CreativeBunny ("we") operates the Android application Around U (the "App"), a Bluetooth multiplayer game hub. This policy explains what data the App handles and why. It is written to match exactly what the App does — if the ad configuration changes, this page is updated too.
The short version
The App has no accounts, no sign-in, no analytics and no servers of our own. Your name, avatar, chat messages and game moves travel over Bluetooth directly to the person sitting near you, and stop there. The one thing that uses the internet is advertising: the App shows ads supplied by Google AdMob, and that ad system uses your device's advertising ID to select and measure the ads you see.
What stays on your device
- A display name you choose
- An avatar you pick from a fixed set of twelve
- A randomly generated session ID
- Your sound, vibration, theme and offline-difficulty preferences
- A short list of players you have played with before, so you can re-invite them
This data is written to the App's private storage. We cannot see it, it is never uploaded to us, and it is removed when you uninstall the App. Android backup is switched off for this app, so none of it is copied to cloud backup or handed to a device transfer.
What is sent to other players
When you connect to someone over Bluetooth, your device sends them your display name and avatar number, your session ID, and the moves and messages you make. Nothing else. This travels directly between the two phones over a Bluetooth socket. It does not pass through any server, is not stored by us, and is gone when the session ends.
The session ID
A random identifier generated the first time you open the App. It exists so that two players who chose the same display name can be told apart during a game. It is not linked to your phone number, email, account, advertising ID, or device serial. You can generate a fresh one at any time from Settings → Reset session ID, which makes your device look brand new to everyone.
Chat
Messages are encrypted end to end between the two phones. Each session negotiates fresh keys using an ephemeral ECDH key exchange, derives separate AES-256-GCM keys for each direction, and discards them when the session ends. Messages are filtered on your device for length and offensive words before being sent and again when received, are held in memory for the length of the session, and are never written to storage.
Both players' screens show a six-digit code derived from both devices' keys. If the two codes match, nothing is relaying between you. Because the App connects strangers, you may receive a message you do not want — leaving the game closes the connection immediately.
Permissions the App requests
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
Nearby devices (BLUETOOTH_SCAN, BLUETOOTH_ADVERTISE, BLUETOOTH_CONNECT) | To find other players in range and connect to them. The App declares neverForLocation, so scan results are not used to derive your position. |
ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION (Android 11 and below only) | Older Android versions classify a Bluetooth scan as a location capability and will not return results without it. The App does not read, store or transmit your location. |
INTERNET, ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE | Loading ads, and checking whether you are online before offering one |
FOREGROUND_SERVICE, FOREGROUND_SERVICE_CONNECTED_DEVICE | Keeping an active game connected while you check something else on your phone |
POST_NOTIFICATIONS | Showing that a game session is running |
VIBRATE | Feedback for dice rolls, moves and captures |
com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID | Access to the advertising ID for advertising |
ACCESS_ADSERVICES_AD_ID, ACCESS_ADSERVICES_ATTRIBUTION, ACCESS_ADSERVICES_TOPICS, WAKE_LOCK | Declared by the Google Mobile Ads SDK for Android's Privacy Sandbox advertising APIs and its background work. Not used by our own code. |
The App does not request access to your photos, files, contacts, messages, call logs, camera or microphone. Those permissions are absent from the shipping manifest entirely, so this is not a promise about our intentions — the capability is not there.
Advertising
The App uses Google AdMob (the Google Mobile Ads SDK) to show advertisements. It shows no banner ads and never shows an ad during a game. The formats it uses are:
- Interstitial — a full-screen ad shown occasionally between matches, never during one
- Rewarded video — optional, and only when you choose to take one up
- Native — a single in-theme ad card on the game-selection screen, always marked "Ad"
For advertising and measurement, Google may collect:
- Your device's advertising ID (a resettable identifier)
- Ad interaction data — which ads were requested, shown, viewed or clicked
- Device and diagnostic information — device model, operating system version, language, and crash or performance data from the ad SDK
- Approximate location derived from your IP address
Your name, avatar, messages and game moves are not sent to the ad network, or anywhere else. We do not receive your name, email address or contact details from this process, and we do not sell your data.
- Google's advertising privacy information: policies.google.com/technologies/ads
- How Google uses data from apps that use its services: policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites
If additional advertising partners are ever enabled through AdMob mediation, their own privacy policies will apply to the data they process, and this page will be updated to name them.
Your choices
- Reset or limit your advertising ID: Android Settings → Privacy → Ads lets you reset the identifier or delete it entirely, which stops interest-based advertising. The games keep working exactly as before.
- Consent (EEA, UK, Switzerland): where required, the App shows a consent form provided by Google's User Messaging Platform before any personalised ad is requested. Where your region's rules require an ongoing way to change that choice, a Privacy options entry appears in the App's Settings and reopens the form.
- US state privacy rights: residents of applicable US states may exercise opt-out rights through the same consent mechanism, or by contacting us at the address below.
- Rewarded ads are always optional. Declining one costs you nothing that you already had.
Children
The App is not directed to children under 13, and its Play Store target audience is 13+. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. The App does allow chat with nearby strangers, so parents should apply their own judgement. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us and we will delete what we hold.
Data retention and deletion
We hold no user accounts and no server-side copy of your data, so there is nothing for us to delete on request. To remove all local data, uninstall the App or clear its data in Android settings. For advertising data held by Google, use the opt-out routes above or Google's own controls at myadcenter.google.com.
Security
Bluetooth sessions between players are encrypted end to end, as described above. Data transmitted by the ad SDK is sent over encrypted (HTTPS/TLS) connections.
Changes
We may update this policy as the App changes. Material changes will be reflected by a new "Last updated" date on this page.
Contact
Questions about this policy: askcreativebunny@gmail.com