Privacy policy
Last updated: 19 October 2026
In short
- There are no accounts. We never ask for your name, email, contacts, photos or location.
- Your game progress stays on your phone.
- We use Google's Firebase to see how the game is played and to fix crashes.
- Google AdMob shows a video ad only when you choose to watch one.
- We never sell your data. This website uses no cookies.
Who we are
Sleuthbird is an independent game developer based in Azerbaijan. This policy covers our games on Google Play, starting with Inspector Crane: Island Cases (“the game”), and this website, sleuthbird.com.
Questions about your privacy? Write to support@sleuthbird.com.
What the game keeps on your phone
To remember where you are, the game saves your progress on your device: the cases you have opened and solved, the clues you have found, your stars, the cases and hints you have unlocked, your settings and which tips you have already seen.
This stays on your phone and is never sent to us. To delete it, uninstall the game or clear its data in your phone's settings. If you use Android's own backup, your phone may include this data in your Google account's backup. Google handles that under your account, not us.
What is collected through services we use
The game uses three Google services. They collect some information automatically when you play. None of it includes your name or contact details.
Google Analytics for Firebase
Collects: what happens in the game, such as a case started, a hint used or an ad watched; a random ID for this installation of the app; device model, Android version, language and app version; approximate location (country or region) worked out from your IP address.
Why: to understand how players use the game, where they get stuck, and what to improve.
Firebase Crashlytics
Collects: crash and error reports: what the app was doing when it failed, device model, Android version, app version and a random ID for this installation.
Why: to find and fix bugs.
Google AdMob
Collects: your device's advertising ID, IP address, device information and how you interact with ads.
Why: to show the video ads you choose to watch, measure them and prevent fraud.
Google processes this information under its own policies: Google Privacy Policy, how Google uses information from apps that use its services, and Firebase privacy information.
Ads and your choices
The game shows no banner or pop-up ads. A video ad plays only when you tap to watch one, to open one of the hardest cases or to get an extra hint. If you decline ads, or an ad can't load, the case or hint opens anyway.
- In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, Google's consent screen asks for your choice the first time you play. You can change it at any time from Privacy choices in the game's settings. Without your consent, any ads you watch are not personalised.
- Everywhere, you can reset or delete your advertising ID in your phone's settings (on most phones: Settings → Privacy → Ads, or Settings → Google → Ads).
Why we may use this information
Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on:
- Your consent for personalised ads, and wherever else the law requires consent. You can withdraw it at any time, as described above.
- Our legitimate interests in keeping the game working and improving it, for analytics and crash reports. You can object by writing to us.
Who we share it with
Only with Google, through the services above. We don't sell or rent your information, and we don't share it with anyone else, unless the law requires us to.
Google may process information on servers in the United States and other countries, protected by Google's own safeguards.
How long it is kept
- Game progress on your phone: until you delete it.
- Analytics data tied to an installation: 2 months, then deleted. Totals that can't identify anyone may be kept longer.
- Crash reports: 90 days.
- Advertising data: as set out in Google's policies.
Children
The game is designed for players aged 13 and over and is not directed at children under 13. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has used the game and you want their data removed, contact us and we will help.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct or delete personal data about you, to object to or restrict how it is used, to withdraw consent, and to complain to your data protection authority.
We don't know who you are, so we usually can't match analytics or crash data to you. In practice: uninstalling the game starts a new installation ID, and resetting your advertising ID stops it being linked to past activity. If you'd like us to do more, write to support@sleuthbird.com and we'll do what we can.
This website
sleuthbird.com uses no cookies, no analytics and no third-party scripts or fonts. It is hosted by Cloudflare, which processes visitors' IP addresses to deliver and protect the site (Cloudflare's privacy policy). Emails you send us are kept only as long as needed to answer you.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update it here and change the date at the top. If a change is significant, we'll also mention it in the game's update notes.
Contact
Sleuthbird · Azerbaijan · support@sleuthbird.com