Sabakk Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 November 2026

Developer: techTMB
Privacy contact: techtmbmalta@gmail.com
App: Sabakk (Android package com.techtmb.sabakk)

1. What this policy covers

This policy covers offline editions of Sabakk, versions that include optional multiplayer, this privacy-policy website, and privacy/support enquiries. Sections 3, 4 and 5 apply ONLY to the multiplayer version and the multiplayer features described there. They do not describe data collection by the offline-only version. A multiplayer-enabled version also lets you play offline; offline matches are not uploaded simply because multiplayer is available.

No Sabakk account or real name is required to play. The app has no advertising, analytics, tracking, or third-party crash-reporting SDKs. We do not sell personal data or use it for targeted advertising. Game chips have no monetary value and cannot be purchased, redeemed or cashed out.

2. Offline play and local saves — all versions

Offline games run on your device. Sabakk stores your saved match, game history, cards, chip totals and setup preferences in the app's private storage so you can resume play. Preferences include opponent count, difficulty, starting chips and token choices. Offline gameplay and preferences are not sent to us, a game server or other players.

Offline play needs neither an account nor an internet connection. It does not request location or nearby-device access. The app does not request access to contacts, camera, microphone, photos or advertising identifiers. Multiplayer-enabled builds declare networking and nearby-related permissions for the optional features below; those declarations do not mean your offline match is shared.

3. Online rooms — MULTIPLAYER VERSION ONLY

In the MULTIPLAYER VERSION ONLY, opening the app sends one best-effort HTTPS health request per app process to the configured game host (normally Render) to begin waking the Online service before you enter a room. This can happen even if you then choose offline or Nearby play. The request includes no player name, room code, seat credential, location data or gameplay data, but the host/network providers receive ordinary connection metadata such as IP address and request time and may keep operational/security logs. There are no periodic keep-alive requests or automatic retries for this launch check. It is skipped in builds with multiplayer disabled, and failure does not prevent offline play.

When you host, join or reconnect to an Online room, your app connects over HTTPS to the game service hosted on Render. It sends your chosen player name, room code, selected tokens, readiness and gameplay actions. Use a nickname rather than a real name or other identifying information.

The service generates a random session credential linking your device to your seat. It processes that credential, room membership, game state (including cards, chips, moves and results), recent request identifiers and last-connection times to run the match, validate moves, avoid duplicate actions, reconnect players and manage inactive rooms. The server holds the authoritative game state, including hands that are hidden from other players during play. Optional bots are controlled by the same game service.

Other players in your room receive your chosen name, readiness/connection status, public game information and game history. Your hand is hidden from other players until the game rules reveal it. Your session credential is not included in other players' table views. Room codes admit players to a lobby; share them only with people you intend to play with.

Render and the network infrastructure delivering the service process connection information such as IP addresses and request metadata. The game service also uses connection addresses and short-lived request counters to limit repeated room-creation/join attempts. Hosting providers may keep operational or security logs separately from the temporary game room. We do not use this information for advertising or player profiling.

Your device stores your player name, token selections and online room/session details in a separate private preference file. While you have an existing online session, reopening the multiplayer screen can automatically reconnect and refresh that room. Leaving the room or an invalid/expired session clears its locally stored room credential. Name/token preferences can remain for later games. Offline saves remain separate.

4. Nearby / Wi-Fi Direct — MULTIPLAYER VERSION ONLY

This section applies when you choose Nearby play and discover, connect to or host another phone. Nearby uses an Android Wi-Fi Direct connection, with one player's phone hosting the game. It does not send nearby match traffic to Render or require an internet game server.

Android provides nearby device names, Wi-Fi Direct device/network addresses and connection/group information to discover peers and establish the link. Device names may identify a phone or its owner; nearby participants may see the name that your phone advertises. Select only phones you intend to play with.

Your chosen player name, token choices, readiness, session credential and game actions pass over the local link to the hosting phone. That phone processes the full game state and returns each participant's permitted view. Other players see names, connection status and public gameplay information, with hands revealed according to the game rules. The hosting phone necessarily holds all hands, including cards not yet revealed to guests. Bots run on the hosting phone.

Nearby game traffic uses local sockets over the Android-managed Wi-Fi Direct link, without an additional HTTPS/TLS layer in the app. Nearby room credentials are held in memory rather than saved for restoration after process death. Your player name and token preferences are stored separately on your device for convenience. Nearby discovery information is used for connection setup and is not uploaded by Sabakk to an internet service. Android may maintain its own Wi-Fi connection settings.

5. Nearby permissions — MULTIPLAYER VERSION ONLY

In the updated multiplayer version, Nearby play is available only on Android 13 and newer and requests Nearby Wi-Fi Devices permission. It does not declare or request precise, approximate or background location permission. On Android 12 and older, offline play and Online rooms remain available, but Nearby is unavailable. Android may still require the device Location setting to be enabled for Wi-Fi Direct discovery; this setting does not grant Sabakk location access.

Earlier multiplayer builds that supported Nearby on Android 12 and older requested location permission, including precise location, because Android required it for their Wi-Fi Direct discovery. If you still use one of those builds, that permission is used for nearby discovery, not GPS tracking. Updating to the new build removes that older Nearby path.

Sabakk uses nearby-device access to find and connect nearby phones, not to read GPS coordinates, track your movements, build a location history or infer your physical location. It does not request background location. The permission request is made in Nearby setup, not for ordinary offline play or internet-hosted Online rooms.

You can decline or revoke Nearby permission in Android Settings (or location permission for an earlier build described above). Nearby discovery may then be unavailable, but offline play remains usable. Online rooms use an internet connection and do not need these nearby-discovery permissions.

6. Android backup and device transfer — all versions

Android may back up offline saved matches and setup preferences, or transfer them to another device, depending on your device and backup settings. Your backup provider, such as Google or your device manufacturer, handles that service under its own privacy terms. We do not receive access to your backup.

In the multiplayer version, the app's backup and device-transfer rules exclude both online-session and nearby-session preferences, including stored multiplayer credentials. Manage backup and transfer settings through Android and your backup provider.

7. Retention and deletion

On your device, offline saves and preferences remain until replaced or removed. To delete the app's local data, use Android Settings > Apps > Sabakk > Storage > Clear storage (labels vary by device), or uninstall the app. Cloud backups can outlast uninstalling or be restored later; manage or delete them through your backup provider's settings.

MULTIPLAYER VERSION ONLY — Online room state is held in the game server's memory, not in a permanent match database. The host leaving closes the room; leaving a started match closes it for everyone. Leaving as a guest before a match starts removes that guest from the lobby. A room can remain open across rematches. Cleanup removes rooms after a required player has been absent for more than 10 minutes, or after more than one hour without room activity, when the cleanup runs. Server restarts also discard in-memory rooms. These rules are not a promise that hosting-provider logs or copies held by other players are deleted at the same time.

MULTIPLAYER VERSION ONLY — Nearby room state is held on the hosting phone and is not uploaded for cloud storage. Closing the nearby host or ending its process ends the hosted session. Room leave/expiry rules also apply, with cleanup occurring during room requests. Disconnecting a guest does not immediately remove all room state from the host. Other participants can independently retain information they have seen, for example through screenshots; Sabakk cannot erase those copies.

We retain support correspondence only as long as needed to handle the enquiry, follow-up and applicable legal obligations. Website, hosting, payment and email providers may retain technical/security or transaction records under their own policies. Clearing app storage does not delete those separate records. For privacy or deletion requests concerning data we control, contact techtmbmalta@gmail.com. Please do not send your room session credential or passwords. There is no Sabakk user account to delete.

8. Policy website, optional contributions and support — where used in either version

Opening this policy online or another external link launches your browser or an external app. The destination receives information normally sent with a web request, such as IP address, browser information and request time. This policy website is hosted by GitHub Pages. We do not add JavaScript, advertising, analytics, forms, external fonts or cookies to it; GitHub may process technical access data for delivery and security.

If you choose the optional PayPal support link, PayPal handles the contribution under its own terms and privacy policy. Sabakk does not collect or store card or bank details. PayPal may provide us with contributor and transaction information, such as a name, email address, amount or message, according to its service and your settings. We use information received to manage contributions and related enquiries or record-keeping obligations. Contributions do not unlock features, content, chips or in-game advantages.

If you email us, we receive your email address, message and any attachments you choose to send. We use them to answer your enquiry, investigate an issue or respond to a privacy request. Our email providers process these communications to deliver and store them. Avoid sending unnecessary sensitive information.

9. Sharing, security and your choices

Offline gameplay is not shared by the app. ONLY in the multiplayer version, Online shares the information described in section 3 with the game service and room participants, while Nearby shares the information described in section 4 with the hosting phone and participants. Backup, website, hosting, payment and email providers process information for the functions described above. Third-party services have their own privacy practices. We do not share your information with advertisers or data brokers. We may disclose information we hold when required by law or necessary to address fraud, security incidents or legal claims.

Local stored app data uses Android's app-private storage. Online game traffic and the public policy website use HTTPS; Nearby's different transport is described in section 4. No system can guarantee absolute security. You can play offline, leave multiplayer sessions, revoke nearby permissions, clear local app data, manage backups and choose whether to open external links or contact us.

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to processing of personal data, obtain a copy, or complain to a data-protection authority. Contact us using the address above. We will respond as required by applicable law and may need enough information to identify your request. Providers may process data in countries other than your own; their policies describe their locations and transfer safeguards. We cannot remotely erase data held only on your device, other players' devices or independently managed backups.

10. Children's privacy

Sabakk does not require a real name, date of birth or an age profile to play, and it does not use behavioural advertising. In the MULTIPLAYER VERSION ONLY, chosen player names and multiplayer information are handled as described above. Avoid personal details in player/device names and connect only with intended players. If a parent or guardian believes a child has provided personal information to us, contact techtmbmalta@gmail.com so we can investigate and address data we control.

11. Changes and provider policies

We update this policy and its date when our practices change. Multiplayer-only sections do not apply to offline-only editions. Before releasing features that change data handling, we will update the relevant disclosures.

Google privacy policy (Android/backup services): https://policies.google.com/privacy
GitHub privacy statement (policy website): https://docs.github.com/en/site-policy/privacy-policies/github-general-privacy-statement
Render privacy policy (Online multiplayer hosting only): https://render.com/privacy
PayPal privacy statement (optional external contributions): https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full

For privacy questions or requests, contact techtmbmalta@gmail.com.