based on general context such as the app you're using and your approximate location rather than your interests.

How to change or withdraw consent

You can withdraw consent at any time, and it won't affect processing that happened before you withdrew it:

• Show the consent message again: open Android Settings → Apps → [app name] → Storage and tap Clear storage. The next time you open the app, the consent message appears again. Note that this also removes data saved in the app on your phone, such as highlights and bookmarks.
• Email us at [email protected] and we'll help.
• Uninstall the app to stop all collection by it.

Reset or delete your advertising ID on Android

Your advertising ID is a resettable identifier that apps use for ads. You control it in your phone's settings. The exact menu names vary slightly between phone makers:

1. Open Settings on your phone.
2. Go to Google → Ads. On Android 12 and later this may be under Privacy → Ads.
3. Tap Delete advertising ID to remove it, or Reset advertising ID to replace it with a new one. On older versions of Android you can also turn on Opt out of Ads Personalization.

After you delete the advertising ID, apps can no longer use it for personalised ads, though you will still see ads.

Ads on this website

You can control personalised ads from Google on the web in My Ad Center. In Europe you can also use Your Online Choices to opt out of interest-based ads from participating companies.

Your rights

Because our reading apps don't use accounts, the data their SDKs collect is linked to device identifiers rather than your name, and most of it is held by Google and our ad partners. We may not be able to identify that data as yours, but we'll always help you use the tools above and the controls each partner provides.

India: Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

As a data principal, you have the right to:

• obtain a summary of the personal data we process about you and how we process it, and the identities of those we share it with;
• have your personal data corrected, completed, updated or erased;
• withdraw consent at any time, as easily as you gave it;
• have your grievances addressed by our Grievance Officer, and then complain to the Data Protection Board of India if you're not satisfied;
• nominate another person to exercise your rights if you die or become unable to do so.

EEA and UK: General Data Protection Regulation

You have the right to access, correct or erase your personal data, restrict or object to its processing (including processing based on legitimate interests), receive it in a portable format, and withdraw consent. You can also complain to your local data protection authority.

California: CCPA as amended by the CPRA

California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect, use and disclose; to request deletion and correction; to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information; to limit the use of sensitive personal information; and not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. We don't sell personal information for money and we don't use sensitive personal information. The ad SDKs in our apps may use device identifiers for cross-context behavioural advertising, which California law may treat as "sharing". To opt out, delete or reset your advertising ID as described above, or email us.

How to make a request

Email [email protected] and tell us which app your request is about. For an app account, write from the email address linked to that account so we can verify it's you. We respond within 30 days. You can also ask someone to make a request on your behalf if they can show they're authorised to do so.

Grievance Officer (India)

In line with India's DPDP Act, 2023 and the Information Technology Act, 2000 and its rules, you can contact our Grievance Officer at:

• Email: [email protected]

We'll acknowledge your grievance and aim to resolve it within 30 days of receiving it.

Children's privacy

Our apps and this website are made for a general audience and are not directed to children under 13. We don't knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. India's DPDP Act treats anyone under 18 as a child: if you are under 18, or under the age of digital consent where you live, please use our apps with a parent or guardian's involvement and don't create an app account without their consent. If you believe a child has given us personal data, email [email protected] and we'll delete it.

Data retention

• Data collected by SDKs is kept by Google and our ad partners according to their own retention policies, linked above. Crash reports and analytics are kept only as long as they're useful for improving the apps.
• App accounts and their data are kept until you delete your account or ask us to delete it.
• Emails are kept for as long as we need them to answer you and to keep a record of our conversation, and then deleted.
• Purchase records are kept by Google Play and as required by tax and accounting laws.

Data stored only on your phone, such as reading progress, highlights and bookmarks, stays on your device and is removed when you clear the app's storage or uninstall it.

Security

Data sent between our apps and the services they use is encrypted in transit (HTTPS). We limit access to our developer accounts, use the security features provided by Google and our other providers, and keep our apps updated. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information.

International transfers

We and the companies listed above may process data in countries other than the one where you live, including the United States and Singapore. Where the law requires it, these providers use safeguards such as the European Commission's standard contractual clauses for transfers out of the EEA or UK.

Our website

This section covers grindstonestudio.com specifically.

• Hosting and logs. The website is hosted on Cloudflare Pages. To deliver pages and protect the site from attacks, Cloudflare processes technical data such as your IP address, browser type, the page requested and the time of the request.
• Cloudflare Web Analytics. We use Cloudflare's privacy-first analytics to count visits and see which pages are popular. It doesn't use cookies or local storage to track you, and we only see aggregated statistics.
• Google AdSense. When ads are shown on this website, Google and its partners use cookies or similar technologies to serve ads, limit how often you see them, measure their performance and, where you allow it, personalise them based on your visits to this and other websites. Visitors in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland are asked for consent through a Google-certified consent message before personalised ads are shown. See Personalised ads and consent for how to opt out.
• Email. The website has no contact form. If you email us, see "Information you choose to give us" above.

App-by-app details

Every app below collects the device and usage information described in Information we collect through the SDKs it contains. This section lists what is specific to each app.

Rich Dad Poor Dad Summary

• Google Play: com.techeytech.rich_dad_poor_dad · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

Think and Grow Rich Offline

• Google Play: com.techeytech.think_and_grow_rich · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

Psychology of Money - Summary

• Google Play: com.techeytech.the_psychology_of_money · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

The Law of Success - Offline

• Google Play: com.techeytech.the_law_of_success_napolean_hill · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

As a Man Thinketh Offline

• Google Play: com.techeytech.as_a_man_thinketh · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

48 Laws of Power Hindi Summary

• Google Play: com.techeytech.forty_eight_laws_of_power_hindi_offline · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

The Prince by Niccolo

• Google Play: com.techeytech.the_prince_niccolo_machiavelli · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

The Art of War Book Offline

• Google Play: com.techeytech.the_art_of_war_book_offline · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

Game of Life and How To Play

• Google Play: com.techeytech.the_game_of_life_and_how_to_play · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

Richest Man in Babylon Offline

• Google Play: com.techeytech.richest_man_in_babylon · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

The Science of Getting Rich

• Google Play: com.techeytech.the_science_of_getting_rich · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

GIF STORM - Daily Trending GIF

• Google Play: com.techfathers.gifstorm · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; KLIPY; Firebase Realtime Database (Google).
• Specific to this app: KLIPY: Provides the GIF library, categories and search results shown in the app. Read the KLIPY privacy policy. Firebase Realtime Database (Google): Checks whether a newer version of the app is available. It doesn't store personal data about you. Read the Firebase Realtime Database privacy policy. When you browse or search, your request, including any search words, and your IP address are sent to KLIPY so it can return GIFs.
• Stored on your phone only: app settings and preferences.

Acres of Diamonds – Offline

• Google Play: com.techeytech.acres_of_diamonds · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

Rich Dad Punjabi Summary

• Google Play: com.techeytech.rich_dad_poor_dad_punjabi · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

Rich Dad Indonesian Summary

• Google Play: com.techeytech.rich_dad_poor_dad_in_indonesia · App page
• Account: None. The app never asks for your name, email address or phone number.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Google Play Billing.
• Stored on your phone only: reading progress, highlights, bookmarks, notes and reading settings.

Word Flick Vocabulary Game

• Google Play: com.techfathers.common.english.words.puzzle · App page
• Account: Optional. You can play as a guest. If you sign up, we store your email address, username, password (handled by Firebase Authentication), an optional profile photo and status message, your stars, referral code and a device identifier. Your list of solved words is stored on your phone. The username, status, photo and stars of the top-ranked players are shown to other players. Feedback you send from the app is also stored. To delete an account, see Account deletion.
• Services in this app: Google AdMob and the ad partners listed above; Firebase Analytics; Firebase Crashlytics; Firebase Authentication, Realtime Database and Cloud Storage (Google).
• Specific to this app: Firebase Authentication, Realtime Database and Cloud Storage (Google): Sign-in, storing your profile and game progress, and hosting optional profile photos. Read the Firebase Authentication, Realtime Database and Cloud Storage privacy policy.
• Stored on your phone only: your list of solved words and app settings.

Changes to this policy

We'll update this policy when our apps, the services they use or the law change. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it last changed. If we make significant changes, we'll highlight them on this page or in our apps before they take effect.

Contact us

For any privacy question or request, email [email protected]. We reply within 2 business days.