Overview
Pin the Hex is a color-matching game for iPhone and Android. It does not require a separate Pin the Hex username or password. The iPhone app uses Apple services for multiplayer, leaderboards, and purchases, Firebase for app analytics, and Meta services for campaign measurement. The Android app uses Google Play Games for player identity and solo leaderboards, Firebase for analytics, Android multiplayer, and Elo ratings, and Google Play for purchases. Google services provide consent and advertising on both platforms.
Information stored on your device
The app stores game preferences, separate personal-best scores for Color, Hex, and Brand modes, the current Daily Pin and your Daily Pin score and guess, Daily Pin reminder and streak state, the current multiplayer Elo rating, pending platform-leaderboard scores or rating updates, purchase-entitlement state supplied by the App Store or Google Play, and the number of completed games used to time between-game ads. You can remove app-local information by deleting the app.
Web challenge and invite analytics
When you open or play the web challenge, Pin the Hex records privacy-limited events such as challenge impression, start, answer, completion, platform choice, and App Store or Google Play click. When you follow a friend's PVP invite, Pin the Hex records the invite landing and whether you continue to the App Store or Google Play listing. A random identifier links events only within the current browser tab. Event records may include the challenge version, score, input method, time remaining, platform choice, and campaign values in the link. They do not contain your IP address, user agent, email, name, advertising identifier, exact color coordinates, or full referring URL.
App analytics
Firebase Analytics is Pin the Hex's primary product-analytics service on iPhone and Android. It records privacy-limited app activity including app sessions, completed solo games, selected challenge mode, score and new-best status, opening a round or final-score share sheet, purchase start and completion, ad-revenue impressions and interstitial lifecycle, and the PVP funnel. PVP events include opening the PVP page, starting or cancelling matchmaking, opening the Invite a Friend share sheet, whether a match was found or failed, matchmaking wait time, player count, match completion, final rank, and rating change. Invite and score-share events record that a share flow opened, not that a message was delivered. A score-share event includes the selected mode, displayed score, and whether a round or final score was shared. An invite event includes the selected mode, lobby stage, and current player count. Neither event records the recipient, contact method, or destination app. Failure events may identify a general reason such as no available players or a connection problem. These events do not contain a player's name, email address, Game Center or Play Games identity, exact color guesses, or match messages. On iPhone, campaign-relevant events may also be mirrored to Meta when its app-event service is configured.
Android beta signup
If you previously joined the Android beta through this website, Pin the Hex processed your Google Play email, signup date, campaign values available in the signup link, and the referring site's origin. These details are used only to manage beta access, understand beta demand, and contact you about Android testing. They are not sold or used for third-party advertising. A privacy-limited beta-submit event is recorded only for the first signup for an email and does not contain the email.
Multiplayer
On iPhone, Game Center processes real-time matchmaking and multiplayer identity. On Android, Google Play Games authenticates the player and Firebase Authentication and Realtime Database process an app-specific player identifier, Play Games display name, lobby and connection state, selected challenge mode, round timing, color guesses, scores, match standings, and current Elo rating. Android and iPhone multiplayer pools and ratings are separate and are never combined.
Leaderboards
If you use Game Center on iPhone or Play Games on Android, the platform provider processes your gaming identity, display name, scores, ranks, and authentication state. Pin the Hex submits your best Color, Hex, and Brand scores to separate platform leaderboards. Current iPhone PVP ratings use Game Center; current Android PVP ratings use an Android-only Firebase ranking. Solo play remains available while signed out, and a score or rating update may be kept locally for a later retry.
The Daily Pin leaderboard is shared between iPhone and Android and is operated by Pin the Hex. When you play it, Pin the Hex processes your pin coordinates long enough to calculate the score on the server. It stores the Daily Pin identifier, a random installation identifier, your platform display name or a generic player name, platform, best score, and submission time. Pin coordinates are not retained in the leaderboard record.
Purchases
The one-time Remove Ads purchase is processed by Apple through StoreKit on iPhone or by Google Play Billing on Android. Pin the Hex receives product and entitlement information needed to display the price, complete or restore the purchase, and remove ads. The developer does not receive your payment-card details. Purchases and ad-free entitlements are platform-specific: an iPhone purchase does not unlock the Android app, and an Android purchase does not unlock the iPhone app.
Advertising and consent
Free players may receive banner and between-game ads through Google Mobile Ads. Pin the Hex requests non-personalized ads, which are based on context rather than a user's past behavior. Google's SDK may still process an IP address and approximate location derived from it, device identifiers for frequency control and aggregate reporting, ad data, product interactions, diagnostics, crash information, and performance information. These signals may support ad delivery, measurement, fraud prevention, security, and product improvement.
On iPhone, the Meta SDK processes an app-specific device or campaign identifier, app activation and session information, completed-game events and scores, PVP funnel events, purchase-funnel and StoreKit transaction information, and impression-level advertising revenue and format. These events help attribute campaign results, measure return on advertising spend, and optimize Meta campaigns. Pin the Hex does not send Meta a player's name, email address, Game Center identity, exact color guesses, or payment-card details.
The Google User Messaging Platform checks whether a consent or privacy-options message is required in your region before ad requests begin. Where required, you can reopen Ad Privacy Choices inside the app. Pin the Hex does not request App Tracking Transparency authorization and does not enable Meta collection of the iOS advertising identifier; Meta receives privacy-limited events under Apple's attribution and privacy rules.
Sharing and service providers
Information is processed by Apple for Game Center and StoreKit on iPhone and by Google for Play Games, Firebase, and Play Billing on Android. Google also processes information for consent and advertising on both platforms. Meta processes iPhone app-event and campaign-attribution information. Cloudflare hosts the Pin the Hex website, Daily Pin campaign service and videos, and shared Daily Pin leaderboard. Their handling is governed by their own privacy terms and device/account controls. Pin the Hex does not sell personal information.
Retention and deletion
App-local game information remains until it is replaced, reset by app behavior, or the app is deleted. Apple, Google, and Meta control retention for information processed by their platform services. Android multiplayer lobby records are removed when a player leaves; match records are marked for operational cleanup, while the current Elo rating and display name remain so the Android ranking can function. Daily Pin leaderboard records remain while the related competition and historical ranking are offered, or until deletion is requested. Anonymous web-challenge and friend-invite events are retained only for campaign measurement and operational reporting, then deleted or aggregated when no longer needed.
Beta signup details remain while the Android test is active or until you ask for deletion. Follow the data-deletion instructions to request deletion of Daily Pin, multiplayer, or beta-waitlist data controlled by Pin the Hex.
Age and regional rights
Pin the Hex is intended for players age 16 and older and is not directed to children under 16. Its advertising configuration is not designated as child-directed. Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict certain processing. Contact the operator below for questions about Pin the Hex; Apple, Google, and Meta handle requests concerning their services.
Security and international processing
Pin the Hex uses encrypted network transport, authenticated Firebase access, participant-limited match reads, player-owned guess and rating writes, and platform security supplied by iOS, Android, Apple, Google, and Meta. No internet service can be guaranteed completely secure. These providers may process information in countries other than your own under their published safeguards.
Changes
This policy may change when app features, service providers, or legal requirements change. The effective date above will be updated when a revised policy is published.
Contact
Email pinthehex@gmail.com.