Privacy policy

Plotwork is built to know as little about you as it can. There are no accounts to create, no emails, no passwords and no phone numbers. This page says exactly what the game and this website do collect, why, who else sees it, how long it's kept, and what you can do about it.

Last updated 29 September 2026.

Who we are

Plotwork is made by Heathcote Apps, a sole trader based in the United Kingdom. We're the "controller" of the personal data described here. Questions, requests or complaints: support@plotwork.io.

The short version

• The game signs you in with a random account number. We never ask for your name, email or phone number.
• Your player name (a made-up one unless you choose your own), your country and your results are shown to other players on the tables, in races and in leagues.
• Anonymous stats are off unless you say yes. Personalised adverts are only shown with your consent where the law requires it (UK and EU), and never at all if you've bought Remove ads or Plotwork Pro.
• We don't sell your data.
• You can delete your account, and everything our server keeps about you, from Settings at any time.

What we collect, and why

Your account

When you first play online, the game creates an account for you with a random number (an anonymous sign-in). It isn't linked to your Google account, email or phone number. We use it so your results, leagues and races stay yours.

Your player name

Other players see the name you play under. The game makes one up for you (like "Steady Hedgehog 53") until you choose your own; please don't use your full real name. If you have Plotwork Pro, a star is shown after your name.

Your country and region

So you can see how you rank at home, the game notes your country from your phone's mobile network, SIM or language settings. If - and only if - your phone already lets Plotwork use your approximate location, it also notes your region (a county in the UK, a state in the US). Both are shown on the season tables. Plotwork only ever asks for approximate location, never precise location, and never tracks you.

Your games

When you play the daily puzzle, a speedrun, a race or in a league, we keep what's needed to rank you and to let others watch the run: your times, scores, how many boards you cleared, mistakes, whether you used a hint, and the moves you made on the board. Races also keep your progress while the race is on and the theme you played in. Leagues keep their name, their members and - for a public league whose creator chose to share it - the place it's in, rounded to about a kilometre so nobody's home can be found.

Notifications

If you allow notifications, we keep your phone's notification address (from Google's Firebase Cloud Messaging), your time zone (so nothing arrives at night) and which notifications you've switched on.

Purchases

Remove ads and Plotwork Pro are bought through Google Play. Google handles the payment; we never see your card or payment details. Google Play tells the game what you own, and our server notes whether you have Pro (to show the star).

Anonymous stats - only if you say yes

If you agree, the game sends anonymous figures about how it's played (which modes, how boards go, where the lessons lose people) to Google Analytics for Firebase. They include your device type, app version and a rough location worked out from your internet address, but never your player name and never your advertising ID. You can switch this on or off at any time in Records.

Crash reports

If the game crashes, Firebase Crashlytics sends us a report of where the code broke, with your device model, Android version and app version. It contains nothing about you personally. We use it to fix bugs.

Adverts

Plotwork is free because of adverts from Google AdMob. AdMob collects your device's advertising ID, your internet address (for approximate location) and information about how adverts are shown, to deliver adverts, measure them and stop fraud. In the UK and EU you're asked first whether adverts may be personalised to you, and you can change your answer at any time in Settings. If you've bought Remove ads or Plotwork Pro, no adverts are loaded at all. See how Google uses data from apps that use its services.

Invite links

If you install Plotwork from a friend's race or league link, Google Play's install referrer tells the game which link you came from, so it can take you straight to that race or league.

Your camera and microphone

Only used if you choose to record a selfie reaction for a share video. The recording is made and kept on your phone and is never sent to us - it goes only wherever you choose to share the video.

Kept only on your phone

Your best times, streaks, achievements, settings and puzzles in progress stay on your phone. Uninstalling the game removes them.

If you email us

We keep your email and our reply so we can help you.

This website

plotwork.io uses Google Analytics only if you accept it in the cookie banner (you can change your mind with "Cookie settings" at the bottom of every page). The daily puzzle on the website saves your progress in your own browser; it isn't sent to us.

Our lawful reasons

• To give you the game (our contract with you): your account, name, country and region, results, races, leagues, notifications you've switched on, and your purchases.
• Your consent: anonymous stats, personalised adverts, notifications on your phone, approximate location, and your camera and microphone. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Our legitimate interests: crash reports to fix bugs, keeping the tables fair and free of cheating, and non-personalised adverts that pay for a free game.

Who else sees it

• Other players see your player name, country, region, results, race progress and runs, on the tables, in races, in leagues and on plotwork.io.
• Supabase runs our database and sign-in, with your data stored in the European Union (Paris).
• Google provides Firebase (notifications, crash reports, and stats if you agree), AdMob (adverts) and Google Play (downloads, purchases and invite links).
• Hostinger hosts this website and our email.

They process data for us under contracts that protect it. Some are based in the United States; where data leaves the UK, it's protected by the UK's approved safeguards (such as the UK-US data bridge or standard contractual clauses). We don't sell your data, and we'd only hand it to anyone else if the law required it.

Some of the players you meet in Play with strangers and on the tables are computer players - their names start with a robot, 🤖. They're run by us and aren't people.

How long we keep it

• Your account, name, results, leagues and season wins: until you delete your account.
• Races: deleted within a day or so of being played (your results stay on the tables).
• Notification addresses: until you delete your account, or sooner if Google says they no longer work.
• Crash reports: 90 days. Anonymous stats: up to 14 months.
• Emails to support: up to two years after we last hear from you.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you can ask for a copy of your data, have it corrected, have it deleted, object to how we use it, restrict it, and withdraw any consent you've given. The quickest ways:

• Change your name: Settings → Change your name.
• Delete everything: Settings → Delete my account and data, or see how to delete your account without the game.
• Stats, adverts and notifications: switch them in Records and Settings, or in your phone's settings.
• Anything else: email support@plotwork.io. We'll reply within a month.

If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk - though we'd like the chance to put it right first.

Children

Plotwork is for players aged 13 and over. It isn't aimed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect data from them - if you think a child under 13 has played online, email us and we'll delete their account. For players aged 13 to 17 the game is private by default: no account details, a made-up name, no chat, stats and personalised adverts only with consent, and approximate location only if it's switched on.

Keeping it safe

Everything the game sends travels encrypted (HTTPS), and our database only lets each player change their own data. Other players can't see your notification settings or anything about your purchases beyond the Pro star.

Changes

If this policy changes, we'll update the date at the top, and tell you in the game if the change matters. See also our terms of use.