StrainBorn
r/StrainBorn Join the beta

Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 3, 2026

The short version: StrainBorn is a single-player game with no account and no ads, and it doesn't track you across other companies' apps or websites. While the game is in beta, it sends us gameplay data by default (how your runs go, your progress and a copy of your save, your device model and system version) to help us fix bugs and balance it. That data carries a random Player ID, never your name or email, and you can turn it off at any time in the game's Settings. The website counts visits anonymously, as described in section 4.

This Privacy Policy explains how StrainBorn ("the game", "we", "us") handles information when you play the game on iPhone, iPad or Mac, or visit strainborn.com ("the website").

1. Information we collect

No account, no personal details. The game doesn't ask for your name, email address, location, contacts, photos or any other personal information, and it has no account system. Your progress is saved on your device.

Gameplay data (on by default during the beta). While StrainBorn is in beta, the game sends us information about how it's played so we can find bugs and balance it. It's labeled with a random Player ID that the game creates when it's installed (you can see it in the game's Settings), not with your name, email or Apple Account. It includes:

  • Your device and the game: the device model (for example iPhone 16 Pro or MacBook Air), whether it's an iPhone, iPad or Mac, the system version, the game's version and build and where it came from (TestFlight or the App Store), the language of the game and of your device, your device's region setting and time zone offset, the screen size and memory, whether Low Power Mode is on, and whether a controller, keyboard or mouse is connected
  • Your runs: for each run, the game mode, virus, organs, city or arena, how it ended, how long it lasted, cells defeated, rooms cleared, traits offered and taken, gear worn and found, rewards, and the experience and levels gained
  • Your progress: your level, lineage and viruses, gear, skill tree, Petri Lab, modifiers, materials and nucleotides, Endless and Pandemic Game Mode progress, challenges, Codex discoveries, pet, skins, game settings and total play time, plus a full copy of your saved game
  • How the game is used: when the game was first opened, when you open and leave it and for how long, first-time steps such as agreeing to the Terms and finishing your first run, and whether the game closed unexpectedly

It doesn't include your name, email, contacts, photos, precise location, advertising identifier or your device's name, and we don't store your IP address with it: to stop abuse, the server only counts requests per network for one day, under a scrambled, shortened form of the address that isn't linked to your Player ID. It's sent over an encrypted connection to our own server at strainborn.com, which is hosted by GoDaddy and, like any website, keeps standard server logs (see section 4). Only we use it, and it's never sold, shared with other companies or used for advertising. We may give a Player ID a label of our own to tell installs apart, such as a tester's name when they share their Player ID with us (for example with a bug report).

You can turn this off at any time in the game's Settings (Share gameplay data). The game then stops sending and deletes anything it hasn't sent yet. On iPhone and iPad, deleting the game also deletes its Player ID.

2. Information handled by Apple

Some features are provided by Apple and are covered by Apple's Privacy Policy, not ours:

  • App Store and in-app purchases. If the game offers purchases, payments are processed entirely by Apple. We never see your payment details. Apple may tell us which products were bought, without identifying you.
  • Crash reports and analytics. If you have chosen to share analytics with app developers in your device settings, Apple may share anonymous crash reports and usage statistics with us. You can turn this off at any time in Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements.
  • TestFlight beta. If you join the beta through TestFlight, Apple shares the name and email you joined with, your device model and OS version, crash logs, and any feedback or screenshots you choose to send. We use this only to fix bugs and improve the game.
  • Game controllers and iCloud. If you use a controller or your device backs up apps to iCloud, those features are handled by Apple.

3. Information you send us

If you email us or post on our community (such as r/StrainBorn on Reddit), we receive whatever you choose to include, such as your email address and message. We use it only to reply to you and improve the game, and we don't sell it or share it with anyone. Posts on Reddit are also covered by Reddit's Privacy Policy.

4. The website

strainborn.com is a simple website with no account system, no advertising and no cookies for visitors. To see how many people visit and how they found us, the site counts visits with its own small script. Nothing is sent to analytics or advertising companies; the only outside services involved are the location lookup described below and our web host's performance monitoring. For each page view it records:

  • the page, the site that linked to it (for example Reddit or Google), and taps on the beta, Reddit and email links and the teaser
  • the type of device and browser, screen width, language and time zone
  • an approximate location (city, region and country) worked out from a shortened IP address with its last part removed. To do this the shortened address is looked up with ip-api.com. Your full IP address is never stored.
  • a random visitor number that changes every day, so a visit can be counted once without following anyone from one day to the next

These statistics are only for us. They are kept for at most 400 days and are never sold or shared. If your browser sends a Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control signal, the site doesn't count your visit at all. Our hosting provider may also keep standard server logs (such as IP address, browser type and pages visited) for security and to keep the site running. Our hosting provider, GoDaddy, also adds a small performance-monitoring script to every page, loaded from its own servers (img1.wsimg.com), that measures how quickly pages load; that data is handled by GoDaddy under its own privacy policy. Links to other sites, such as Reddit and the App Store, are governed by those sites' own policies.

5. Advertising and tracking

The game contains no advertising and no third-party advertising or analytics code, and it doesn't track you across other companies' apps or websites. We do not sell or share personal information.

6. Children's privacy

The game doesn't ask anyone, including children under 13, for personal information, and it uses its gameplay data only to fix and improve the game. If you believe a child has sent us personal information (for example by email), contact us and we will delete it.

7. Data retention and deletion

Your progress is stored on your device, and deleting the game from your iPhone or iPad deletes it. Gameplay data we receive is kept for at most 400 days. To have it deleted sooner, email us the Player ID shown in the game's Settings and we'll delete everything we hold for it within 30 days. If you emailed us and would like that correspondence deleted, contact us and we will delete it.

8. Your rights

Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR in Europe or the CCPA in California), you may have the right to access, correct or delete personal information we hold about you, or to object to how we use it. We use gameplay data on the basis of our legitimate interest in finding bugs and balancing the game during its beta, and you can object at any time by turning it off in the game's Settings. Because gameplay data is labeled only with a random Player ID, include the Player ID shown in the game's Settings with any request about it. We'll respond within 30 days.

9. Changes to this policy

If we change how the game handles data (for example by adding online features), we'll update this page and the date at the top before the change takes effect.

10. Contact

Questions about privacy? Email support@strainborn.com.