Privacy policy
space.cricket and the space cricket app for iPhone and Apple Watch. Effective 2026-09-26.
space.cricket is a multiplayer game. This page says what the game stores about you, why, who handles it for us, and how to have it removed. It covers the website at https://space.cricket and the iPhone and Apple Watch apps, which run the same game.
What we collect
- Your account, if you sign in. You can sign in with Apple, Google, or an email address and password. Google Firebase Authentication keeps your email address and a user id for the account. If you use Sign in with Apple and choose to hide your email, we only see Apple's relay address. We do not store your real name from Apple or Google.
- A device token, if you play without signing in. The game makes a random id and keeps it on your device, so you can rejoin your ship and enter races. It is not an advertising id and is not tied to your email.
- Pilot names. The names you give your pilots are shown to other players and reserved so no one else can take them.
- Chat and messages. Lines you send on the general channel are relayed to other players by our server. Messages to friends, friend requests and your friends list are stored in our database so they reach the other person.
- Gameplay data. Your saves (ship, cargo, credits, missions, upgrades), the stations you build, race entries and replays, and pilot stats such as top speed and when you last played. While you play, our server receives your ship's in-game position and controls to run the game's physics.
- Purchase records. Which paint coats your account owns, when, whether it was bought through Apple or on the web, and the store's transaction reference. We never see your card details.
- Device type. The game tells our server a plain word such as "an iPhone" so it can tell you which device is flying your ship. It is not stored.
- Watch data. The Apple Watch app gets your pilot and saved flight from your iPhone and writes the flight back so either device can pick up where the other left off.
The iPhone app may ask to send you notifications. The only one it sends is a local reminder to start braking before an approach. It is scheduled on your phone and nothing about it is sent to us.
What we do not do
- No ads and no advertising ids.
- No tracking across other apps or websites.
- No analytics, crash reporting or other third-party tracking tools in the game.
- No location. The game never asks for your device's location.
- We do not sell or rent your data to anyone.
Who handles it for us
- Google Firebase (Authentication and Cloud Firestore) holds accounts, saves, messages, stations, races and purchase records, and runs the game's economy.
- Amazon Web Services hosts the game server in the United States (us-east-1). It runs the live game and keeps ship positions in memory only. Its web server may log IP addresses for security and running the service.
- Apple processes purchases made in the iPhone app (the App Store and StoreKit) and Sign in with Apple. Our server checks each purchase with Apple before granting it.
- Stripe processes purchases made on the website. Stripe collects your payment details; we receive only a record that the payment went through.
- Google handles Sign in with Google.
Your data is stored and processed in the United States.
What other players see
Other players see your pilot names, your ship and where it is in the game, the stations you build, your race results, and anything you post in chat. Friends you add can message you. Your email address is never shown to other players.
How long we keep it
- Account, saves, stations and friend messages are kept while your account exists. Purchase records are kept after an account is deleted (see below).
- General chat lines are held in the game server's memory for recent history and are gone when it restarts.
- After you stop playing, your ship stays visible to others as a faded ghost for about four days.
- Race results and replays are kept as part of the race record.
- If you play without signing in, your progress lives on your device and is gone if you clear the site's data or delete the app.
Deleting your data
You can retire a pilot in the game (Menu, then your profile, then Retire). That removes the pilot from your stable and frees its name.
You can delete your whole account in the game: open the Menu, then your profile, then Delete account, and confirm twice. This deletes every pilot on your account in both games, with their saves, ships, stations, pilot names, friends and the world names they gave, and then deletes your sign-in. If you signed in with Apple, the app also asks Apple to revoke its sign-in token. It happens straight away and cannot be undone.
A few things are kept. The record of coats you bought stays with our purchase records, because Apple and Stripe keep their own record of the payment and a Restore on a new account can bring the coats back. A message you sent to a player who still has an account stays in their inbox. Race results and replays keep the pilot name they were run under.
If you cannot sign in any more, email us at mjohnson@thermist.com from the address you signed in with, or tell us your pilot name if you use Sign in with Apple with a hidden email, and we will delete the account for you within 30 days.
Children
The game is meant for players aged 13 and over, because it has live chat with other players. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you think a child under 13 has an account, email us and we will delete it.
Your rights
You can ask us for a copy of your data, to correct it, or to delete it, by email. If you live somewhere with privacy laws that give you more rights, such as the EU, the UK or California, we will honour them.
space.cricket is made by Matthew Johnson. Email mjohnson@thermist.com.
Changes
If this policy changes, we will update this page and its effective date. A big change will also be announced in the game.