Privacy Policy
Quiet Signal Decoder
This policy explains how this application handles information and how to contact us about privacy.
Information we process
Quiet Signal Decoder stores game progress, discovered fictional transmissions, saved fragments, filter settings, clock corrections, source choices, conclusions, trial difficulty and personal scores, volume, subtitle and motion settings locally on your device. Your language preference is stored in local preferences. The app automatically requests a random installation secret and keeps it in the device Keychain; the server stores its SHA-256 authorization hash and creation time. When you enable optional cloud backup, the server receives an AES-GCM encrypted game snapshot and its update time, plus your private trial identifiers, difficulty, score and update time as readable metadata. It does not ask for your name, email, account credentials, contacts or location. The app and public website make network requests that expose connection information, including IP address, request time and technical request details, to the hosting infrastructure. No audio is recorded or uploaded; all fictional speech is bundled in the application.
How we use information
Local data lets you continue an investigation, review evidence, keep personal trial records and retain your settings. The installation credential authorizes access to your own server records without an account. Optional cloud processing supports backup, same-installation restore and synchronization, including retries after a connection becomes available. Update timestamps resolve conflicting snapshots. Ephemeral hashed connection counters limit installation issuance and protect service availability. Technical hosting information supports delivery, security and operation of the API and public policy pages.
Service providers and sharing
The application backend and this public policy are hosted on Railway. Railway and the infrastructure providers it uses process network requests, server storage and operational logs to provide hosting. The application has no advertising, third-party analytics, social sign-in, email-delivery or external content SDKs. Your progress and scores are not published or shared with other players. The operator can access stored ciphertext, authorization hashes and readable score metadata while operating the service. The installation secret is issued over HTTPS and is not stored in the server database or application request logs. Information may also be disclosed when necessary to comply with a legally binding request.
Data retention
Local progress remains until you reset it in Settings, remove the application, or device storage is otherwise erased. Operating-system backup behavior may affect local app files; the installation secret uses a device-only Keychain accessibility class, and app removal is not a reliable way to remove an existing server copy. Server snapshots and scores remain until you use Delete server copy or reset progress while backup is enabled. The server retains an authorization hash and creation time after deleting game data so that the installation can keep using its credential. The application does not set a guaranteed retention period for Railway infrastructure logs or provider backups. No application-managed scheduled database backup is configured for this release. Provider-level logs, snapshots or backups, if retained, follow provider controls and are not immediately rewritten by an application delete.
Deleting your information
In Settings, Delete server copy removes this installation’s current server snapshot and personal trial scores and disables backup, while preserving your local progress. If the network is unavailable, deletion is saved locally and retried when a connection returns. Reset all progress requires confirmation and clears local investigations, fragments and trial records; if cloud backup is enabled or a deletion is pending, it also queues deletion of server game data. Existing server data is not removed merely by switching backup off. The authorization hash remains for continued installation access. Deletion removes active database records but does not promise immediate physical erasure from SQLite pages or any infrastructure backup. You can contact KenelmWrotham@icloud.com with privacy requests. Do not send your installation secret by email. If the secret is lost, the service has no account-based means to locate, restore or authorize deletion of that private installation’s game records.
Permissions and your choices
The application does not request microphone, camera, photo library, location, contacts or notification permissions. Audio playback uses bundled recordings and needs no microphone access. You can turn subtitles, playback volume, reduced motion and optional cloud backup on or off in Settings. Disabling backup stops future uploads; use Delete server copy to remove an existing copy. Network access can also be restricted using device settings, and investigations remain playable offline. System accessibility settings, including Reduce Motion, are respected.
Your privacy rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete or restrict processing of personal data, object to processing, or complain to a relevant privacy authority. You can review your game records in Archive and manage local and server copies in Settings. For questions or to exercise applicable rights, contact KenelmWrotham@icloud.com. The service uses an installation credential rather than a personal account, so identification of server records is limited to what can be securely authorized from the installation. The privacy contact address is not an in-app messaging or login service.
Security
Requests use HTTPS. The client stores its random secret in Keychain with device-only protection and uses it for per-installation authorization. Server queries scope every private operation to the authenticated installation. Game snapshots are encrypted with AES-GCM using a key derived from the installation secret and a fresh nonce; score metadata and timestamps are not encrypted by this application layer. Local progress uses atomic writes and iOS file protection after first unlock. The backend validates sizes and fields, bounds request concurrency and uses SQLite transactions for updates. Application request logs omit secrets and payloads. No system can guarantee absolute security; anyone with the installation secret can access that installation’s server data. This protects stored snapshots but is not end-to-end encryption against the API operator: authenticated requests present the installation secret to the API, which remains part of the trust boundary.
Children’s privacy
Quiet Signal Decoder is a fictional investigative puzzle game intended for a general adult audience, particularly adults aged 18 to 35. It is not designed for children under 13 and does not intentionally solicit their personal details. No age, name or contact fields are requested. A parent or guardian with concerns can contact KenelmWrotham@icloud.com and use the deletion controls on the relevant installation.
Changes to this policy
This policy may change when the application’s features, processing or hosting practices change. The effective date on this page identifies the current version. Updated policies will be published at this privacy-policy address, and material changes will be explained in the application or its release information as appropriate. Review the policy before enabling optional cloud backup after an update.