Welcome to The Rhyme Game, operated by Creative Rhythm LLC, a Delaware limited liability company doing business as The Rhyme Game (“we”, “us”, or “our”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect information when you use our mobile application (the “App”), the browser version of the game at play.therhymegame.com, our website at www.therhymegame.com (together with the browser version, the “Website”), and any community features, contests, sweepstakes, or other promotions we offer (each, a “Promotion”) (collectively, the “Services”). Sections 1.7, 3.3, and 3.8 describe the Website specifically. Everything else applies to all of the Services unless it says otherwise.

By using the Services, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy and understand how we collect and use information as described in it. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services. This Privacy Policy is part of our Terms of Use, available at https://www.therhymegame.com/terms/.

1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Anonymous Identifier

When you first open the App, we automatically create an anonymous account using our authentication provider (currently Google Firebase Authentication). This generates a unique identifier (“UID”) that is not linked to your name or email address unless you create a community account as described in Section 1.9. We use this identifier to provide App functionality, to keep a record of when you accepted our Terms of Use, and, if you subscribe, to connect your subscription to your account.

1.2 Device Permissions

The App may request access to the following device features:

Camera: To record video of you while you play, when you turn on REC.
Microphone: To record audio of you while you play, when you turn on REC.
Screen recording (iPhone and iPad only): To capture the game’s own screen for your video. See Section 1.4.
Photo Library: To save your recorded videos to your device.

These permissions are optional. You can use core App features without granting camera or microphone access. You can change these permissions at any time through your device settings (or your browser’s site settings, in the browser version of the game).

1.3 Locally Stored Data

The App stores the following data locally on your device (not on our servers):

Your app preferences and settings (e.g., playback speed, theme, audio settings)
Cached content for offline use (e.g., word lists, beat metadata)
Your permission choices and onboarding progress
Your birth year, used only for the age check described in Section 1.8

This data is stored using your device’s local storage and is not transmitted to us.

1.4 Video Recordings

If you turn on REC, The Rhyme Game uses your camera and microphone to make a video of you while you play. On iPhone and iPad, it also uses Apple’s screen recording (ReplayKit) to capture the game, which records only The Rhyme Game’s own screen. On Android and in the browser version of the game, the game is redrawn into the video and your screen is not recorded.

The camera and microphone are on only while a recorded game is in progress.
The video is created on your device (or in your browser, in the browser version of the game). It is never uploaded to us or to any third party unless you choose to share it, and we cannot see or hear it.
We do not use your camera or microphone for facial recognition, voice recognition, or any other analysis.
If you discard a take or leave the results screen without saving, its temporary files are deleted.
Save adds the video to your photo library (in the browser version, it downloads to your device). Share sends it through your device’s share sheet to the app you pick, and that app’s privacy policy then applies.
In the browser version, your browser asks for camera and microphone access, and you can revoke it in your browser’s site settings.

1.5 Information We Do NOT Collect

We do not collect:

Your precise location (we may infer your approximate location, such as your country or city, from your IP address, as described in Section 1.6)
Your contacts or address book
Your browsing history
Device advertising identifiers (such as Apple’s IDFA or Google’s advertising ID)
Biometric data (we do not use your camera or microphone for facial recognition or voice recognition)
Full payment card numbers or bank account information (payments are handled by Apple, Google, or our payment processor, as described in Section 1.10)
Your birth year (it stays on your device, as described in Section 1.8)

1.6 Analytics Data

Unless you have opted out of analytics, the App collects usage data through our analytics provider (currently Google Firebase Analytics). This includes which screens you visit, which features you use, general session information (such as app opens and game sessions played), device information (such as device model, operating system, and app version), and your approximate location (such as country or city) inferred from your IP address. This data is linked to your anonymous UID, not to your name or email address. Analytics is on by default in the United States, and you can opt out in the App’s settings at any time.

1.7 Website Visitors

The Website does not require an account, except for community features described in Section 1.9. When you visit it:

Server logs: Our hosting provider (currently Vercel) automatically processes standard technical data needed to deliver the page, such as your IP address, browser type, and the page requested.
Advertising measurement: We use advertising measurement tools (currently the Google tag from Google Ads) to measure whether our ads work. If you arrive on the Website by clicking one of our ads and then click a link to the App Store, Google Play, or the browser version of the game, the provider records that this click happened. This involves a cookie or similar identifier, your IP address, browser information, the page you were on, and the link you clicked. See Section 3.3.

We do not currently use the Website to build advertising profiles or advertising audiences, and we have turned off remarketing and ad personalization features for our advertising tag. If that changes, we will update this Privacy Policy and ask for your consent first. We set advertising cookies only if you accept them in our cookie banner, and if your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, we treat it as a request to opt out. We do not otherwise respond to “Do Not Track” signals.

1.8 Age Information

Before you can use the Services, we ask for your birth year. Your birth year is stored only on your device and is not sent to us. The App uses it on your device to confirm that you are old enough to use the Services and to set age-appropriate defaults, such as keeping players under 18 out of Promotions and marketing. If you tell us you are under 13, you will not be able to use the Services, and we will not start analytics or create an account for you. If we later need to keep age information on our servers, for example to keep players under 18 off our marketing lists when community accounts launch, we will keep only what we need, such as whether you are under 18, and not your birth year or full date of birth, and we will update this Privacy Policy before we do.

Beginning January 1, 2027, we may also receive an age range signal for your account from Apple, Google, or your device’s operating system, and we use it in the same way.

1.9 Account and Community Information

If you create an account to use community features, we collect your email address, the username you choose, and any profile information you add. We also collect the posts, comments, and other content you share in community features, reports you submit about other users or content, and records of any blocks or moderation actions. If you choose to receive marketing emails, we keep a record of when and how you agreed.

1.10 Purchase and Subscription Information

Subscriptions and in-App purchases are processed by Apple or Google. We use a subscription management provider (currently RevenueCat), and through it we receive information such as your subscription status, plan, free trial status, renewal dates, and purchase history. We do not receive your full payment card number or billing address from Apple or Google.

If we offer purchases through the Website, payments will be processed by our payment processor, which will collect your payment information directly.

1.11 Promotion Entry Information

If you enter a Promotion, we collect the information on the entry form, such as your name, email address, mailing address, state of residence, date of birth, and social media handle, along with the link to your post and the content of your post (including your performance, voice, and likeness as they appear in it).

If you enter by mail, we collect the information on your entry card.

If you are a potential winner, we also collect an affidavit of eligibility, a liability and publicity release, and an IRS Form W-9, which includes your Social Security number or other taxpayer identification number.

1.12 Diagnostics, Links, and Support

We and our service providers collect crash reports and performance data to keep the Services working. If you open the App or the Website from a link we share (for example, a link in an ad, social post, or email), our deep linking and attribution provider (currently Branch) collects information such as the link you clicked, your IP address, and device information, so we can send you to the right place in the App and understand which links bring people to the game.

If you contact us for support or send feedback, we collect your email address and the contents of your message.

2. HOW WE USE INFORMATION

We use the information described above to:

Provide, maintain, and improve the Services, including the App’s core functionality
Deliver game content (beats, word lists, rhyme patterns, tutorials) and remember your preferences and settings
Confirm your age and eligibility and set age-appropriate defaults
Operate community features, including moderating content, responding to reports, and keeping players safe
Process subscriptions and purchases, and provide customer support
Run Promotions, including verifying eligibility, judging entries, conducting drawings, contacting and announcing winners, awarding prizes, and meeting tax reporting obligations, as described in the Official Rules
Send you messages about your account, purchases, Promotions you entered, and changes to the Services or our policies, and, only if you opt in, marketing emails
Understand how the Services are used and measure how well our ads and links bring people to the game
Keep a record of your acceptance of our Terms of Use, prevent fraud and abuse, and protect the security of the Services
Comply with the law and enforce our Terms of Use

On the Website, we use the information described in Section 1.7 only to deliver the Website and to measure how well our ads lead people to the App.

We may also create aggregated or de-identified information that does not identify you, and use it for any lawful purpose. We do not use personal information for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.

We do not use your information for targeted advertising, profiling, or sale to third parties.

We send marketing emails (such as news, tips, new beats, and offers) only if you choose to receive them, for example by checking a separate box when you create an account. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any marketing email or in the App’s settings.

Entering a Promotion does not sign you up for marketing emails, and we do not send marketing emails to players under 18.

3. THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

We use the following service providers, which process information on our behalf and only as needed to provide their services to us:

3.1 Cloud Hosting and Analytics (currently Google Firebase)

Authentication: Creates and manages anonymous user accounts.

Database: Delivers game content (beats, word lists, patterns, tutorials).

Cloud storage: Streams beat audio files to the App.

Crash reporting: Receives crash reports when the App crashes or freezes, so we can fix bugs. A crash report includes your device model, operating system version, app version, and what the App was doing at the time. Turning off analytics in the App’s settings does not turn off crash reports.

Analytics: Collects usage data to help us understand how the App is used and improve the experience. This includes:

App open and session events
Screen views (which screens you navigate to)
Feature usage (such as game sessions started, rhyme dictionary used, and camera mode started)
Onboarding progress and completion
Anonymous user properties (such as app version, whether onboarding is complete, and approximate usage bucket)

Analytics data is associated with your anonymous UID. It is not linked to your name, email address, or any other personal identifier.

You can opt out at any time by turning off analytics in the App’s settings. When opted out, no analytics data is collected or sent.

Our provider also collects limited technical data (such as IP addresses in server logs) as part of providing these services. Analytics data already sent to our provider is generally kept for up to two (2) months and then deleted. For our current provider, this data is governed by Google’s Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

3.2 Apple App Store / Google Play Store

If you download the App through Apple’s App Store or Google Play, those platforms may collect data according to their own privacy policies. We do not control data collected by these platforms. If you subscribe or make a purchase, Apple or Google shares your subscription and purchase information with us, as described in Section 1.10.

3.3 Advertising Measurement (Website only)

The Website uses an advertising measurement tag (currently the Google tag) to measure conversions from our ad campaigns, that is, whether someone who clicked one of our ads went on to click through to download or play the game. Our current provider, Google, processes this data according to its own policies (https://policies.google.com/privacy; how Google uses data from sites that use its services: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites).

We have disabled remarketing and ad personalization signals for this tag, so visiting the Website does not add you to advertising audiences. Advertising cookies are turned off by default for all visitors, and are set only if you accept them in our cookie banner (see Section 3.8). Until then, our provider receives only limited, cookieless signals that it uses for aggregate measurement.

You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings, and manage Google’s use of data for ads at https://adssettings.google.com. The App does not contain this advertising tag.

3.4 Subscription Management (currently RevenueCat)

Our subscription management provider helps us manage subscriptions and receives your anonymous UID, subscription status, and purchase history from Apple or Google. It does not receive your full payment card information.

3.5 Deep Linking and Attribution (currently Branch)

Our deep linking and attribution provider provides links that open the App and helps us understand which links and campaigns bring people to the game, as described in Section 1.12.

3.6 Website Hosting and Payments (currently Vercel)

Our hosting provider hosts the Website. Our payment processor handles any purchases made through the Website.

3.7 Email and Promotion Tools

We may use an email service provider to send emails, such as account and support messages and, if you opt in, marketing emails. For Promotions, we may use online form, prize payment, and shipping providers to collect entries and deliver prizes.

3.8 Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookies are small text files placed on your browser. We and our service providers also use similar technologies, such as your browser’s local storage, pixels or tags, and software development kits (“SDKs”) built into the App. We use them in the following categories:

Strictly necessary: Needed for the Services to work, such as keeping you signed in, remembering that you accepted our Terms of Use, and preventing fraud. These cannot be turned off.
Preferences: Remember your game settings and preferences. In the App and the browser version of the game, these are stored on your device (see Section 1.3).
Analytics: Help us understand how the Services are used. In the App, this is done through our analytics provider’s software development kit, which you can turn off in the App’s settings.
Advertising measurement: Our advertising measurement tag on the Website measures whether our own ads lead people to the game, with remarketing and ad personalization turned off (see Section 3.3).

The cookies and similar technologies we currently use on the Website include:

Advertising measurement cookies (currently Google Ads, such as _gcl_au): Measure whether our ads lead people to the game. Set only if you accept them, and last up to 90 days.
Local storage (The Rhyme Game and our hosting provider): Stores your game settings, your birth year for the age check, your anonymous account session, and your acceptance of our Terms of Use. Remains until you clear it or delete your data in the App’s settings.
Embedded video cookies (currently YouTube, in privacy-enhanced mode): Videos on the Website load from YouTube only when you click play. YouTube may then set cookies or use local storage under its own privacy policy.

Your choices. When you first visit the Website, we show a cookie banner that lets you accept or reject cookies that are not strictly necessary, with equally easy options to do either. Advertising and other non-essential cookies stay off unless and until you accept them, and we keep a record of your choice. You can change your choice at any time using the “Cookie Settings” link at the bottom of the Website. The specific cookies we use may change over time, and a current list is available in Cookie Settings. If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, we treat it as a rejection of advertising cookies. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings, but parts of the Services may not work properly. In the App, you can turn off analytics in the App’s settings and limit ad tracking in your device settings.

4. DATA SHARING

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for targeted (cross-context behavioral) advertising. We share information only as follows:

Service providers: With the providers described in Section 3, who may use it only to provide services to us.
Other users: Your username, profile, and anything you post in community features can be seen by other users.
Promotions: With judges and prize fulfillment providers, and, as described in the Official Rules, by publicly announcing winners’ names or social media handles. Winners’ tax information is shared with tax authorities as required by law.
At your direction: When you share a recording or post to another app or platform, that platform’s privacy policy applies.
Business transfers: In connection with a merger, sale, financing, or other transfer of all or part of our business, subject to this Privacy Policy.

On the Website, advertising measurement data is processed by our advertising measurement provider as described in Section 3.3, and technical data is processed by our hosting provider to deliver the Website.

We may also disclose information if required by law, legal process, or government request, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of our users, the public, or us. We do not share personal information with third parties for their own direct marketing purposes.

5. DATA STORAGE AND SECURITY

We use industry-standard safeguards, including encryption in transit, designed to protect information transmitted between the Services and our service providers.
Your preferences and cached content are stored locally on your device.
Video recordings are created and kept on your device (or in your browser) and are not uploaded to our servers. If you choose to share one, it goes only to the app or platform you pick.
We limit access to personal information to people who need it, and we store winners’ tax information securely, with access restricted to the people who handle prize payments and tax reporting.

While we use commercially reasonable measures to protect your data, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure.

6. DATA RETENTION AND DELETION

6.1 Local Data

All locally stored data (preferences, cache, settings) can be deleted by:

Using the data deletion option in the App’s settings
Uninstalling the App from your device

6.2 Account Data

Your anonymous account can be deleted through the data deletion option in the App’s settings. This permanently removes your anonymous identifier from our systems. Analytics data already sent to our analytics provider is deleted on the schedule described in Section 3.1.

6.3 Video Recordings

Takes you do not save are deleted when you discard them or leave the results screen. Recordings saved to your photo library, or downloaded in the browser version, are controlled entirely by you and can be deleted through your device’s photo management or file storage. Once you share a video, the copy you sent is governed by the app you shared it with.

6.4 Account and Community Information

We keep your account and community information while your account is active. You can delete your account in the App’s settings or by contacting us, and we will delete your account information within thirty (30) days, except for information we must keep to comply with the law, resolve disputes, or enforce our Terms of Use, and copies in backups, which are deleted on their normal schedule.

If you are under 18, you can delete content you posted at any time.

6.5 Promotion Information

We keep entry information for non-winners for up to one (1) year after a Promotion ends, unless you separately opted in to marketing emails. We keep the Promotion file (including each version of the Official Rules, entries, drawing records, judges’ scores, winner documents, and proof of prize payment) for three (3) years after the Promotion ends, and we keep tax records for as long as the law requires.

6.6 Other Information

We keep subscription records, support messages, and records of your acceptance of our Terms of Use for as long as needed for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and to comply with our legal obligations. If you unsubscribe from marketing emails, we keep your email address on a suppression list so we do not email you again.

6.7 Retention at a Glance

Anonymous UID and Terms acceptance records: while you use the Services, and for as long as needed to show that you accepted our Terms of Use.
Age information: your birth year stays on your device until you delete the App or its data. Any age range signal we receive is kept while you use the Services.
Account and community information: while your account is active, then deleted within thirty (30) days of deletion.
Analytics data: according to our analytics provider’s retention setting (currently two (2) months).
Subscription and purchase records: for as long as needed for tax, accounting, and legal purposes.
Promotion entries of non-winners: up to one (1) year after the Promotion ends.
Promotion files and winner documents: three (3) years after the Promotion ends, and tax records for as long as the law requires.
Marketing preferences: until you unsubscribe, and then on a suppression list.

7. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

The Services are intended for users aged 13 and older. We ask for your birth year before you can use the Services, and players who tell us they are under 13 cannot use the Services. Your birth year stays on your device. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will promptly delete it.

For players ages 13 to 17, we use the most protective settings by default. The Content Filter is on (as it is for all players), we do not send marketing emails, we do not use their information for targeted advertising, and they cannot enter Promotions. Players under 18 can remove content they posted in community features, and they can ask us to remove it by contacting us. Removal does not ensure complete or comprehensive removal of the content, for example if another user copied or reposted it. If you live in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom and are under 16 (or the lower age of digital consent in your country), we do not collect analytics data from you or send you marketing emails.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at the address below.

8. YOUR RIGHTS

8.1 All Users

You have the right to:

Access: Know what data we hold about you (which is minimal, see Section 1).
Deletion: Delete your data using the data deletion option in the App’s settings, by deleting your account, or by contacting us.
Correction: Update your account information in the App or ask us to correct it.
Marketing: Unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time.
Analytics: Turn off analytics in the App’s settings.
Opt-out: Deny camera, microphone, and photo library permissions at any time through your device settings, or revoke camera and microphone access in your browser’s site settings for the browser version of the game.
Website cookies: Block or delete cookies in your browser, or use the “Cookie Settings” link at the bottom of the Website, as described in Section 3.8.

8.2 European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and Switzerland

The controller responsible for your personal information is Creative Rhythm LLC, 2810 N Church St, #400235, Wilmington, DE 19802, United States, contact@creative-rhythm.com.

If you are located in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, you additionally have the right to:

Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format.
Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data.
Restriction: Request that we limit processing of your data.
Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Lodge a Complaint: File a complaint with your local data protection authority.
Withdraw Consent: Withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on it, without affecting processing before you withdrew it.

We process your personal information on the following legal bases: (a) to perform our contract with you, including providing the App, your account, community features, and subscriptions; (b) our legitimate interests in operating, securing, and improving the Services, preventing fraud, and enforcing our Terms of Use, which we balance against your rights; (c) your consent, for analytics, link attribution, and marketing emails, which we ask for before these tools run on your device; and (d) compliance with our legal obligations, such as tax reporting for Promotion winners. On the Website, we do not set advertising cookies for visitors in these regions unless they consent (see Sections 3.3 and 3.8).

For GDPR-related requests, contact us at the address below. We will respond within thirty (30) days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. In the United Kingdom, this is the Information Commissioner’s Office (https://ico.org.uk), and a list of EU authorities is available at https://edpb.europa.eu.

8.3 California and Other U.S. State Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, including in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, and other states with comprehensive privacy laws, you may have the right to:

Know what personal information we collect about you and access a copy of it.
Delete or correct your personal information, including personal information we have about you from other sources.
Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, or its use for targeted advertising.
Not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.

We do not sell your personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, and in the past twelve (12) months we have not sold or shared any personal information. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of anyone under 16. The Website’s advertising measurement tag is used only to measure our own ad campaigns, with remarketing and ad personalization disabled, and we honor Global Privacy Control and other opt-out preference signals as described in Section 1.7. In the past twelve (12) months, we have collected the following categories of personal information: identifiers (such as your UID, email address, username, IP address, and device identifiers); commercial information (such as subscription and purchase history); internet or other electronic network activity (such as App usage data); approximate geolocation; and, for Promotion entrants and winners, contact information, audio and visual information contained in public posts, and taxpayer identification numbers (used only for tax reporting).

Beginning January 1, 2027, this may also include age range information, as described in Section 1.8. We collect this information from you, your device, Apple and Google, and our service providers, and we use it for the purposes described in Section 2. We disclosed each of these categories for a business purpose only to the service providers and other recipients described in Sections 3 and 4, and we keep each category for the periods described in Section 6.7.

To exercise your rights, email us at contact@creative-rhythm.com with the subject line “Privacy Request”, or, beginning January 1, 2027, use the privacy request form on our Website. We will verify your request before responding, and you may use an authorized agent. If we deny your request, you may appeal as described below.

Sensitive personal information. The only sensitive personal information we collect is the Social Security number or other taxpayer identification number of Promotion winners, which we collect and use only to report prize payments to tax authorities as required by law. We do not use sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about you. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for any purpose that would give you the right to limit its use under California law.

How we handle requests. We will acknowledge your request within ten (10) business days and respond within forty-five (45) days, which we may extend by another forty-five (45) days where permitted by law. We will verify your identity by matching information you provide with information we have. If you use an authorized agent, we will ask for your signed permission and may ask you to verify your identity directly. If we decline your request, you may appeal by emailing contact@creative-rhythm.com with the subject line “Privacy Appeal”, and we will respond within the time required by law.

Financial incentives. We do not offer financial incentives, discounts, or different prices in exchange for your personal information. The information we collect for Promotions is used only to run the Promotion and deliver prizes, as described in the Official Rules.

9. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS

The Services use cloud hosting and other service providers (currently including Google Firebase) whose servers may be located in the United States and other countries. If you use the Services from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States. For transfers from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (and the UK Addendum) or our service providers’ certification under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.

10. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, and we review it at least once every twelve (12) months. When we do, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

For material changes, we will notify you by email (if we have your email address), by an in-app notification, or by an updated App Store listing, and where required by law we will ask for your consent.

Disputes. Any dispute relating to this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information is subject to the dispute resolution, arbitration, class action waiver, and governing law provisions of our Terms of Use, except where the law of your country does not allow it.

11. CONTACT US

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Creative Rhythm LLC

Website: http://www.creative-rhythm.com/about-contact/

Mail: 2810 N Church St, #400235, Wilmington, DE 19802

Email: contact@creative-rhythm.com

For GDPR-related inquiries, you may also contact your local data protection authority.