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Hearthwick

Hearthwick Privacy Policy

Effective 18 October 2026

Hearthwick is a cozy learning game for Android made by Nethric ("we", "us"). This page explains what the app keeps and where.

The short version

Hearthwick has no account, no ads and no tracking, and it collects nothing. The app does not even have permission to use the internet, so it sends nothing anywhere. Everything you write stays on your phone, and we cannot see it.

If your phone backs up to your Google account, Android can include your saved game in that backup, so a new phone can pick up where you left off. That backup belongs to your Google account; we never receive it.

What stays on your phone

These are kept in the app's private storage on your device, only so the game can remember where you are:

• Your game: the name you give your witch or wizard, your familiar and its name, your look, experience, lessons, the grimoire pages you have found, mastery stars, streaks, trinkets and story progress.
• What you write: journal entries, your dream log, notes on pages, spells, spell jars, recipes and readings you save, and your favourites.
• Your settings, such as sound, text size, motion, colours and reminder time.
• Your birthday, only if you choose to share it: in "Your stars" (to show your star companion and life path number; "Forget my birthday" removes it) or at the star easel (the month and day, to show your sun sign; starting a new game removes it). It is always optional. What you type into the number calculator is not saved.
• If you turn on the daily reminder: the time you chose and the short reminder messages for the coming week (a message can include your familiar's name), so Android can show them, even after a restart. Reminders are off until you turn them on, come at most once a day, and stop when you turn them off or start a new game.
• If you make a backup file or save your grimoire as a file: that file, in the app's own storage, until you delete it (see "Deleting your data" below).

Android backup of your saved game

Hearthwick lets Android's own backup include only your saved game (the save file and its safety copy). If backup is turned on for your phone (Android Settings > Google > Backup, or similar), Android copies those two files to your Google account and puts them back when you set up a new phone or reinstall Hearthwick, so your streak and story carry over. Android does this under your Google account's own backup settings; the copy is stored by Google for you, and we never receive it or see it.

Your backup and grimoire files, reminder messages and anything else the app keeps are not included. To stop the backup, turn off backup in Android's settings; to remove a copy, manage your backups in your Google account.

When something leaves the app

Only when you choose to send it, and only where you choose:

• Backups. "Save a backup file" opens Android's share sheet, and you pick where the file goes (for example your own files, your drive or an email to yourself). "Copy a backup code" puts the code on your phone's clipboard and also opens the share sheet, so you can paste or send it somewhere safe. A backup holds everything, including your journal, dream log and notes, so anyone who has it can read them. Keep it private.
• Your grimoire. In the grimoire's Style tab, "Save or share as a file" makes a Markdown (.md) text file of your grimoire and opens the share sheet, so you can keep it or send it to yourself. "Copy everything as text" puts the same text on your clipboard and shows it on screen. It includes what you wrote, so share it only with people you trust.
• Restoring. When you restore, you pick a backup file or paste a code; the app only reads what you choose.

In every case the app hands the file or text to Android, and you choose where it goes. Hearthwick itself never sends it anywhere and cannot see where it went.

Permissions

• Notifications: asked only when you turn on the daily reminder. You can turn it off in Settings or in Android's settings at any time.
• Run at startup: lets the app put your reminders back after your phone restarts. It does nothing else.

Hearthwick does not have internet access, and does not ask for your location, contacts, camera, microphone or photos. The "Privacy policy" and "Support" buttons in the app open this website in your phone's own browser.

Anonymous feature stats

This version of Hearthwick sends no stats of any kind. If a future version ever offers optional anonymous stats, it will ask you first, it will be off unless you turn it on, and this page will be updated before that version is released.

The spoken meditation guide

If you turn on the spoken guide, the app's own meditation words are read aloud by your phone's built-in text-to-speech voice. Nothing you have written is spoken or sent.

Children

Hearthwick is meant for teens and adults. It collects no information from anyone, including children.

Deleting your data

In the app, open Settings and choose "Delete all my data". After you confirm, it deletes your game, your journal and notes, the safety copy of your save, any backup and grimoire files saved in Hearthwick, and your scheduled daily reminders, and the app returns to a fresh start. It can't be undone.

You can also clear the app's storage in Android's settings (Settings > Apps > Hearthwick > Storage), or uninstall the app. Either way removes everything from the phone. If your phone backs up to your Google account, Android may still hold a copy of your saved game there; you can delete it in your Google account's backup settings. "Start a new game" starts your game afresh but keeps your settings; on a phone it also removes backup and grimoire files saved in Hearthwick unless you choose to keep them. Keep a backup code if you want to come back to your game later.

A backup or grimoire file you already shared somewhere else (for example to your drive or your email) is outside the app, so delete it there.

Changes to this policy

If a future version ever changes any of this, for example by adding an online feature, this page will be updated before that version is released, and the date at the top will change.