Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Hero Kid ("we", "us", "our", or "the App") is an educational adventure game designed for children aged 4–8. We deeply care about protecting your child's privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information our app collects, how it is used, and what choices you have as a parent or legal guardian.

Contact: eng.yahia22@hotmail.com

2. Information We Collect

Hero Kid is designed to collect as little information as possible.

Stored only on the device (never sent to us):

• The child's chosen "hero name" (any nickname they enter)
• Stars and bricks earned in the game
• Badges unlocked
• City buildings placed
• Stories and missions completed

All of this is stored locally on the device using Android's secure on-device storage (such as SharedPreferences / DataStore). It never leaves the device and is not accessible to us.

Sent directly from the device to Google's services:

• Photos taken inside the "Missions" feature, sent to Google's Gemini AI for verification (see Section 7).
• Anonymous text prompts requesting AI-generated content (new missions, study questions, puzzles, and pictures to color).
• Short text strings sent to Google's text-to-speech service so the app can read words and instructions aloud.

These requests are sent directly from the child's device to Google. We do not operate any backend server, so we never see or store this data.

Used to display ads (Google AdMob):

To serve non-personalized ads, the Google AdMob SDK receives limited, non-identifying technical data (such as IP address, approximate region, and basic device/app information). See Section 4 for full details. We do not receive or store this data.

Used for basic app analytics (Google Firebase Analytics):

To understand how many times the app is installed and how it is used overall, we use Google Firebase Analytics. Because this is a child-directed app, Firebase Analytics is configured in a privacy-protective way and collects only:

• A random, app-generated installation ID (an "app-instance ID") that is not linked to any personal identity;
• Basic usage events such as first launch (install), app opens, and which screens are viewed;
• General technical data: app version, device model, operating-system version, and approximate country/region derived from the IP address (the IP address itself is not stored by Google).

We have explicitly disabled collection of the Android Advertising ID (AAID) and the device identifier (Android SSAID) for Firebase Analytics, and we have disabled all ad-personalization and ad-storage signals. This data is used only to measure installs and general usage — never for advertising, profiling, or tracking the child across other apps.

Information we do NOT collect:

• ❌ Real names, emails, or phone numbers
• ❌ Location data (GPS)
• ❌ Contacts, calendar, microphone, or file system access
• ❌ Cross-app tracking, behavioral ad profiling, or any data used to target ads
• ❌ The Android Advertising ID (AAID) — ads are non-personalized (see Section 4)
• ❌ Login or account information

3. Android Permissions We Use

Hero Kid requests only the minimum permissions required to function:

We do not request location, microphone, contacts, or background permissions of any kind.

The Google Mobile Ads (AdMob) SDK also declares the normal ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE permission (granted automatically, with no prompt) to check connectivity before loading an ad. We explicitly remove all advertising-ID permissions (com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID and android.permission.ACCESS_ADSERVICES_AD_ID) so that no advertising identifier can be collected.

4. Advertising (Google AdMob)

Hero Kid shows advertisements provided by Google AdMob, a Google-certified ad service approved for use in apps designed for children. Ads may appear as banners and as optional rewarded ads that a child can choose to watch to earn in-game bricks or extra activities. Watching ads is always optional — the app is fully playable without watching any ad.

Because Hero Kid is a child-directed app, all ads are configured to be:

• Non-personalized — ads are not based on a user profile or browsing behavior;
• Child-appropriate — limited to a maximum content rating of "G" (suitable for everyone);
• Tagged for child-directed treatment and "under the age of consent," so Google serves them under its Families requirements.

We do not allow collection of the Android Advertising ID (AAID). The corresponding permission is explicitly removed from the app, and we declare "No advertising ID" in Google Play. To serve a non-personalized ad, the AdMob SDK still receives limited, non-identifying technical information (such as IP address, approximate region, and basic device/app data), handled by Google under its policies. We never receive, store, or have access to this information.

Hero Kid still contains:

• No personalized or behaviorally-targeted advertising
• No crash-reporting or third-party tracking SDKs (no Crashlytics, no Facebook SDK). We use only Google Firebase Analytics for basic install/usage measurement, configured without any advertising or device identifier — see Section 2.
• No social media features or sharing

5. In-App Purchases & Subscriptions

Hero Kid offers one optional paid subscription, "Hero Kid Pro," which removes ads from the app. Purchasing it is completely optional — the app remains fully playable for free, and the subscription only changes whether ads are shown.

• Cost & billing: it is a recurring, auto-renewing subscription billed through your Google Play account. The exact price and billing period are always shown on the purchase screen before you confirm.
• Who processes payment: all payments are handled securely by Google Play Billing together with a subscription-management service, RevenueCat. We never see or store your credit-card or payment details.
• Data involved: to remember that the subscription is active, a random, anonymous app-user identifier and the purchase status are processed. This is not linked to your child's identity and is never used for advertising.
• Parental control: because every purchase goes through Google Play, you can require a password or biometric authentication for all purchases in the Google Play Store settings. We strongly recommend parents enable purchase authentication.
• Managing or cancelling: you can view, manage, or cancel the subscription anytime in Google Play → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions. Cancelling stops all future renewals.

Subscriptions are governed by the Google Play Terms of Service, and subscription/payment data handling is governed by the RevenueCat Privacy Policy.

6. How We Use Information

The minimal information that briefly leaves the device is used solely to:

• Generate fresh, age-appropriate mission ideas using AI
• Verify whether a photo taken by the child matches their current mission
• Return the AI's response to the device so the game can continue

We do not store, log, sell, or share this information for any other purpose. We do not maintain any database whatsoever.

8. Children's Privacy (COPPA / GDPR-K / Play Families)

Hero Kid is designed specifically for children under 13. We comply with:

• COPPA — US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
• GDPR-K — EU General Data Protection Regulation, Article 8 (Children)
• Google Play Families Policy

How we comply:

• We do not collect Personal Information from children
• We do not require login or account creation
• We do not behaviorally target or profile children
• Any ads we display are non-personalized, child-appropriate (max rating "G"), and served only through Google's certified AdMob SDK (see Section 4)
• We use the minimum data necessary to provide game features
• All photo processing is transient (handled by Google, not stored by us)

If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from your child, please email eng.yahia22@hotmail.com and we will investigate immediately.

9. Data Storage on the Device

All game progress is stored locally on the device using Android's standard storage APIs. You can clear it at any time by:

• Using the "Reset" option inside the app, or
• Going to Settings → Apps → Hero Kid → Storage → Clear Data

We do not maintain any cloud sync, backup, or remote database. Reinstalling the app deletes all on-device data.

10. Third-Party Services

Hero Kid uses the following third-party services (all operated by Google, except RevenueCat, which manages the optional subscription):

We do not use any crash-reporting or cross-app tracking SDKs. Aside from Google Firebase Analytics (used only for install and usage measurement, with all advertising and device identifiers disabled — see Section 2), the only other Google advertising SDK is Google AdMob, configured for non-personalized, child-directed ads as described in Section 4.

11. Data Security

• All connections use HTTPS encryption (TLS 1.2+)
• API keys are bundled into the application and protected by Android's package isolation; we use Gemini API quota limits to mitigate misuse
• We do not maintain any user database or backend server
• Photos are streamed to Google for analysis, not written to public storage

While no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, we use industry-standard practices to protect data in transit.

12. Parental Rights

As a parent or legal guardian, you have the right to:

• Review the information stored about your child (visible in the app)
• Delete all of your child's information (Settings → Apps → Hero Kid → Clear Data, or uninstall)
• Refuse further use of the app at any time
• Contact us with any questions or concerns

13. International Users

The Gemini API is operated by Google and may process requests on servers located in the United States or other countries where Google operates. By using the app outside the US, you acknowledge that your child's photos and prompts may be transmitted to and processed by Google in those regions.

14. Changes to This Policy

If we ever change this policy, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Display a notice in the app on next launch
• For material changes affecting children's data, request fresh parental consent