Effective date: 29 September 2026 · Last updated: 2 October 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how information is handled when you play Caldera (the "Game"), a survival shooter for Android in which you fly a drone up a shaft ahead of rising lava. "We", "us" and "our" mean the Game's developer. By using the Game, you agree to the practices described here.
Questions? Contact us at support@abduloski.dev.
Caldera is an independently developed Android game by Haris Abduloski, distributed through Google Play. We are the data controller for the limited information described in this policy. Google acts as an independent controller for the advertising data it collects through its own SDK (see section 2b). You can reach us at support@abduloski.dev.
We do not run a server and the Game has no account system. Limited information leaves your device through the Google services used for analytics, crash reports and advertising, as described below. We can view aggregated Analytics reports and crash reports in Firebase, but we never receive your name, your email address or anything else that directly identifies you.
We use Google Analytics for Firebase to understand how the Game is played and whether it works. Firebase automatically records information such as app launches, sessions, app and operating-system version, device model, approximate country or region, the Google Play campaign or link the Game was installed from (if any), and a Firebase app-instance identifier. Firebase Analytics may also collect your device's advertising ID.
We also record a fixed set of game events:
These events contain game information only. They never contain your name, email address, location or any other personal details, and the Game never sets a Firebase user ID. Each copy of the Game also reports whether it is a test build or the released version, so that test play can be kept out of the reports.
We use Firebase Crashlytics to find and fix crashes, including crashes in the game engine itself. A crash report can include a stack trace, the time and state of the Game at the crash, app and operating-system version, device model, available memory and storage, and a Crashlytics installation identifier. Crashlytics also counts app sessions, so it can tell how often the Game runs without crashing. We do not set a user ID or attach anything else to these reports.
Google processes this information under Google's Privacy Policy and Firebase privacy and security terms. Analytics and crash reports apply to every player. The consent form described in section 2b covers advertising.
The Game shows ads supplied by Google AdMob:
To select, deliver, limit and measure those ads, the Google Mobile Ads SDK collects information directly from your device, including your device's advertising ID, information about your device and the Game (such as device model, operating-system version and app version), your IP address (from which an approximate, city-level location can be inferred), and your interactions with the ads shown. On Android versions that support them, it may also use Android's Privacy Sandbox advertising features, such as Topics and Attribution Reporting. The Game itself requests no location permission and receives none of this information. It is collected by Google and handled under Google's Privacy Policy and the Google Ads terms.
Consent. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, the Game shows a Google-certified consent form (built with Google's User Messaging Platform) before ads start. Personalised ads are shown only if you agree to them; otherwise you receive non-personalised or limited ads. Your choice is stored by Google's consent SDK on your device, and you can reopen the form and change your answer at any time from Settings → Ad Preferences in the Game. That setting appears only where the consent form applies.
Everything the Game remembers about your play is stored in its private storage on your device and is never uploaded to us (Android's own backup is described in d below):
Google's consent, advertising and Firebase SDKs also keep their own settings and identifiers on your device. All of this is removed from your device when you uninstall the Game or clear its data in your device settings.
The Game lets Android back up its save file, and nothing else. If Google backup is turned on in your device settings, Android can copy that one file, which holds everything listed in c above, to your own Google account, and put it back when you reinstall the Game or set up a new phone. Google holds that copy under its own terms; we never see or hold it. The Game's advertising, consent and Firebase files are not part of it. Android makes the copy about once a day, so very recent progress can be missing from a restore, and if there is no backup to restore, a reinstall starts your progress over. Remove Ads and the Starter Pack come back from Google Play either way; Soul Gem packs are used up when delivered, so only a backup can bring one back. On Android 12 and later the same file may also be copied to a new phone during a direct phone-to-phone transfer.
To be explicit, the Game does not:
| Permission | Why it is needed |
|---|---|
VIBRATE | Haptic feedback when your drone takes damage. You can turn it off in Settings → Haptic Feedback. |
INTERNETACCESS_NETWORK_STATE | To load ads and to send analytics and crash reports. Playing the Game does not need a connection. |
Advertising IDcom.google.android.gms.permission.AD_IDandroid.permission.AD_ID | Included by Google's advertising and Firebase SDKs to read your device's advertising ID (sections 2a and 2b). |
ACCESS_ADSERVICES_AD_IDACCESS_ADSERVICES_ATTRIBUTIONACCESS_ADSERVICES_TOPICS | Included by Google's advertising SDK for Android's Privacy Sandbox advertising features, where your device supports them (section 2b). |
com.google.android.finsky.permission.BIND_GET_INSTALL_REFERRER_SERVICE | Lets Firebase Analytics read which Google Play campaign or link the Game was installed from, if any. |
WAKE_LOCKFOREGROUND_SERVICE | Included by Google's SDKs so they can finish short background tasks, such as sending queued reports. |
com.android.vending.BILLING | Lets the Game offer in-game purchases through Google Play. Payment is handled by Google Play, not by the Game. |
We do not sell your personal information. The Game relies on the following Google services, which process information as described above:
| Service | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Google Analytics for Firebase | Aggregated app usage and fixed game events |
| Firebase Crashlytics | Crash reports and stability |
| Google AdMob / Google Mobile Ads SDK | Serving, limiting and measuring ads |
| Google User Messaging Platform | Asking for and recording advertising consent where it is required |
| Google Play (billing) | Taking payment for in-game purchases and keeping your purchase records |
| Android backup (Google) | Keeping a copy of your progress file in your own Google account so it can be restored |
We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, and security of our players or the Game.
Analytics and crash reports are retained according to the retention settings and terms of those Firebase services. Advertising and consent data collected by Google is retained according to Google's retention periods. Purchase records held by Google Play are kept under Google Play's terms. A backup copy of your progress kept in your Google account is retained under Google's terms until you delete it. Data stored only on your device remains until you uninstall the Game or clear its data.
Because the Game has no accounts and no server, you control your data directly:
The Game's data is kept in its own private storage area, which other apps on your device cannot read. The Google SDKs it includes communicate with Google over encrypted (HTTPS) connections. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we take reasonable measures to limit collection, including fixed Analytics events and no Firebase user ID.
Caldera is a general-audience game and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we hold information about a child, please contact us and we will act on it.
EEA / UK (GDPR): you have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data, to object to or restrict certain processing, to withdraw consent, and to data portability. Our legal bases are: your consent for personalised advertising (collected through the consent form described in section 2b, and changeable at any time from Settings → Ad Preferences in the Game or in your device's Google ad settings); and our legitimate interest in keeping the Game working and improving it through analytics and crash reports, and in funding the free Game through advertising, where consent is not legally required. Where Google acts as an independent controller for advertising data, you may also exercise your rights directly with Google.
United States (California and other states with privacy laws): we do not sell your personal information, and we do not "share" it for cross-context behavioural advertising on our own behalf. You have the right to know what is collected, to request deletion, and not to be discriminated against for exercising your rights. To opt out of personalised advertising, reset or delete your advertising ID in your device's Google settings.
To exercise any of these rights, email support@abduloski.dev.
Google, the only third party involved, processes data on servers that may be located in countries other than yours, including the United States. Where required, these transfers are governed by appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission's standard contractual clauses.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, provide notice within the Game. Continued use of the Game after an update means you accept the revised policy.