Privacy policy
Ninefold Sudoku has no account and no sign-up. Your puzzles and progress live on your device. This page explains the few cases where data leaves it.
Who we are
Ninefold Sudoku is provided by Shup LLC ("we"). Contact: ron@shup.ai.
What stays on your device
Puzzle progress, streaks, statistics, settings, hint balance, lesson mastery and daily results are stored locally. If iCloud is signed in, a small mirror of your progress (streaks, completed days, hint balance, settings) is stored in your private iCloud Key-Value storage so it follows you between your own devices. Apple processes that data under Apple's privacy policy; we cannot read it.
Purchases
Optional purchases (Ad-Free, Starter Pack, hint packs, streak freezes and the Ninefold Premium subscription) are processed by Apple through the App Store. We never see your payment details. To validate purchases, restore them and keep subscription status accurate, the app uses RevenueCat. RevenueCat receives a random anonymous app user ID, your purchase and subscription history, device type, OS version, app version, locale and IP address. This data is not linked to your identity and is used for app functionality and purchase analytics only.
Advertising
Free play is supported by ads served by Google AdMob (Google LLC). Ads appear only on the puzzle completion screen and stop permanently after an Ad-Free or Premium purchase. Google may process your device's advertising identifier (only if you allow tracking in the iOS prompt), IP address and approximate location, ad interaction and diagnostic data, and may use it for ad personalisation and measurement according to Google's advertising policies and privacy policy. If you decline the App Tracking Transparency prompt, ads are non-personalised. In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland the app shows a consent form (Google User Messaging Platform) before any ad request; you can change your choice at any time in Settings → Privacy options. In US states with privacy laws you can opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information from the same place. We do not show personalised ads to users the app knows to be under 16 and we do not direct the app at children.
Game Center
Leaderboards and achievements use Apple Game Center only when you are signed in to it. Your Game Center display name and scores are handled by Apple under Apple's privacy policy. Game Center is optional.
Notifications
Daily reminders are local notifications scheduled on your device. No push token is sent to us. You can turn them off in the app or in iOS Settings.
Crash and diagnostic data
The app uses Apple's built-in crash reporting, which you control in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics. Third-party crash reporting (Firebase Crashlytics) is compiled in but disabled unless a future update ships a Firebase configuration; if that happens this policy will be updated before release.
Remote configuration
On launch the app may download a small public configuration file from this website (ad frequency limits, feature flags, minimum version). That request carries only standard network information such as your IP address, which Cloudflare processes to deliver and secure the site under Cloudflare's privacy policy. We do not add analytics or advertising trackers to this website.
Sharing
Share cards and Sprint results are created on your device and only leave it when you choose to share them through the iOS share sheet.
Children
Ninefold Sudoku is rated 4+ but is not designed for or directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Parents can use Screen Time to restrict in-app purchases and ads.
Your rights
Depending on where you live you may have rights to access, correct, delete or restrict processing of personal data, to object, to data portability, and to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. Because we hold no account data, most requests are fulfilled by deleting the app (which removes local data), turning off iCloud for it, or by writing to ron@shup.ai. Advertising and purchase data held by Google and RevenueCat can be addressed through them or through us.
Retention
Local data stays until you delete the app or reset progress in Settings. iCloud data stays in your iCloud account until you remove it. RevenueCat retains anonymous purchase records for as long as the app is supported, as required to honour restores and subscription status. Google retains advertising data under its own policy.
Security
Data in transit uses HTTPS. Purchase entitlements are verified with Apple's signed transactions; we never store payment credentials.
Changes
We will post updates on this page and change the effective date. Material changes will be explained in the app's release notes.