The short version
- There are no accounts and no sign-in. We don't run any servers that store information about you.
- Your progress, settings and energy are saved on your phone and never sent to us.
- Ads are served by Google AdMob, which uses your device's advertising ID. Where the law requires it, you are asked before ads are personalized, and you can change your answer in the game at any time.
- The one purchase, Unlimited Energy, is handled by Google Play. We never see your payment details.
- We don't sell your personal information, and we don't use analytics of our own.
Who we are
Cytoguard is made by Roberto Duran, an independent developer (“we”, “us”). The app's package name on Google Play is com.robertoduran.cytoguard. For anything about this policy or your information, write to info@robertoduran.me.
This policy covers the Cytoguard app and this website. Google's services used inside the game (AdMob and Google Play) have their own privacy policies, linked below, which also apply to the information they handle.
What stays on your phone
Cytoguard saves the following on your device so the game can remember where you are: outposts unlocked and stars earned, your defender loadout, research upgrades and DNA, energy and its refill timer, recent run results, tutorial and story progress, sound settings, and whether you own Unlimited Energy.
This is stored in the app's private storage. It is not sent to us and we can't see it. It disappears when you uninstall the game or clear its storage. If your phone's backup to your Google account is turned on, Android may include this game data in your device backup; that backup is handled by Google under your Google account settings.
Ads (Google AdMob)
Cytoguard is free and shows ads from Google AdMob, using the Google Mobile Ads SDK. There are two kinds: a full-screen ad when a defense ends, and optional video ads you choose to watch for a reward (extra energy, extra ATP or a second chance).
To show and measure ads, Google may collect and process information from your device, such as:
- your device's advertising ID and other device or app identifiers;
- your IP address, which can be used to estimate your general location (country or city, not your precise location);
- device information such as model, operating system, language and screen size;
- how you interact with ads, such as views and taps;
- diagnostic information such as crash logs and ad performance.
Google uses this to deliver ads, limit how often you see the same ad, measure results, prevent fraud and abuse, and, if you allow it, to personalize ads based on your interests. On newer Android versions the SDK may also use Android's Privacy Sandbox features (ad topics and attribution), which you control in your phone's settings.
Google acts under its own policies. See how Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services and the Google Privacy Policy.
Your ad choices
Consent. In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and other places where the law requires it, Cytoguard asks for your choice the first time you open it, using Google's consent tool (the User Messaging Platform). If you don't consent to personalized ads, Google may still show non-personalized or limited ads, which rely on less information, such as the app you're using and your general location.
Changing your mind. When a consent choice applies to you, a Privacy button appears in the game's main menu. Tap it at any time to review or change your choice.
US state privacy laws. Some US states give you the right to opt out of “targeted advertising” or the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information, which can include personalized ads. Where Google's consent tool offers this choice in your state, it appears through the same Privacy button. You can also opt out at any time using your phone's ad settings below.
On your phone. In your Android settings (usually under Privacy > Ads, or Google > Ads) you can reset or delete your advertising ID, which stops apps from using it for personalized ads. You can also manage the ads Google shows you in My Ad Center.
The in-app purchase
Cytoguard offers one optional, one-time purchase: Unlimited Energy. Purchases go through Google Play Billing, and Google processes your payment under its own terms and privacy policy. We never receive your card number, billing address or other payment details.
To unlock the purchase, the game receives a purchase record from Google Play (which product you bought, an order identifier and a purchase token) and saves on your phone that you own it. When you reinstall the game with the same Google account, Google Play tells the game again so the purchase is restored. Google Play also provides us with order records in the Google Play Console (for example the order number, date, product, price and country), which we use only for refunds, support and accounting.
Unity and Google Play
Cytoguard is built with the Unity engine and uses Unity's in-app purchasing library. Unity Technologies may receive limited technical information about your device (such as device model, operating system, graphics hardware and an anonymous identifier) to keep the engine and purchasing working and to fix problems. See the Unity Privacy Policy.
The game is installed and updated through Google Play. If you allow your phone to share usage and diagnostics, Google Play may give us aggregated crash and performance reports (Android vitals) that don't identify you.
App permissions
Cytoguard asks Android for these permissions, none of which show a prompt:
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
| Internet and network state | To load ads and reach Google Play for the purchase. |
| Advertising ID, ad topics and attribution | Added by the Google Mobile Ads SDK to serve and measure ads, subject to your choices above. |
| Google Play billing | To buy and restore Unlimited Energy. |
| Vibration | For haptic feedback during play. |
| Wake lock and foreground service | Used by the ads and billing libraries to finish their work reliably. |
What we don't collect
Cytoguard doesn't ask for your name, email address or phone number, and doesn't access your precise location, contacts, photos, files, camera or microphone. We don't run analytics or tracking of our own, and we don't sell your personal information.
Children
Cytoguard is a general-audience game and is not directed at children under 13. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the game, contact us and we will help remove it.
Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR in the EU and UK, or state laws such as California's), you may have the right to access, correct or delete your personal information, to object to or restrict its use, to withdraw consent, and to opt out of targeted advertising. We won't treat you differently for using these rights.
Because we don't keep personal information on our side, most choices are in your hands directly: use the Privacy button in the game, your phone's ad settings, or uninstall the game. For information Google holds, you can use Google's privacy controls. You can always email us at info@robertoduran.me and we will help; we reply within 30 days. You may also complain to your local data protection authority.
Where the GDPR applies, the bases for processing are: your consent for personalized ads and for storing or reading information on your device for advertising; our legitimate interest in funding a free game with non-personalized ads, preventing fraud and keeping the game working; and performing our contract with you when you buy Unlimited Energy.
Keeping and deleting data
Game data on your phone stays until you uninstall Cytoguard or clear its storage in your phone's settings (Apps > Cytoguard > Storage > Clear storage). Clearing storage resets your progress; a purchase can be restored afterwards as described above. Google keeps advertising and purchase information for the periods set out in its own policies.
Google and Unity may process information in countries other than yours, including the United States, under the safeguards described in their policies. Information sent between the game and these services is encrypted in transit.
This website
This site has no cookies, ads, analytics or trackers. It is hosted by Vercel, which processes standard server logs (such as IP address, browser type and the pages requested) to deliver the site and protect it from abuse. See the Vercel Privacy Policy. If you email us, we use your message and address only to reply.
Changes and contact
If we change how Cytoguard handles information, for example by adding a new service, we will update this page and the date at the top before the change reaches the game. Questions or requests: info@robertoduran.me.