Privacy Policy
Daily Outbreak doesn't collect anything that identifies you. There's no account, no advertising and no tracking. The game sends us anonymous counts that can't be linked to you, so it can say how everyone's day went (see "Today's counts" below), and it downloads its videos (see "Videos") and a small file with any changes to the Daily schedule from this website. Apart from those, only Apple's Game Center receives anything, and only if you're signed in to it.
What stays on your device
The game saves your run in progress, your results, your day streak, the day it was first opened and your settings on your own device, so you can pick up where you left off. We never receive any of it, apart from the two rough ranges described under "Today's counts". Deleting the app deletes it from your device; a backup of your phone (iCloud on iPhone, Google on Android) can still hold it, and restoring that backup brings it back, as reinstalling the game does on Android. In the web version, the same data is kept in your browser's storage for this site.
Today's counts
When your first try at the day's Daily ends, the game sends us the date, which Daily it was, how it ended (for example "Overrun"), the share of people kept unharmed (to the whole percent), which version of the game's rules it was played under, and a code that changes every day. The code only lets us count each try once. It's made from a random number kept on your device and the date, so tries on different days can't be linked to each other, to your device or to you. No other result is sent: how your practice runs, replays, lessons and other games went stays on your device, and only the steps listed below are counted. The result screen then shows how the day's first tries ended, for example "Better than 72% of today's first tries. 38% were overrun", once enough people have played.
The game also counts a few steps, as totals for each day, with nothing about who took them:
- A new player's first steps, once on each device or browser: opening the game for the first time; choosing "Learn to play" or "I've played before"; finishing each of the three lessons, and which of the two next steps offered after the last one is chosen (today's Daily or more training), and each of the five easy levels; finishing a first Daily; and trying and finishing each side game (Lantern Parade, Safe Harbour, Harvest Fields, Regatta Sails and "Who brought it in?").
- Coming back, once a day on each device that opens the game: that it was opened that day.
- Sharing, at most once a day on each device: a Daily started; a friend's challenge opened, started or finished; Share tapped, and where (for example on a Daily's result, a team or a side game); a share your share sheet says was sent, and from where in the game (not which app or to whom; copying or saving an image isn't counted); and a game link opened, and its kind (a challenge, an outbreak, a team, a duel, or a side game's link).
- On this website, each time the game loads: that it started; how long it took (under 5, 15 or 30 seconds, or longer); that it failed; or that the page was closed before it finished.
- Errors: if the game hits one, a short code made from the kind of error and where in the game's own code it happened, at most once a day for each code. Never the error's message or anything you typed.
A device's first counted step of the day also says its platform (iOS, Android or the web), the game's version and build number, and two rough ranges, never exact numbers: how many days ago the game was first opened on it (that same day, the day before, 2–6, 7–29, or 30 days or more) and how long its current day streak is (none, 1 day, 2–6, 7–29, or 30 days or more). Each is counted on its own, never together or with a step. None of these steps carries a code or anything else that links one day's steps to another's, or to a device or a person. We use these totals only to see whether the game, its lessons and its sharing work, whether players come back, and to find problems to fix.
We keep the day's totals for about a year and each day's codes for three days. We don't keep your IP address. A scrambled form of it, made with a secret key and different every day, limits how often one address can send counts and how many tries one address can add to a day (at most 20), so one address can't decide the day's numbers on its own. To show the day's results only once tries have come from at least 50 different addresses, we also keep an estimate of how many different addresses sent tries: a summary from which no address, scrambled or not, can be read back. Both are deleted within three days after the day ends. The counts are stored with Upstash, a database service, on our Vercel hosting.
Videos
The islands' videos and Dr. Teo's clips come from this website. The app downloads the ones a puzzle needs and keeps them in your phone's cache, which isn't part of your backups and which your phone may empty when it needs space; the game then downloads them again. In the web version, your browser keeps them in its own cache. A download asks only for the clip it needs, and carries no name, account or result (see "This website" for what our host handles).
Daily reminder
If you turn on the daily reminder, your phone schedules it (iOS or Android) at the hour you choose. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else, and you can turn it off in the game's Settings or in your phone's settings at any time.
Sharing
When you tap Share on a result, your device's share sheet opens with a message and a result card. You choose whether to send it, and to whom; we don't receive it. If you choose Save Image, iOS asks for permission to add the picture to your Photos. The game only adds the image; it never reads your library.
A shared result ends with a challenge link that opens the same puzzle for your friend. The link itself carries the puzzle, your result and, only if you typed one, the first name you chose, so your friend can see who challenged them. The game keeps that name on your device; you can skip it, and the link then says "a friend". We don't store challenges anywhere: everything is in the link you send.
An outbreak you make for a friend ("Make an outbreak" on the home screen) travels the same way. Its link carries the map (with the routes and islands you drew, if you shaped it), where it starts, its hidden rules, your result on it, the score of your match and your first name if you typed one. We don't store outbreaks or matches anywhere.
A team link for the Daily carries each team member's result and the first name they chose, if any, so everyone in the group sees the whole team. We don't store teams anywhere either.
A duel link carries the outbreak you are both playing, your first name and your friend's, how many islands were clear after each round you have played, and your result once you finish. Your own game remembers your duels on your device, and we don't store them anywhere.
A Lantern Parade, Safe Harbour, Harvest Fields or Regatta Sails link carries the day's puzzle (or the week's finale), your time (and for Safe Harbour, your moves) and your first name if you typed one. We don't store these anywhere either.
A link to the day's Find Patient Zero puzzle ("Who brought it in?") carries the day, how many tries you took and your first name if you typed one, never the answer. We don't store these anywhere either.
If you block a player, the game keeps the name you blocked on your device. If you report one, or send feedback, your email app sends us a message you can read before sending: it holds the name and link you are reporting (or where you were in the game), the app's version and your device type. We use it only to answer you and to keep offensive names out of the game.
Game Center
If you're signed in to Game Center on your device, the game sends your first result on each Daily and your points in the weekly league to Apple's Game Center. It reads your Game Center friends' results to show how you compare, and the rankings of everyone who played. Apple handles that data under its own privacy policy; we never receive or store it.
If you let the game see your Game Center friends, it uses their names only on your device, to show which friends haven't played today's Daily yet. You can sign out of Game Center in iOS Settings at any time. The game works the same without it.
This website
dailyoutbreak.com is hosted by Vercel, which handles routine request data (such as IP addresses) to deliver the pages. We don't use that data to identify or track you.
Children
The game collects no personal information from anyone, including children. The anonymous counts above can't identify anyone.
Changes
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted on this page with a new effective date.
Contact
Questions? Email support@dailyoutbreak.com.