Meow Detective Privacy Policy
Last updated: November 7, 2026
This policy explains what data the Meow Detective app (“we”) handles, why we need it, where it is stored, how long we keep it, and how you can manage it.
Data we store on our servers
Every player, including guests who haven't signed in, has a cloud account. Our servers store:
- Your user ID (a random number generated by the game), in-game name, and the avatar and frame you're using
- Level progress; the result of each game (time, mistakes, paws left, hints used); your scores and rankings in the Daily puzzle and the Weekly Challenge; and the in-game items you've earned
- If you sign in with Apple: the user identifier provided by Apple, and the email address verified by Apple (if you chose “Hide My Email”, we only receive Apple's relay address)
- The status of your “Remove Ads” subscription: the App Store transaction ID, plan and expiration date (no payment details)
- Your platform (iOS) and app version
- Problems you report, together with your phone model and system version; if you choose to get a reply by email, also the email address you enter
- When a guest account is created, a hash of the connecting IP address (never the raw IP) is kept temporarily to prevent abuse and is deleted automatically after one day
We never ask Apple for your name. In-game names are made up at random by the game from a fixed word list and can't be typed in. Your email address is only used to identify your account, to remind you which sign-in method you used before, and to reply to problems you report. We never send you marketing emails. Guests have no sign-in method linked, so after switching phones or deleting the app you may not be able to get back to your original account.
How we use it
This data is only used to provide cloud saves, accounts, leaderboards, in-game items, subscription benefits and support, and to keep the service secure and stable. We never sell it to anyone or use it for marketing.
Publicly shown data
The Daily puzzle and Weekly Challenge leaderboards publicly show the in-game name, avatar, frame and score of the top 10 players, visible to all players. Leaderboards never show user IDs, email addresses or any other data.
Ads
The app shows ads through Google AdMob. Google may collect device identifiers, IP address and approximate location, ad interactions and diagnostic data to show ads, measure performance and prevent abuse. Where required by law, the app asks for your consent first. The app doesn't request iOS tracking permission (ATT) and doesn't access the IDFA. For details, see How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services and the Google Privacy Policy. With a “Remove Ads” subscription, no ads are shown.
Subscriptions and payments
The “Remove Ads” subscription is handled by Apple. We never receive your payment details; we only check the subscription status and expiration date with the App Store and record them on your account.
Service providers and where data is stored
Data is stored on servers of the following providers, which may be located outside Taiwan:
- Cloudflare: hosts our servers, database and website (the database is in the Asia-Pacific region), and processes technical data needed for connections, such as IP addresses.
- Expo: delivers app updates, and processes technical data needed to check for and download updates, such as IP addresses.
- Apple: provides sign-in and subscriptions.
- Google: provides the ad service described above.
Retention and deletion
Account data is kept until you delete your account. In the app, go to “Settings › Delete Account” to delete your account, cloud data, leaderboard scores and reports, and to revoke the Sign in with Apple authorization. Guests can delete their accounts the same way. Deleting your account doesn't cancel your subscription; to cancel it, go to “Settings › Manage Subscription” or Subscriptions on your iPhone.
Your rights
Under Taiwan's Personal Data Protection Act, you may ask to look up, review or get a copy of your data, and ask us to supplement, correct, stop processing or delete it. Most of this can be done right in the app (the Settings screen shows your user ID and lets you change your name and delete your account). For anything else, email us and include the user ID shown on the app's Settings screen.
Children
Meow Detective isn't designed specifically for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe this has happened, please contact us and we will delete the data.
Changes to this policy
When this policy changes, we will update this page and the date above. Significant changes will also be announced in the app.
This policy is also available in Traditional Chinese. If the versions differ, the Traditional Chinese version prevails.