Game Junction Studio Privacy Policy

Last updated: 29 July 2026

App: Game Junction Studio (com.junctiongames.familyhub)

Developer: Game Junction Studio

This app is owned and operated by Alpha Tech Solutions India.

Game Junction Studio is a product of Alpha Tech Solutions India. For more information on our parent entity's global safety standards, SHA-256 hashing protocols, and our Secure Digital Vault in India, please visit the Alpha Tech Solutions Master Privacy Center.

Data Fiduciary

Alpha Tech Solutions India is the Data Fiduciary for Game Junction Studio. All data processing described in this policy is conducted under the laws of India, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP), 2023.

Grievance Officer

Grievance Officer: Rani Neelam

Designation: Privacy & Compliance Lead, Alpha Tech Solutions India

Email: privacy@alphatechsolutions.in or contact support.gamejunction@gmail.com.

This Privacy Policy describes how Game Junction Studio ("we", "our", "the app") collects, uses, and shares information when you use our mobile and web applications.

Summary

• We use third-party service providers Firebase (Google) for sign-in (including Anonymous Authentication for Guest-First progress sync), cloud sync, analytics, and crash reporting.
• We use third-party service provider Google Play Billing (Google) for Pro subscriptions and in-app purchases.
• We show AdMob banner ads on lobby and menu screens (not during active gameplay), including Clear Me lobby/setup. Pro subscribers and guests in a Pro host's room do not see ads.
• Live Chat voice is peer-to-peer, encrypted in real time, and not recorded or stored by us.
• Clear Me is a puzzle mode within Game Junction Studio (Classic/Zen solo and invite-only Puzzle Race). Solo best times and stars may sync under an anonymous Firebase UID; Puzzle Race sessions may produce vault safety metadata like other multiplayer rooms.

Privacy and safety measures we implement

Game Junction Studio is built as a private digital living room, not a public social network. We implement the following protections:

• Private room codes only — no public lobbies, stranger matchmaking, or global chat.
• Host admission — every guest waits for the host to approve before joining.
• Google Sign-In for Live Chat — voice requires a verified Google account (anonymous sessions cannot use voice), so we can enforce community rules.
• Encrypted peer-to-peer voice — Live Chat uses WebRTC with encrypted audio between devices; our servers carry connection signaling only, never voice media.
• No audio recording or storage — we do not operate voice servers and do not retain conversations.
• Age-tier voice rules — birth-year verification, under-13 voice block, junior-host room voice restrictions, and optional parental mic lock.
• Abuse reporting and enforcement — in-app reports (metadata only), automated strike bans, and permanent identity blocks for repeat abuse.
• Short-lived signaling cleanup — stale WebRTC connection data is pruned from our database on a regular schedule.
• Affirmative consent — before using the app, you confirm our in-app Safety & Privacy Commitment. We store a consent receipt (policy version, timestamp, disclosures shown, platform) for signed-in users.

Data residency

Community enforcement (anti-social conduct)

To protect our community, users who violate our safety guidelines may be permanently restricted using a non-reversible digital fingerprint (SHA-256 hash). This process is automated to ensure family safety and is not reversed when an account is voluntarily deleted.

Junior accounts

Junior Accounts (users aged 13–17, based on self-declared birth year) receive enhanced privacy protections. Features like Live Voice Chat are automatically disabled. Junior-hosted rooms disable voice for all participants. Users under 13 cannot use voice chat at all.

Live voice (WebRTC)

Live Chat uses encrypted peer-to-peer (WebRTC) audio between players' devices. Firebase Realtime Database is used only for connection signaling, not to carry voice data. Google Sign-In is required for Live Chat — anonymous accounts cannot join voice sessions.

No-logs policy: We do not have the technical capability to listen to or record your conversations. Live voice is transmitted directly between players' devices. Game Junction Studio does not operate voice servers, does not store audio, and cannot produce conversation logs, transcripts, or recordings in response to legal or government requests because such data never exists on our systems.

Parents should supervise children's use of voice chat. Voice reports (if filed) store metadata only (room, user IDs, optional description)—never audio. Reports feed our automated enforcement system.

Information we collect

Account information (Firebase Authentication)

When you sign in with Google, we receive:

• Your Firebase user ID (UID)
• Display name and email address (as provided by Google)
• Profile photo URL (optional)

We use Firebase Authentication to identify you across devices and sync your Pro entitlements and educational game progress. For Guest-First play (including Clear Me Classic/Zen), the app may establish a Firebase Anonymous Authentication session (UID only — no email or Google profile) so progress can sync without Google Sign-In. Google Sign-In is required for Pro purchase checkout and for Live Chat voice.

Purchase information (Google Play Billing)

When you buy Pro (lifetime, weekly pass, or 24-hour pass), purchase verification is handled by Google Play. We store entitlement status (Pro active/expiry) in Firebase Realtime Database so your Pro benefits work on all signed-in devices. We do not store your full payment card details — Google processes all payments.

Game and usage data

• Educational progress (levels unlocked, scores) — stored locally and synced to Firebase when signed in (anonymous or Google-linked session).
• Clear Me progress (Classic/Zen best solve times, star ratings, and light preferences such as board style or accent) — stored locally in SharedPreferences. When a Firebase session exists (typically Anonymous Auth, or Google-linked after Pro/Voice upgrade), these may sync to Firebase Realtime Database at users/{uid}/progress/clear_me. Uninstalling the app or clearing app data removes the local copy; cloud copies follow account deletion flows below.
• Clear Me Puzzle Race — invite-only rooms under private room codes (clear_me_rooms in Firebase Realtime Database, Singapore). Temporary race state (puzzle identity, seat progress, finish status) lives for the session. When a room is closed or pruned, Cloud Functions may archive hashed participant identifiers, timestamps, and optional winner hash to our Secure Digital Vault in India — the same vault rules as other multiplayer games (no voice audio, no puzzle board content as long-term vault payload).
• Multiplayer room data (nickname, room code, game state) — stored temporarily in Firebase Realtime Database during active sessions.
• Firebase Analytics — anonymous usage events to improve the app (including Clear Me lobby and play flows).
• Firebase Crashlytics — crash logs and device metadata to fix bugs.
• Device identifier — a random UUID stored locally in SharedPreferences for guest multiplayer sessions.

Ads (AdMob)

When ads are enabled, Google AdMob may collect advertising identifiers and usage data according to Google's Privacy Policy. See Google's ad settings to manage personalized ads.

For users identified as children via our age-gate, we serve only non-personalized ads and disable the collection of advertising identifiers in compliance with Google Play’s Families Policy.

How we use information

• Provide and improve game features
• Sync Pro status and progress across your devices
• Host multiplayer rooms in real time
• Show relevant banner ads (non-Pro users, outside active gameplay)
• Diagnose crashes and fix issues
• Comply with legal obligations

Third-party services

We use third-party service providers to operate Game Junction Studio. They may collect and process information on our behalf according to their own privacy policies. The main providers are Firebase (Google) and Google Play Billing (Google).

Provider privacy policies:

• Firebase: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy
• Google Play Billing / Google payments: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Data retention

Automated Safety Record Retention

Game Junction Studio does not store your name, email, phone number, or private conversations. We only retain non-identifiable safety records—such as encrypted device fingerprints (SHA-256 hashes) and game session timestamps—within our Secure Digital Vault. These records are used solely for community protection and are automatically purged after a 1-year period, ensuring no long-term data footprint exists.

• Multiplayer room data is deleted when the host closes the room or after inactivity.
• Account and entitlement data is retained while your account is active.
• Delete your account in the app: Settings → Account → Delete account (when signed in). This permanently removes your Firebase Authentication record and associated personal data we store in Firebase Realtime Database (entitlements, progress, purchases, report cards, profile).
• Permanent ban: If your account was banned for abuse, deletion removes profile data but does not lift the ban. We retain a non-reversible hash to enforce exclusion (see Security & fraud prevention below).
• Deleting your account does not cancel an active Google Play subscription — manage subscriptions in Google Play.
• Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics may retain anonymized usage and crash data under Google's policies.

Security & fraud prevention (suppression list)

To ensure community safety, we retain non-identifiable cryptographic hashes of banned accounts to prevent re-registration. This is processed under our legitimate interest in platform security.

When an account receives a permanent abuse ban (automated or manual), we store SHA-256 hashes in a dedicated blacklist collection in Cloud Firestore in India (Mumbai region, Secure Digital Vault): normalized account email, Google provider identifier (when email is unavailable), and linked device UUIDs (when previously associated with the account). No plain-text email or device ID is stored on the blacklist entry. Hashes are used only to block re-registration and device linking — not for profiling or marketing.

Hash retention: 3 years (standard abuse) or up to 10 years / indefinite (severe abuse). Voluntary deletion by a non-banned user does not create a suppression-list entry.

We maintain an internal, admin-only Secure Digital Vault in Cloud Firestore (Mumbai region; Cloud Functions only; not accessible in the app) with ban context, session metadata, and abuse reports — no audio, and no user-facing access. Abuse reports are retained for 1 year.

Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP), account deletion fulfills erasure for personal data we control; the retained hash is a minimal security measure and is not personal data used for any purpose other than exclusion.

Advance notice: Where feasible, we may provide up to 48 hours' notice before processing voluntary account deletion. Emergency safety bans (including automated permanent bans) may proceed without advance notice.

Children's privacy

Game Junction Studio is designed for families. We use age-tier safety controls based on a self-declared birth year (stored at users/{uid}/profile/birthYear after sign-in) for voice chat and junior-host protections.

• Without signing in: You can play using a local nickname and device identifier. We do not receive your email or name. You must accept our in-app Safety & Privacy Commitment before playing. Clear Me Classic/Zen does not require Google Sign-In; the app may still create an anonymous Firebase UID so best times and stars can sync under Guest-First progress backup. Clear Me Puzzle Race (and other online modes) requires the same Safety & Privacy Commitment and private room-code flow as other multiplayer games.
• With Google Sign-In: We receive the profile information Google provides (see Account information above). Creating and managing a Google account is subject to Google's age and Family Link policies. We do not independently verify that a user meets a minimum age.
• Affirmative consent: The Safety & Privacy Commitment screen explains SHA-256 safety fingerprints, Secure Digital Vault retention in India (Mumbai), data residency, P2P voice privacy, and junior protections. Signed-in users receive a server-stored consent receipt at users/{uid}/consents/privacy_policy in Cloud Firestore (India/Mumbai).
• Parents and guardians: If your child signed in and you want their cloud data removed, use Settings → Account → Delete account on their device, or contact us at support.gamejunction@gmail.com or through the Play Store listing with the Google account email or Account UID shown under Settings → Diagnostics. We delete matching account data when we can confirm the request relates to that account (see our developer documentation for parents).

We do not knowingly operate a separate “under-13 account” product. If you believe we have collected a child's personal information without appropriate consent, contact us and we will delete associated account data after verifying the account identifiers you provide.

Pro Subscription & Feature Inheritance

The Partial Inheritance Model

To enhance the family gaming experience, Game Junction Studio operates a 'Partial Inheritance' model for Pro features. When a Pro-tier user hosts a private room, certain 'Utility Features'—including ad-free gameplay and access to advanced educational levels—are inherited by all participants in that session.

However, 'Social Features,' specifically Live Voice Chat, are subject to strict safety-based inheritance rules. If a Pro session is hosted by a Junior Account (under 18), the inheritance of Voice Chat features is strictly prohibited. In such cases, the room will remain Ad-Free and all levels will be unlocked, but Voice Chat will be disabled for all participants. This ensures that the premium value of the subscription is preserved while maintaining a secure, unmoderated environment for our younger hosts.

Profile and room safety fields

• Birth year — stored at users/{uid}/profile/birthYear after sign-in; used only for age-tier safety (under-13 voice block, junior mic restrictions). Your birth year is not shared with other players.
• Room safety flags — when hosting, we write hostIsMinor and voiceEnabled booleans on the multiplayer room node so all clients enforce the same voice policy. These flags do not expose your birth year to guests.
• Parental controls — optional 4-digit PIN, microphone lock, account-deletion lock, and join-only (private) mode are stored only on your device (hashed PIN in local storage). They are not uploaded to our servers.

Your choices

• Sign out — clears local session; cloud data remains until you delete your account.
• Delete account — Settings → Account → Delete account (signed-in users). Permanently deletes your auth account and our cloud copies of your data.
• Pro subscription — removes ads and unlocks premium features; cancel recurring billing in Google Play separately.
• Live Chat — optional; requires Google Sign-In, birth year verification, and explicit consent before first use. Not available to users under 13.

Contact

For privacy questions, contact us at support.gamejunction@gmail.com or through Settings → Contact us in the app. Account deletion is available in-app under Settings → Account.

Changes

We may update this policy. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.