Effective 2026-11-03 · Version 2026-11-03.1

Privacy policy

Version 2026-11-03.1. Effective 2026-11-03.

Gamenook is operated by Spindlecode LLC. This policy describes what Gamenook collects, why, and what we do and never do with it. It covers the web app at app.gamenook.ai and, when they launch, the iPhone, iPad and Android apps.

In plain language

  • We collect what we need to run your account and your games: who you are when you sign in, your display name, and the games you play.
  • Guests give a made-up display name. We keep a random guest identifier and, when supplied, a protected reference to a device identifier for session binding and abuse limits.
  • We don’t sell your data, and we don’t share it with advertisers or data brokers. Gamenook has no advertising or analytics software today.
  • Sign-in is through Apple, Google or a link we email you. We do not receive your Apple, Google or email account password.
  • You can delete your account in the web app or, once launched, in the iPhone, iPad and Android apps (Profile, Delete my account).

What we collect

  • Account data from Sign in with Apple or Google, or the address you give for an emailed sign-in link: an account identifier and, if the provider shares it, your email address. Used to sign you in. We retain the email address when supplied, and use a hash of the address to recognize emailed-link identities. Unused sign-in links temporarily store the address for sign-in delivery and verification.
  • Profile: the display name, handle and avatar you choose, and your settings, which are saved so they follow you across devices. A birth year is optional: if you provide one, we reject birth years that indicate an age below 18; a birth year alone does not verify your age; you must be at least 18 to use Gamenook. The web app does not ask for it today.
  • Devices and notifications: when a client registers for push notifications, we store its platform, push token, token-derived device identifier, app version, notification categories and registration times, plus its locale, time zone and push environment when supplied. The token itself is retained so notifications can be delivered when enabled; it is not merely a hash. Registrations expire after 180 days without refresh and are removed on account deletion.
  • Gameplay content: the tables you create or join, moves, results and stats, linked to your account and used for app functionality, so games can continue across devices and you can see your history. If you choose to send a problem report from the app, it contains a recording of the game and basic device details, and we use it only to fix the problem.
  • Friends and invites: who you have added as a friend and the invites you send.
  • Service logs and limits: technical records such as request times and error codes, kept to run and secure the service. Some security records and abuse limits use the IP address of the request. We do not put email addresses, names, tokens or invite links in logs.

Guests

Joining a table from an invite link as a guest needs only a display name. A guest has no account and gives no email address. The app sends a random device identifier, when supported by the client. The service uses a protected reference to that identifier to bind the guest token and limit abuse. Guest authentication is stateless: the guest identity, display name and device reference are carried in the session token rather than a separate account record. A guest session lasts up to 7 days. The moves a guest plays are part of that table’s game record.

Cookies and browser storage

Gamenook uses cookies and browser storage to restore sessions, remember settings and support play, including local games and reconnecting to tables. A client may retain a random device identifier for session binding and abuse prevention. There are no advertising or analytics cookies.

  • gamenook_refresh_token: cookie, set when you sign in, not readable by scripts on the page. It lasts up to 30 days and renews while you use the app, with an absolute limit of 90 days.
  • gamenook_guest_token: cookie, not readable by scripts, set for guests so they can come back to their seat. It lasts as long as the guest session, up to 7 days.
  • Local storage: a marker that a session should be restored (gamenook.auth_remember), sign-in and sign-out timestamps that tell your other tabs, your “Trust this browser” choice, and display settings such as board direction. Authentication markers and display settings are not credentials; reconnect keys and session cookies work like passwords for your seat; don't share them.
  • Session storage: a marker for the current tab and a reconnect key for each table you are playing.

Display names and handles

We check display names, handles and preset names with a word filter and, when configured and needed, automated classifiers. These can include a model we host ourselves and Google’s Gemini model, reached through Elastic’s inference service. These checks receive the text being checked, rather than your email, account identifier or game history.

What we don’t collect

  • Your contacts, location, microphone, camera or photos.
  • Advertising identifiers or cross-site tracking.

Where it’s stored

Data is stored on servers operated for Spindlecode in the United States (Amazon Web Services). Traffic between your device and Gamenook is encrypted with HTTPS.

Who processes data for us

  • Amazon Web Services, which hosts Gamenook.
  • Apple and Google, when you use Sign in with Apple or Google.
  • Resend, which delivers the emailed sign-in links.
  • Elastic, for the name checks described above and for player search (your handle, display name and avatar) and, where it is switched on, for performance traces of the server. Tokens, cookies and session values are stripped from those traces.

Who has access

Spindlecode staff can access stored data when needed to run the service, investigate a report or respond to a request from you. Other players see only what the game shows them: your display name, handle, avatar and the moves you make. People who are not your friends can find you by handle or display name in player search.

Deletion

You can delete your account in the web app or, once launched, in the iPhone, iPad and Android apps (Profile, Delete my account). Type DELETE to confirm. You may be asked to sign in again first. Sign-in stops straight away and the rest is removed in the background: your profile, friends, presets, stats and invites, and device registrations and sign-in records. Deleting your account deletes games played only against bots, cancels lobbies you host, removes you from other lobbies, and forfeits your seat in games already in progress with other people. Shared game records remain with your identity replaced by Deleted player. For help deleting your account, visit the Support page.

After deletion we set a 30-day expiration on a record that the account was deleted and a hold on your handle so nobody else can take it at once. Expiration makes records eligible for automatic cleanup; physical removal can lag behind expiry. If Apple could not be reached to revoke Sign in with Apple, we retain the encrypted Apple grant and retry information, with a 90-day expiration, so revocation can be retried.

Retention and future features

We keep account, profile, friends, presets and game data to provide the service until you delete the account, subject to the shared-game exception above. Short-lived sign-in links, authentication sessions, invite tokens, security limits and device registrations have expiration times; expired records may remain until automatic cleanup runs. Technical logs and operational copies may persist separately from the live account data. We do not promise that all copies disappear instantly or on a single fixed schedule. We limit retention to operational, security and legal needs.

We do not currently run ads or paid subscription checkout, and Stripe billing is not live. Before enabling billing or advertising we will update this policy to describe the additional processing and providers. We have no advertising or analytics software today; server performance monitoring and security logs are used to operate the service.

The in-app agreement read-and-accept flow is not available yet. When you accept through that future flow, we will retain the agreement version, content hash and acceptance date after account deletion under a protected code derived from your account identifier, without an IP address or user agent in that proof. We will retain it only as long as reasonably necessary for disputes, enforcement or legal obligations, then delete it.

Your requests

You can change your profile in the app and delete your account as described above. You may request access, correction or deletion of personal data through the contact address below or through the Support page (non-legal privacy questions and requests). Depending on where you live, applicable law may give you additional rights. We may need to verify your identity to handle a request.

Children

You must be at least 18 years old to use Gamenook.

Changes

If we make material changes, we will post them on this page and update the date at the top.

Contact

For non-legal privacy questions or requests, use the Support page or write to the address below. For legal notices, write to Spindlecode LLC, c/o Northwest Registered Agent LLC, 5900 Balcones Drive Suite 100, Austin TX 78731.