Happtix Limited

Happtix Games privacy notice

Last updated: 28 September 2026

This notice covers games.happtix.com, shared Happtix Games player accounts and Shard Surfer. Another game may provide additional information about its own device data or features. The company information website at happtix.com has a separate notice.

Who is responsible?

Happtix Limited is the controller: company 17460263, registered in England and Wales. Registered office: 8 Kempton Close, Runcorn, England, WA7 4YZ. For privacy questions or requests, email support@happtix.com.

Anonymous players

The iPhone app stores a random player identifier, a server-generated gamer tag, account timestamps and associated game records. It uses a protected session token so the same installation can return to that player. The server stores only a hash of the token. Anonymous play does not require email. If you choose to create or sign into a Happtix account, we use your email address to send verification and deletion codes, find or create the account and let you return to it on another device.

Our lawful basis for providing requested account and online game features is contractual necessity where applicable. We rely on our legitimate interests in providing and securing the game for guest functionality and security processing not necessary for a contract. These interests must be balanced against your rights, including children’s rights.

Scores, progress and game events

A random run identifier prevents a retried upload from creating a duplicate score. Our server stores submitted scores and limited game data such as distance, zone and completion time. Public leaderboards show scores only while leaderboard sharing is switched on. They show the generated anonymous name or reviewed registered gamer tag, score and run details; they do not show the underlying player identifier or email address.

Automatic event reporting and gameplay-session uploads are disabled in the current iPhone release. Website games and older Shard Surfer builds can report loads, run starts and endings, account interactions and errors. We use retained service information to operate the game, diagnose failures and protect the leaderboard.

Information stored on your device

Shard Surfer saves preferences, local progress and player information on your device. The iPhone app stores its session token in the iOS Keychain; the server stores a hash of that token. It may remember the last account email in local app storage to make returning to the form easier. Deleting the app can remove local settings, but does not by itself delete server records. Use Reset anonymous player or Delete account before deleting the app, or contact us for help.

The Games website uses the happtix_player_session cookie for player sign-in, with a 30-day expiry. Its framework can also set happtix-games-session and XSRF-TOKEN cookies for sessions and request security, configured for two hours. Cookies may be refreshed during use. Browser storage remembers guest identity and local game progress. You can clear or block this storage through browser settings; doing so can affect sign-in and saved progress.

Website requests, fonts and promotions

For leaderboard safety, we retain the reviewed gamer tag and any public-participation restriction on an account. Reports contain the reported account and score identifiers, a fixed concern category and timestamps; we do not ask for a reporter email or free-text description in the app. These records help us protect players and investigate misuse. You can also hide a player on your device without sending that preference to us. Account deletion removes associated moderation reports; otherwise report retention remains under review.

Web-server logs include IP address, requested page, time, response status, browser information and a referring page when supplied. We use these for our legitimate interests in delivering and protecting the service.

The Games catalogue loads fonts from Google Fonts, sending Google your IP address and browser request information. This supports our legitimate interest in presenting the website. See Google’s privacy policy for its processing, including international transfers. Shard Surfer’s iPhone app bundles its fonts.

The current Shard Surfer iPhone version displays bundled Happtix track branding and does not request remote advertising campaigns. Browser games can load promotional artwork and links from the Games service. Following an external link takes you to a site with its own privacy practices. The Games catalogue and Shard Surfer do not currently include a third-party advertising or audience analytics SDK.

Release updates and support messages

The optional website release and playtest list collects your name, email, signup source and consent timestamp. Joining also requests an email invitation to create a player. We rely on consent for release and playtest emails. Withdraw consent at any time by emailing unsubscribe; this does not affect earlier lawful processing or prevent you from playing.

Support messages contain your email and whatever information you send. We use them to respond and resolve issues, relying on our legitimate interest in helping players, or contractual necessity where relevant. Providing this information is voluntary, but we need enough detail to help. Do not send sign-in codes or unnecessary sensitive information.

Service providers and international processing

DigitalOcean hosts our Games server in London, UK, and provides backup infrastructure. Company support email is hosted on DigitalOcean infrastructure. DigitalOcean is a US-based provider; its operations may involve international processing. Its Data Processing Agreement describes the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework and contractual fallback safeguards.

We use Postmark to deliver account emails. This involves recipient addresses, message content and delivery information, with processing in the United States. Postmark describes its transfer safeguards and data processing terms on its European privacy information page. Contact us for information about applicable safeguards.

We may disclose relevant information where required by law or necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims. Gamer tags and scores from accounts with public leaderboards switched on are shared through leaderboards, as explained above.

Retention and deletion

Anonymous player records and linked scores remain on the active service until you reset the player, request deletion or we remove them for another justified reason. Registered account records remain until you delete the account, request deletion or we remove them for another justified reason. Both deletion routes are available from the player menu.

Sign-in codes and email links expire after ten minutes; sign-in sessions expire after 30 days. Expiry prevents further use but is not the same as record deletion. Expired native code records older than a day are cleaned up when another code is requested. Other expired authentication records may remain until subsequent cleanup or account deletion.

Web-server logs rotate daily, retaining up to 14 archived files plus the current file. New application error logs rotate daily with a 14-day retention setting. An older, unrotated application log remains pending review and deletion. They are separate from player records.

We take a nightly database backup on our server and retain these local recovery files for 14 days. Files older than 14 days are removed after a successful backup; a failed backup can extend their retention until the process recovers. These files can contain earlier copies of deleted records. DigitalOcean backups or snapshots are separate and can also contain earlier copies of records after deletion from the active database. Deleting an account does not instantly remove those copies. Their lifetime depends on the configured backup rotation and any manually retained snapshots; we do not currently promise a fixed backup-erasure deadline. Contact us about backup handling for a deletion request.

The release-list entry is separate from your player account and remains until you unsubscribe or request removal. We normally delete closed general support correspondence 12 months after the conversation ends. We may retain relevant correspondence longer while an issue, contract or dispute remains active, or where a legal obligation requires it.

Deleting a player or account

In Shard Surfer on iPhone, open the player button → Reset anonymous player → Delete and start again. This removes that player and its linked scores, progress, gameplay sessions, authentication sessions and player-linked events from the active database, then creates a new random player. No email code is required because the request is authenticated by the session held on your iPhone.

For a registered Happtix account, open the player button → Delete account. Request and enter the fresh six-digit deletion code sent to the account email. Confirmation permanently deletes the account, gamer tag, scores and saved online progress from the active service and invalidates its sessions.

This does not automatically erase separate support messages, server logs or backup copies. See deletion help, or contact us if you cannot use the app or want other records considered.

Children and families

Shard Surfer is intended for players of different ages. Anonymous play does not ask for a birth date, age, email, real name, chat message or custom public name. Optional Happtix accounts are presented as for players aged 13+ or with permission from a parent or guardian. Registered players can choose a constrained gamer tag; a changed tag stays off the public leaderboard until reviewed. Players can turn score sharing off, hide another player on their device, report a name or score, and delete their player or account. Parents, carers and young players can contact us for help with a player or privacy request.

Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, you can request access, correction, deletion, restriction or a portable copy of your personal information. You can withdraw consent where processing relies on it. These rights have legal conditions and exceptions. Contact support@happtix.com; we may need proportionate information to verify your request.

Your right to object

You can object to processing based on legitimate interests for reasons relating to your situation. You can object to direct marketing at any time. Email support and tell us which processing you object to.

Complaints and changes

You can raise concerns with us or complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, telephone 0303 123 1113. We will update this notice when our data handling changes; the date above identifies this version.