Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Mathsters ("we", "us") provides the Mathsters mobile app and this website (together, the "Service"). We are the data controller for personal data processed through the Service. Contact: Contact form or hello@playmathsters.com.

2. Children and parental consent

The Service is designed for children of early-years and primary-school age, used under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian. Only an adult may create an account, add player profiles, or make purchases. By creating an account you confirm you are at least 18 years old and are the parent or guardian of each child you add, and you consent to the processing described here on their behalf.

We comply with the US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the UK Age Appropriate Design Code, and the GDPR rules on children's data. We collect no more information from children than is reasonably necessary to operate the Service. Children cannot enter free text that is shared with anyone, cannot upload photos, and cannot contact other users.

3. What we collect

Parent account: your name, email address, password (stored hashed), account creation date, and your chosen language and region. We do not ask for a phone number.

Player profiles (children): a nickname chosen by the parent (the app asks for a nickname only, never a surname), an avatar colour, monster customisation choices, coin balance, and learning progress: topics and levels attempted, scores, answers given, and time spent per test. We do not collect a child's real name, date of birth, photo, location, contacts or any government identifier.

Purchases: subscriptions are bought as in-app purchases through the Apple App Store or Google Play. We receive a purchase receipt, product identifier, subscription status and renewal dates. We never see or store your card number or billing address; those are held by Apple or Google under their own privacy policies.

Device and diagnostics: device model, operating system version, app version, language, anonymised crash reports and performance logs, and a randomly generated installation identifier used to sync progress. We do not collect precise location or advertising identifiers.

Support: if you contact us, we keep your message, email address and our reply.

4. How we use it

We use personal data to: create and secure accounts; store and sync learning progress, coins and monsters across devices; verify subscription status with Apple or Google and unlock paid features; show parents their children's results; answer support requests; detect fraud, abuse and technical faults; and comply with law. Legal bases under GDPR are performance of a contract (Terms of Use), our legitimate interests in running and securing the Service, your consent where required, and legal obligations.

We do not use children's data for advertising, profiling, marketing, or selling to third parties, and we do not build behavioural profiles of children beyond the learning progress shown to their parent.

5. Advertising, tracking and analytics

The app contains no third-party advertising, no ad networks and no social media SDKs. We use privacy-preserving, aggregated analytics (for example, how many tests are completed per topic) to improve the curriculum. Analytics data is not linked to an identifiable child. The website uses only strictly necessary cookies.

6. Sharing

We share data only with: Apple and Google to process in-app purchases and validate receipts; infrastructure providers that host our servers and databases, act on our instructions under written contracts, and may not use the data for their own purposes; email providers for account and support messages; and authorities where required by law, court order or to protect the safety of a child. If Mathsters is acquired or merged, data may transfer to the successor, who must honour this policy. We never sell personal data.

7. Storage, transfers and security

Data is stored on servers that may be located outside your country. Where data leaves the UK or EEA we rely on adequacy decisions or standard contractual clauses. We use encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest, hashed passwords, access controls and regular backups. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach is likely to affect you we will notify you and any regulator as the law requires.

8. Retention

We keep account and player data while the account is active. If an account is inactive for 24 months we email the parent and then delete it. Deleting a player removes that child's profile, progress, coins and monster within 30 days. Deleting the parent account removes all players. Purchase records are kept for as long as tax and accounting law requires (typically 7 years) and support emails for 2 years. Backups are purged on a rolling 35-day cycle.

9. Your rights

Parents can, at any time and free of charge: view and export all data we hold about them and their children; correct it; delete a player or the whole account from the Account screen in the app; refuse further collection by deleting the account; withdraw consent; object to or restrict processing; and complain to a supervisory authority (in the UK the ICO, in the EU your national data protection authority, in the US the FTC). We will verify you are the account holder before acting and respond within 30 days.

10. California and other US states

We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising and have not done so in the previous 12 months. Residents of California and other states with privacy laws may exercise the rights in section 9. We do not discriminate against anyone who exercises their rights.

11. Third-party stores

Your use of the App Store or Google Play is governed by Apple's and Google's own terms and privacy policies. Information they collect about downloads, payments and your store account is under their control, not ours.

12. Changes

We may update this policy. Material changes, and any change to how we collect or use children's data, will be announced in the app and by email to the parent at least 14 days before they take effect, and we will obtain fresh consent where the law requires it. Continued use after the effective date means you accept the updated policy.

13. Contact

Questions, requests or complaints: use the contact form or email hello@playmathsters.com.