Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 31, 2026

The short version. Bitcade is a free arcade. We keep what's needed to save your progress, run the score boards and let friends message each other. We don't show ads, we don't sell your information, and there are no advertising or tracking companies in Bitcade. You can turn off play activity sharing, and you can delete your account at any time in the app.

What stays on your device

Your scores, badges, tickets, prizes, missions, settings and the character you made are saved in your browser's storage on your device. They don't leave it unless you use the features below.

What we keep on our servers, and why

Bitcade uses Google Firebase to store the following. Each player gets a random player ID; we don't ask for your real name, address or phone number.

Your player profile: the player name, initials and character you choose. Other players can see them (not for players under 13; see below).
World score boards: your initials, your score, your player ID and the time, when a score makes a board.
Messages and friends: the messages you send, kept so the two players in a conversation can read them. If someone reports a conversation, its last 30 messages are sent to us so we can act on it.
Challenges: a challenge you share holds your initials and score; results against it are kept with it.
Who's online: for players 13 and up who have friends, the page you're on and the game you play most, which only your mutual friends can see.
The live ticker: big moments (a top-3 score, a mastered cabinet, every fifth level) with your player name, shown to all players. Not for players under 13.
Play activity: which games you play, for how long, your scores, your device type (phone, tablet or computer), level and ticket count, so we can see what people enjoy and what needs fixing. You can turn this off in Settings (Share play activity).
Error reports and feedback: when something breaks, a short description of the error and your browser type; and anything you send with the feedback box. Error reports follow the play activity setting.
Cloud save (optional): a copy of your progress, found only by the sync code you're given. The code is also kept with your player (only you can read it), so signing in with Google on a new device brings your progress back.
Google sign-in (optional): if you link Google to use your friends on all your devices, Firebase Authentication keeps your Google account's email to recognise you. Other players never see it.
Your age band: the profile setup asks for your birth year once. We keep only whether you're under 13 or not, never the year.

Players under 13

Players who tell us they're under 13 play in Safe mode: they can only send the preset quick-chat messages (no typing), can't find or add friends by name, have no public profile (other players see only their initials), and never appear on the live ticker or as online. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children beyond what's described here. If you're a parent and want your child's data removed, use Delete my account in Settings, or contact us (below).

Who we share it with

Only the services that run Bitcade: Google Firebase (database and sign-in) and GitHub Pages (the website). We don't sell or rent your information, and we don't share it with advertisers. We may disclose information if the law requires it.

How long we keep it

As long as your account exists. Old play activity may be removed sooner. When you delete your account, we erase your data from our servers, normally within 30 days.

Deleting your account

In Bitcade, open ⚙ Settings → DATA → Delete my account and type DELETE. This removes your profile, name, cloud save and sign-in straight away and asks us to erase the rest (your scores on the world boards, messages, challenges, play activity and feedback), and clears everything on your device. If you can't open the app, contact us with your player name and we'll do it for you.

Your choices

Turn off play activity sharing in Settings.
Block or report any player from a conversation.
Use Bitcade without cloud save or Google sign-in.
Delete your account at any time.

Security

Data is sent over encrypted connections, and our database rules let each player change only their own records. No system is perfect, so please don't put personal details in your player name or messages.

Changes

If this policy changes, we'll update the date at the top. Big changes will be announced in the app.

Contact

Send us a message with ⚙ Settings → Feedback in the app.