You have probably been burned before by apps that vacuum up every piece of data they can get their hands on. Buddzy is not that app. We follow a strict minimum-collection philosophy, which means we only collect the data that is absolutely necessary to make the game work. If a piece of information does not directly power your Stars, your Galaxy, your Streaks, or any core game mechanic, we simply do not collect it.
How It Works
Every data point Buddzy collects maps directly to a specific game function. Here is what we actually need and why we need it:
- Your phone number — Used for OTP authentication so only you can access your account
- Your username and avatar — So your friends can find you and recognize you in their Galaxy
- Your bio, mood, and emoji — Optional profile details that you choose to share
- Your timezone — Used to calculate Streak resets accurately based on your local calendar day
- Contact codes — Scrambled, unreadable versions of your phone contacts for anonymous friend matching, never the raw numbers
- Game activity data — Stars sent and received, Streak counters, Aura points, Mission progress, and other gameplay mechanics
- Basic technical data — Your IP address, device model, operating system, language, and the device identifier your phone hands out to apps (Android ID or Identifier for Vendor). This is what keeps the app running, helps us fix crashes, and lets our SMS partner block fake sign-ups from bots
That is it. No browsing history. No app usage tracking beyond Buddzy itself. No microphone access. No camera roll scanning. No background location. No reading your messages. None of that.
What We Deliberately Skip
This is where Buddzy really stands apart. There is a long list of data categories that most social apps collect that we intentionally ignore:
- No precise location data — We use timezone only, not GPS coordinates
- No behavioural profiling — The technical data above is used to run, debug, and protect the app, never to build a profile of who you are or what you like
- No cross-app tracking — We do not follow you around the internet
- No ad profile on our side — Buddzy never receives or stores your advertising ID, and we never hand your profile, friends, or Stars to an advertiser. When you choose to watch a rewarded ad, Google's ad SDK handles that request on its own
Pro Tips
- Check your device permissions for Buddzy in your phone's settings. You will notice we ask for very few permissions compared to other social apps.
- If something does not feel right, you always have the right to request a full export of your data. Check out the data portability article for details.
Good to Know
Our minimum-collection approach is not just about being nice — it is a core design principle. Every time a new feature is proposed, the first question is always "what data does this require?" and the second is "can we do it with less?" If the data is not essential for Stars, your Galaxy, or another core mechanic, it does not get collected. Simple as that.