Who we are
Reef Blast: Block Puzzle ("Reef Blast", "the game") is made by Evidence Room Media (Paul Lingard), based in the United Kingdom. Evidence Room Media is the trading name of Paul Lingard, who is responsible for your information under UK data protection law.
Questions about this policy or your information: [email protected]
The short version
- You don't need an account to play, and we don't ask for your name, email or location.
- The first time you open the game, we ask your year of birth so younger players get a safer version of the game.
- Your progress, reef and settings are saved on your own device.
- The game shows ads from Google AdMob. Ads are only personalised if you agree to it.
- Purchases are handled by Apple. We never see your card details.
- We don't sell your information.
Information saved on your device
Your scores, Journey progress, collected creatures, reef layout, sea glass, purchases unlocked and settings are stored on your device so the game remembers where you are. We can't see this information. It's removed if you delete the app.
The age question
The first time you open Reef Blast, it asks for your year of birth. Your answer is saved only on your device and is never sent to us. The game uses it to decide which version you get:
- Under 13: you won't be asked about tracking, ads are never personalised, and they only come from Google's family-safe ad sources. The game tells AdMob that you're a child. Mystery chests and paid sea glass aren't offered.
- 13 to 17: ads are not personalised. You won't be asked about tracking.
- 18 and over: you'll be asked whether you allow tracking and personalised ads, as described below.
Duel links
When you start a duel, the game creates a link that describes the puzzle, your score and the helper you chose. You decide who to send it to and which app to send it with. We don't run a server for duels, so we don't receive or store these links.
Ads
Reef Blast is free because it shows ads. They come from Google AdMob, a service run by Google. To show ads, measure them and prevent fraud, AdMob may collect:
- your device's advertising identifier, but only if you allow tracking (see below)
- your IP address, from which an approximate location can be worked out
- device details such as model, operating system and language
- information about the ads you see and tap
Your choices. If you're 18 or over, on iPhone the game asks whether you allow tracking before any ad uses your advertising identifier. If you say no, you'll still see ads, but they won't be personalised to you. If you're in the UK or the European Economic Area, you'll also be asked for consent to personalised ads, and you can change your answer later in the game's settings. You can also change tracking at any time in Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.
Google may process this information outside the UK, with safeguards in place. You can read how Google uses information from apps that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
Purchases
Purchases such as "Remove ads" and sea glass are processed by Apple through the App Store. Apple tells the game that a purchase went through so it can unlock what you bought. We don't receive your name, email address or payment details. Apple's own privacy policy applies to your payment.
Support emails
If you email us, we'll receive your email address and anything you include in your message, such as screenshots or device details. We use this only to help you, and we delete support emails within 12 months of your issue being resolved.
Analytics and crash reports
We don't currently use separate analytics or crash-reporting services. If we add one, we'll update this policy first.
Why we use your information
| What | Why | Legal basis (UK GDPR) |
|---|---|---|
| Age question | To give younger players a safer version of the game | Legal obligation and legitimate interests |
| Non-personalised ads | To pay for the game and keep it free | Legitimate interests |
| Personalised ads (18+ only) | To show ads more relevant to you | Your consent |
| Purchase confirmation | To unlock what you paid for | Contract |
| Support emails | To answer your questions | Legitimate interests |
Children
Reef Blast is made for everyone, and we know younger players enjoy it too. That's why the game asks for a year of birth and gives players under 18 the protections described in The age question. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you're a parent and think your child has sent us personal information, for example in a support email, contact us and we'll delete it.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you can ask to see, correct or delete information we hold about you, object to how we use it, or withdraw consent at any time. Email [email protected] and we'll reply within one month. For information collected by Google, you can also contact Google directly.
If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
Changes to this policy
If we change how the game uses information, we'll update this page and the date at the top. Big changes will also be mentioned in the game.