Legal

Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to the 13 Orphans Mahjong game, the 13 Orphans Calculator, and services provided through 13orphansmahjong.com (together, our "services"). 13 Orphans ("we," "us") explains here what information each service handles, why, and the choices you have.

These services work differently, so please read the section for the one you use. In short: the Mahjong game and the Calculator keep your game and calculator data on your own device, while information is sent to us only when you use website features such as event registration. The current app releases do not show ads; a future ad-supported update of the iOS Mahjong game and the native Calculator will use Google advertising and consent services as described below.

Scope

• 13 Orphans Mahjong — our Mahjong game for iOS and Android.
• 13 Orphans Calculator — our Mahjong scoring app, and its web version on this website.
• 13orphansmahjong.com — our website, including event pages, event registration, and support contact.

We may update this policy as our services change. This policy also covers the upcoming iOS update that adds ads, as described in "Advertising in the Mahjong game (iOS update with ads)" below. We will update it when that update is released, so that it describes the released version as released.

The Calculator advertising disclosures become applicable when an ad-supported native Calculator update is released; the current Calculator release does not show ads.

Information we collect

• Information stored on your device: game progress, settings, and saved scoring data in the apps. This stays on your device unless you choose to share it.
• Information you give us on the website: for example your name, email address, contact number, number of participants, booking details, answers to registration questions, optional payment proof you upload, and optional newsletter opt-in when you register for an event.
• Information from emailing us: your email address and whatever you include in your message.
• Technical and usage information on the website: limited, first-party event-page usage information and the standard technical logs our hosting providers keep to run and protect the website. See "Website and event registration" below.
• Advertising and device information (iOS versions of the Mahjong game that show ads, starting with the upcoming ad-supported update): when the game shows ads, Google and its advertising partners collect information from your device, such as your device's advertising identifier, an identifier Google assigns for the game, your approximate location derived from your IP address, information about the ads you see and how you interact with them, and diagnostic and performance information. They collect it directly; we do not store it. We receive aggregated advertising performance reports from Google, not information about individual players. See "Advertising in the Mahjong game (iOS update with ads)" below.
• Advertising and device information in a future native Calculator update: when an ad-supported native Calculator release shows ads, Google and its advertising partners may collect advertising or app/device identifiers, approximate location derived from an IP address, information about ads and interactions, and diagnostic and performance information. See the Calculator advertising disclosures below.
• Purchase information (Calculator only): if you buy the optional Paid Unlock, the app store and our purchase-management provider handle the purchase. We do not receive your payment card details.

We do not require an account to use the Mahjong game or the Calculator, and these apps do not ask for your contacts, camera, microphone, or location. (The advertising service in the ad-supported iOS update may estimate your approximate location from your IP address; it does not use GPS or ask for location permission.)

13 Orphans Mahjong

The current Mahjong game is designed to be played on your device without an account.

• Stored on your device: your preferences (such as sound, deal speed and hand sorting) and a saved copy of the match in progress so you can resume it. This data lives in the app's private storage on your device and is removed if you uninstall the app or clear its data.
• No account or login: the game does not ask you to sign up or sign in.
• No gameplay data sent to us: the game does not send your gameplay or save data to a 13 Orphans server, and we do not use analytics or crash-reporting libraries of our own. The iOS version available today includes no advertising software. The upcoming iOS update that adds ads will include Google's advertising software, which collects its own advertising, analytics and diagnostic information as described in "Advertising in the Mahjong game (iOS update with ads)".
• Advertising: the iOS version of the game available today (version 1.0.1) does not show ads. An upcoming iOS update will add advertisements provided by Google AdMob (a small banner and occasional full-screen ads between rounds); from that update on, the section "Advertising in the Mahjong game (iOS update with ads)" applies.
• No purchases: the current game has no in-app purchases or subscriptions.
• Opponents: the other players at the table are computer-controlled characters with names shown in the game. They are not real people and do not represent real people's information.

The Android app declares the standard network permission that game engines commonly include. The current version does not use it to transmit your gameplay data to us. The iOS update that adds ads will use the internet connection to load advertisements and Google's consent messages. If we change how any version of the game handles your information, for example by adding online features or advertising, we will update this policy before or when the change is released.

Advertising in the Mahjong game (iOS update with ads)

This section applies only to the iOS update of 13 Orphans Mahjong that adds ads, and to later iOS versions. It does not apply to the iOS version available today (1.0.1), which does not show ads. Until you install the update that adds ads, none of the advertising information described here is collected.

The ad-supported iOS update shows ads served by Google AdMob using the Google Mobile Ads SDK. To select, show and measure ads, prevent fraud and diagnose problems, Google and its advertising partners may collect from your device:

• Device identifiers, including the iOS advertising identifier (IDFA) if you allow tracking, and other app- or device-level identifiers.
• An identifier that Google assigns to you within the game (a "publisher first-party ID"). AdMob uses it, including when the advertising identifier is not available (for example if you decline tracking), to personalise ads using data collected from the game, such as how you interact with its ads. Google states that this identifier cannot be used to link your activity in our apps to other companies' apps. It respects the consent choices described below, and you may be able to opt out of personalisation based on it through the controls shown within ads.
• Your approximate location, derived from your IP address (not GPS and not precise location).
• Advertising and usage data, such as which ads were shown and how you interacted with them (for example taps and video views).
• Diagnostic and performance information, such as crash logs, launch time and similar technical data.

Some of this information can be linked to your device or to identifiers. If you allow tracking, the advertising identifier may be used by Google and its partners to select and measure ads, including across other companies' apps and websites. We receive aggregated reports about ad performance from Google, not information about individual players. Google handles this information under its own policies:

• Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

Advertising choices: consent, tracking and privacy options

These choices apply to the ad-supported iOS update.

• Consent: in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and other regions where Google's consent form applies, the game shows that form and requests ads in line with your choice there. The form appears only where it is required. Where it applies, you can reopen your choices at any time in the game under Settings → Privacy Options.
• Tracking (iOS): iOS may ask whether 13 Orphans Mahjong may track your activity across other companies' apps and websites. If you choose "Ask App Not to Track", iOS does not give the advertising identifier to the game and the game stays fully playable. You may still see ads; they will not use the advertising identifier, but may still be personalised using the Google-assigned identifier for the game and the other information described above, subject to your consent choices. You can change your tracking choice at any time in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
• Google's ad personalisation: you can manage it at https://adssettings.google.com.
• Declining consent or tracking does not limit what you can do in the game.

13 Orphans Calculator

• No account: you can use the Calculator without signing up.
• Stored on your device: saved scoring tables, custom house-rule settings, and appearance preferences stay in the app's storage on your device. The Calculator does not send your scoring or hand data to a 13 Orphans server.
• Advertising in a future native Calculator update: an ad-supported native Calculator release may show a persistent Google AdMob banner on eligible screens and occasional full-screen interstitials at defined transitions, with at least five minutes between displayed interstitials and protection against duplicate presentation for the same qualifying event. Ads are not required for scoring. Users with the verified Paid Unlock do not receive Calculator ads; when the free entitlement is unresolved or consent or ad availability prevents a request, ads may be limited or unavailable. The web Calculator is not part of this native integration.
• Consent, privacy options and tracking permission: where required by applicable law or Google's consent system, Google User Messaging Platform may show a consent message before ads are requested. Where applicable, Privacy Options lets you review or change those choices later. The ad-supported native Calculator iOS implementation requests Apple App Tracking Transparency permission for eligible users after UMP permits ad requests; if permission is denied or restricted, the app remains usable and ads may be non-personalized, limited, or unavailable. ATT authorization does not override UMP consent choices.
• Optional lifetime Paid Unlock: the Calculator can offer an optional one-time lifetime purchase. A verified purchase provides the 13 Orphans Calculator Pro entitlement, all existing Pro features, and no Calculator advertisements. The purchase is processed by the Apple App Store or Google Play, who handle your payment details. We use RevenueCat, a purchase-management service, to confirm and restore your purchase; it may process purchase and entitlement information together with an app-level identifier, but not your payment card details.
• Device permissions: the Calculator does not request access to your camera, photos, contacts, microphone, or location.

The web version of the Calculator on this website runs in your browser. Please see the website section below for what the website handles.

Website and event registration

When you register for an event or submit information through 13orphansmahjong.com, we collect what the form asks for. Depending on the event this may include your name, email address, contact number, number of participants, booking date and time, answers to registration questions, the payment reference we generate for your registration, and your acceptance of the event terms. You may also choose to upload a payment proof (such as a screenshot or receipt) for your registration. Some events let you opt in to our newsletter; this is optional and is only recorded if you select it.

We keep a record of each registration's status (for example pending, confirmed, or declined) and of the confirmation and notification emails sent about it.

Event and registration page usage analytics

When you visit an event or registration page, we may collect first-party usage analytics such as page or form views, registration-link clicks, interaction and form-start events, submission events, and server-side timestamps. We may also record traffic information such as a referrer host, source, campaign, placement, or tracking-link attribution.

Where trusted hosting proxy information is available, this may include an approximate country, region, or city. We may derive a broad device type, operating-system family, and browser family; browser identification is best effort and may not always be exact. We do not collect GPS or precise street location, use browser fingerprinting, or retain raw IP addresses as analytics records.

Analytics uses random opaque visitor and session identifiers stored in first-party browser localStorage, not cookies. These identifiers are pseudonymous rather than anonymous: if you submit a registration, the related registration may be attributed to the visit. We use this information to understand event and form performance and improve the registration experience.

How we use information

• To run the services you use, and to provide the game and Calculator features on your device.
• To process, confirm, and manage event registrations and bookings, check payment proofs, and contact you about your registration.
• To send emails about your registration, and newsletter emails only if you opted in.
• To respond to support requests and questions.
• To understand how event and registration pages perform and to improve them.
• To support consent management and advertising in released ad-supported app versions through third-party providers.
• To keep our services secure, prevent abuse, and meet legal obligations.

How information is shared

We do not sell your personal information for money. We share information only as needed to operate the services:

• Advertising partners: in an ad-supported app version, Google and its advertising partners receive the information described in the applicable advertising section directly from your device when ads are shown. This includes the future native Calculator advertising update. Depending on where you live, laws such as certain US state privacy laws may treat this as "sharing" or "targeted advertising"; the applicable consent and privacy choices may let you limit it.
• Service providers that host the website, store data, deliver email, or process purchases on our behalf (see "Third-party services and links").
• Event organizers and staff who need registration details to run the event you registered for.
• When required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or security of our users or services.

Data storage and retention

Game and calculator data stays on your device until you delete it, uninstall the app, or clear its data. Information you submit through the website is stored on servers operated by our hosting and storage providers. In an ad-supported Mahjong or native Calculator update, information collected by Google and its partners for advertising is kept according to Google's own retention practices; please see Google's policies linked above. It may be processed in countries other than where you live.

We keep registration and contact information, including any payment proof, only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, such as running the event, handling payments and disputes, meeting legal or accounting obligations, and keeping our services secure. We have not set a single fixed retention period for registration records. If you ask us to delete your information, we will do so unless we need to keep it for a legitimate reason described above.

For event and registration analytics, the visitor identifier remains in your browser until you clear its site data. A new session identifier is created after 30 minutes of inactivity. Detailed server-side visit, event, and registration-attribution records are retained for up to 12 months under the current policy. An Owner-only maintenance operation rolls older detailed records into daily aggregate statistics before deleting the detailed records; no automatic scheduler currently runs that operation. Daily aggregate statistics are retained longer for historical reporting. Tracking-link definitions and their configuration remain until explicitly deleted; deactivation stops new attribution but does not erase the definition or historical aggregate results. The recent-activity view shows only the last 30 days and is not a separate data store.

Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards to protect information, such as access controls and private storage for uploaded files. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your choices and rights

• You can use the Mahjong game and the Calculator without giving us any personal information.
• You can ask us for access to, correction of, or deletion of the personal information we hold about you, for example your event registration details, by emailing us below.
• You can opt out of newsletter emails at any time by contacting us.
• You can delete on-device app data by clearing the app's data or uninstalling it.
• In the ad-supported iOS update, you can change your advertising consent and tracking choices as described in "Advertising choices: consent, tracking and privacy options"; in a native Calculator update, you can use the applicable UMP consent and Privacy Options controls.
• Depending on where you live, laws such as the EU and UK GDPR and the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection may give you rights such as access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection, data portability, withdrawal of consent, and the right to complain to a data-protection authority. Depending on where you live, state privacy laws in the United States may give you rights such as to know, delete, correct, or opt out of targeted advertising or sharing. Contact us and we will respond in line with the laws that apply. For information held by Google, you can also use Google's own tools linked above.

Children

Our services are intended for a general audience and are not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through the website. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we will remove it.

Third-party services and links

We use a small number of providers to operate our services. Each handles information only to provide its function and under its own terms and privacy policy:

• Website and server hosting — Vercel (website) and Render (server application).
• File storage, network protection and delivery — Cloudflare (including private storage for uploaded payment proofs and event images).
• Database and caching — hosted database and cache services used by our server.
• Email delivery — Resend, used to send registration confirmations and event notices.
• Advertising and consent management in released ad-supported app versions — Google AdMob / Google Mobile Ads SDK, and Google's User Messaging Platform, which shows the consent form and privacy options. See the applicable advertising section for what they collect and Google's policies.
• Purchases (Calculator only) — Apple App Store and Google Play for payments, and RevenueCat for purchase confirmation and restore.

Our services may link to other websites or social platforms. We are not responsible for their privacy practices.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this policy when our services or practices change, for example if we add new features. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it last changed. We will update this page, and the information we give to app stores, when new features that affect your information are introduced.

Contact us

For privacy questions, advertising or consent questions, or to make an access, correction, deletion or other privacy request, email mahjong13orphans@gmail.com. Please mention which service you use (for example "Mahjong game, iOS") so we can respond properly.