Kalecik Privacy Policy

This policy covers Kalecik: Cozy Castle Builder for iOS and Android (App Store and Google Play; bundle ID / package name com.ahmetbalaman.kale). The game is developed and published by independent developer Ahmet Balaman.

For any privacy question, contact [email protected].

By default Kalecik collects only an anonymous app-open count, and only while you leave it on. The Community screen sends data only when you open it. We do not collect your name, email address, location, contacts, payment details or advertising identifier.

• Anonymous count: when the game starts or comes back to the foreground (at most every 30 minutes) it sends the app version, the system name (for example iOS, Android or macOS), the language and a random device ID, so the developer can count how many people play. You can turn it off at any time in Settings › Send anonymous stats.
• Community (optional): browsing, liking, downloading, reporting and sharing send the random device ID so the server can tell which designs are yours and which you liked. When you share a village, a custom house or a furniture piece, the design (a small file), a picture of it, its title and the author name you type are uploaded, run through a word filter and shown to all players. You can delete your own shares in the app.
• The random device ID: it is created on your device, is not your advertising ID and is not linked to your name or hardware. The server keeps it only as a salted hash and uses it for the anonymous count, to limit uploads, to show you your own shares and to stop misuse. A hashed form of the IP address is used only to limit repeated likes and reports.
• No sale, no sharing: this data is never sold, used for advertising or tracking, or shared with third parties.

• Mostly offline: The game does not need an internet connection. It uses the internet only for the two optional features described above (Community and the anonymous count).
• One-time purchase: Kalecik is a paid game you buy once on the App Store or Google Play. Apple or Google handles the payment; your payment details are not shared with the developer. The game contains no advertising and no in-app purchases.
• No account: You never need to sign up or log in to play.
• No tracking: The only statistics are the anonymous count described above, which you can turn off. No crash reports or advertising identifiers are collected, and you are not tracked across apps or websites.
• No third-party SDKs: The game contains no third-party advertising, analytics or tracking SDKs. Community and the count talk only to our own server. Kalecik is built with the open-source Godot game engine, which runs entirely on your device.
• Sound: The music and sound effects are synthesized for the game. Nothing is recorded and nothing is uploaded.

Everything else the game needs is kept only on your device, in the app’s own storage, and never reaches us:

• Village save: The village you build is saved automatically to a local save file on your device. If you build several villages, each one is kept as its own save file in the same place.
• Photos: A shot taken in photo mode is first saved to the app’s own folder. If you allow it, the same shot is also added to your photo library. For this, iOS is asked for add-only access: Kalecik cannot see or read your library. If you decline, the shot stays only in the app’s folder (Files › On My iPhone › Kalecik › photos). You can change the permission at any time in Settings › Kalecik › Photos.
• Photos on Android: Kalecik for Android runs on Android 10 and later. A shot is saved in the app’s own folder and added to your gallery (Pictures/Kalecik) through the system’s media store, which needs no permission, and Kalecik cannot see or read your other photos. Apart from vibration (haptic feedback), Kalecik requests no permissions on Android.
• Village files: If you export a village, the file goes where you choose in the share sheet on iOS, and to Download/Kalecik through the system’s media store on Android (no permission needed). When you import a village, the system file picker opens, and Kalecik reads only the file you pick.
• Backups: If you use iCloud Backup or a computer backup, iOS may include Kalecik’s files in that backup, just as it does for other apps. Those backups are managed by Apple under your account; the developer has no access to them. On Android, Kalecik’s files are not included in Android’s cloud backup.

There is no account to delete. You can delete your own shared designs in the Community screen. The anonymous count holds no name, email or other contact detail, only a hash of a random ID, and a new install gets a new ID. When you delete Kalecik from your device, your village save and the photos in the app’s folder are permanently deleted too; shots already added to your photo library or gallery are yours and stay there. For any other request, email ${SUPPORT_EMAIL}.

If you email us for support, your email address and message are used only to reply to you. They are not shared with anyone and are deleted on request.

Kalecik has no ads, no accounts, no chat, no links to websites and no purchases inside the game, and it asks for no name, email address or location. The Community screen shows only designs (pictures and titles) and has a word filter and a report button; the author name is free text that a player may type or leave anonymous. Apart from the optional anonymous count and Community described above, we collect no personal data from anyone, including children under 13. If you are a parent and have a concern, email ${SUPPORT_EMAIL}.

If the way the game handles data changes again, this page will be updated before that change takes effect, and the date above will change.