Privacy Policy
This policy describes how Surume Lite ("the app") handles information on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The app is published by MuffinFluffin. Bundle ID: Com.Chronic.Surume.Lite. It covers version 0.1 and later.
Summary
Surume Lite does not require an account to play. Your games, BIOS files, saves, and settings stay on your device. The app sends crash and performance reports to our server unless you turn them off. A SharkPond account is optional and adds friends, game invites, and trophies. If you have not bought Premium or Remove Ads, Google AdMob may collect data to show ads. RetroAchievements is optional. Purchases are handled by Apple.
On your device
- Your files. Games, BIOS files, firmware, and save data you import stay in the app's own Documents folder. We do not upload them.
- App data. Settings, save states, control layouts, and play time stay on your device.
- Session logs. The app writes session logs to the app's Documents folder. Apart from the crash report lines described below, they stay on your device. You can clear them from Logs in Settings.
Crash and performance reports
Unless you turn it off, the app sends a report to our server when it crashes, when a game session ends, and when the emulator hits an error it can name. A report carries the app build, device model, iOS version, the console, game title and game ID, the BIOS name, emulator settings, frame rate and frame time figures, the device's thermal state, and a random install ID. A crash report also carries a short summary and the last lines of the session log, with file paths removed. Reports do not carry your SharkPond account, your games, or your saves.
Turn reports off in Settings → About → Diagnostics → Send Crash Reports. Turning it off deletes reports that have not been sent yet, and also stops sharing the game you are playing with friends.
SharkPond account
SharkPond is the optional account used for friends and supported online play. You sign in with Apple. The app asks Apple for no name and no email. Our server receives the user ID Apple issues for this app and the sign-in tokens Apple returns.
When you are signed in, our server stores:
- Your username, emoji avatar, and name style.
- Your friends, blocked players, and game invites.
- Trophies you earn in PlayStation 3 games, and achievements from RetroAchievements if you have signed in to it, with game titles and unlock times.
- Which Surume Lite purchases you own, so your account knows your Premium status.
- Feedback you send from the app, with your username, device model, iOS version, and the game you were in.
While you play, the app also sends the console, game ID, and game title to our server so friends can see what you are playing. This stops when Send Crash Reports is off. Other SharkPond players can see your username, avatar, and trophies.
Delete your account in Settings → Accounts → Delete Account. This removes your account, sessions, friends, blocks, and trophies from our server and revokes the app's Sign in with Apple token. Signing out removes the session from your device.
Notifications
If you use SharkPond and allow notifications, the app sends your device's push token, your username, and your language to our server so it can deliver friend requests, game invites, and announcements. You can turn notifications off in iOS Settings at any time.
Game information
To show cover art, game descriptions, cheats, and patches, the app downloads files from GitHub, jsDelivr, GameTDB, and Wikipedia. Those requests include the game ID or title and your IP address. The app also downloads the game database and announcements from our server.
Camera, motion, and photos
The app asks for the camera only for games that support camera accessories, and for motion only to animate motion-responsive backgrounds. It asks to add to your photo library to save cover art and backgrounds. None of this is uploaded.
Advertising (Google AdMob)
Free users may see banner, interstitial, rewarded, and app-open ads served by Google AdMob. Google and its partners may collect and use data for advertising and measurement, including:
- Device identifiers (such as IDFA when you allow tracking on iOS)
- Advertising interaction data
- Coarse location estimated from IP address
- Crash and performance data related to the ads SDK
Google may use this data to deliver ads, limit ad frequency, and measure ad performance. Some of this data may be linked to your device and, for device identifiers, used for tracking across other companies' apps and sites as described in Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt and your iOS settings. Where required, the app shows a Google-provided consent form before requesting personalised ads.
Buying Premium or Remove Ads stops new ad requests once it is active.
Google privacy information: https://policies.google.com/privacy
AdMob data disclosure: https://developers.google.com/admob/ios/privacy/data-disclosure
Firebase
The app initialises Google Firebase to support ad delivery. Firebase may collect app instance identifiers and basic device and usage information tied to that setup.
Firebase privacy information: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy
RetroAchievements
Achievements are optional. If you sign in, the app sends your username, password, and gameplay progress to retroachievements.org for account and achievement features. Your RetroAchievements username and login token are stored on your device. Your password never reaches our server. Signing out removes the stored token. If you also use SharkPond, your RetroAchievements username and unlocked achievements are added to your SharkPond profile.
RetroAchievements privacy information: https://retroachievements.org/privacy.php
In-app purchases (Apple StoreKit)
Premium, Remove Ads, subscriptions, and donations are processed by Apple. We receive only purchase status from Apple, not your card number or billing address. Apple's privacy policy applies to payment data: https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/
App Store privacy label
Our App Store privacy nutrition label matches this policy.
| Data | Linked to you | Declared use |
|---|---|---|
| Coarse Location | Yes | Third-party advertising, developer's advertising, analytics, app functionality |
| Contacts | Yes | App functionality (SharkPond friends) |
| Gameplay Content | Yes | App functionality (trophies, achievements, what you are playing) |
| User ID | Yes | App functionality (SharkPond, RetroAchievements) |
| Device ID | Yes, used for tracking | Third-party advertising, developer's advertising, analytics, app functionality |
| Product Interaction | Yes, used for tracking | Third-party advertising, developer's advertising, analytics, app functionality |
| Advertising Data | Yes, used for tracking | Third-party advertising, developer's advertising, analytics |
| Purchase History | Yes | App functionality |
| Crash Data | No | Third-party advertising, app functionality |
| Performance Data | No | Third-party advertising, app functionality |
| Other Diagnostic Data | No | Third-party advertising, app functionality |
Children
Surume Lite is not listed in the Kids category. Parents should review ad settings and Screen Time controls on the child's device.
Your choices
- Buy Premium or Remove Ads to remove ads.
- Turn off Send Crash Reports in Settings → About → Diagnostics.
- Skip SharkPond sign-in, or delete the account in Settings → Accounts.
- Limit ad tracking in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking on iOS.
- Reset the advertising identifier in Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising.
- Skip RetroAchievements sign-in, or sign out to remove the stored token.
- Turn off notifications for Surume Lite in iOS Settings.
- Delete the app to remove local app data. Uninstalling removes the app sandbox, including games you imported.
Third-party content
The app plays files you provide. Ads may show third-party creative chosen by Google. Open-source components are credited in the About screen.
Changes
We may update this policy. The effective date at the top will change when we do. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.
Contact
Questions: Support page or message us on Discord.