Who we are

apptidal ("apptidal", "we", "us", or "our") operates this website, an independent editorial portal that reviews, ranks, and catalogues mobile and desktop applications across iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux. We are a content publisher funded primarily by advertising. We do not sell apps, process app purchases, or operate any of the app stores we link to.

This policy applies to all pages of this website, including our home page, app detail pages, category and platform listings, search, and our editorial and trust pages. It does not apply to the third-party app stores, developer sites, or other external destinations we link to, each of which maintains its own privacy practices.

Information we collect

We collect a limited amount of information, most of it automatically and in aggregate. You can browse the large majority of apptidal without creating an account or submitting any personal details.

Information collected automatically

When you visit apptidal, our servers, our hosting and content delivery provider, our analytics provider, and our advertising partners may automatically receive and log standard technical information, including:

• Your IP address (often truncated or anonymized before storage) and approximate, city-level geographic location derived from it.
• Your browser type and version, operating system, device type, and screen characteristics.
• The pages you view, the app and category pages you open, search terms you enter on our site, the date and time of your visit, and how long you stay.
• The referring website or link that brought you to apptidal, and the links you click while here.
• Cookie identifiers and similar device or advertising identifiers, as described in the Cookies section below.

Information you provide voluntarily

We only receive personal details such as your name and email address when you choose to give them to us, for example when you use our contact form or email us directly. We use that information solely to respond to your message, address your request, and keep a record of the correspondence. We do not require you to create an account to read reviews.

Information we do not collect

apptidal does not knowingly collect government identifiers, payment card numbers, health data, or other special-category personal data. Please do not send us sensitive information through our contact channels.

Cookies and similar technologies

A cookie is a small text file that a website places on your device so it can be recognized on later visits. We and our partners also use related technologies such as local storage, pixels, and web beacons. We use these technologies for the following purposes:

• Strictly necessary: to keep the site secure, balance server load, remember your cookie and privacy preferences, and deliver core functionality such as search and navigation.
• Preferences: to remember choices like your preferred platform view or whether you have dismissed a notice.
• Analytics: to understand, in aggregate, which reviews and categories are popular so we can improve our coverage.
• Advertising: set by Google and other advertising vendors to select, measure, and limit the frequency of ads, as detailed below.

You can control cookies through your browser settings, where you can block or delete existing cookies and prevent new ones from being set. You can also use the opt-out tools listed further down this page. Please note that if you block strictly necessary cookies, parts of apptidal may not work as intended.

Advertising, Google AdSense, and third-party vendors

apptidal displays advertising to fund our editorial work, and our primary advertising provider is Google AdSense. Advertising is the reason most of our content is free to read.

• Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to apptidal and other websites.
• Google's use of advertising cookies, including the DoubleClick cookie, enables Google and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to apptidal and other sites on the internet.
• Other third-party vendors and ad networks may also set or read cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies on apptidal to serve and measure advertising, and they may collect information such as your IP address, device identifiers, and the ads you interact with.

These partners act as independent controllers of the data they collect through advertising. Their handling of that data is governed by their own privacy policies. You can review how Google uses information from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites, and you can read more about advertising cookies in Google's documentation.

Analytics

We use privacy-respecting web analytics, which may include Google Analytics, to measure traffic and understand how visitors use apptidal in aggregate. These tools set cookies or use similar identifiers to count visits, sessions, and popular pages. Where supported, we enable IP anonymization so that your full IP address is not stored by the analytics provider. We use this data only to improve our site, our reviews, and our user experience, and never to identify you personally. You can opt out of Google Analytics across all websites by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

How we use information

We use the information described above to:

• Operate, maintain, secure, and improve apptidal and its features such as search and category browsing.
• Understand which apps, categories, and platforms our audience cares about so we can prioritize our editorial coverage.
• Display, measure, and limit the frequency of advertising that funds the site.
• Respond to messages you send us and provide support.
• Detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, security incidents, and technical problems.
• Comply with our legal obligations and enforce our terms.

Legal bases for processing

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or another region with similar laws, we rely on the following legal bases: your consent, where required, for advertising and analytics cookies that are not strictly necessary; our legitimate interests in operating, securing, and improving a free, advertising-supported publication; and compliance with legal obligations. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time through your browser settings or the opt-out tools below, without affecting processing that already took place.

How information is shared

We do not sell your personal information for money. We share information only as follows:

• Service providers: hosting, content delivery, security, and analytics partners that process data on our behalf under contract.
• Advertising partners: Google AdSense and other ad vendors, which collect and use advertising data as independent parties under their own policies.
• Legal and safety: where we reasonably believe disclosure is required by law, legal process, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of apptidal, our users, or the public.
• Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we will require the recipient to honor this policy.

Some sharing for targeted advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of personal information under certain United States state laws. See Your rights and choices below for how to opt out.

Your advertising choices and opt-out links

You have direct control over personalized advertising. You can opt out of personalized ads and adjust your preferences using these industry tools:

• Manage how Google personalizes the ads it shows you at Google Ads Settings (adssettings.google.com).
• Opt out of personalized advertising from many participating vendors through the Digital Advertising Alliance at optout.aboutads.info.
• Opt out via the Network Advertising Initiative at optout.networkadvertising.org.
• If you are in Europe, use the Your Online Choices tool at youronlinechoices.eu.

Opting out stops personalized ads, but you may still see non-personalized advertising. Opt-out settings are stored in a cookie, so if you clear cookies or use a different browser or device you may need to opt out again. Many mobile devices also let you reset or limit your advertising identifier in the device settings.

Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, update, delete, or receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to withdraw consent. Residents of California and several other United States states may have the right to know what personal information is collected, to request deletion, to correct it, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information and of targeted advertising. We do not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.

To make a request, contact us using the details in the Contact section below. We will verify your request and respond within the time required by applicable law. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Children's privacy

apptidal is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13, or under the minimum age required in your jurisdiction. We do not knowingly serve personalized advertising to children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will promptly delete that information and remove the child from any data we control.

Data retention

We keep personal information only for as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy, to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Aggregated analytics and server logs are typically retained for a limited period and then deleted or anonymized. Correspondence you send us is kept for as long as needed to handle your request and a reasonable period afterward.

Data security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures to protect information against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, including encryption in transit. No method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure, however, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

International data transfers

apptidal is operated with the help of providers that may store and process data in countries other than your own, including the United States. Where we transfer personal information across borders, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses, as required by applicable law.

Third-party links and store data attribution

apptidal links to external app stores, developer websites, and other resources. App metadata, icons, ratings, and screenshots shown on apptidal are sourced from public catalogs, including the Apple App Store. App Store data and artwork are the property of their respective owners. apptidal is an independent publication and is not affiliated with, authorized, sponsored, or endorsed by Apple Inc. or Google LLC. When you click through to an app store or developer site, your information is handled under that destination's own privacy policy, not this one. We encourage you to review those policies before sharing any information.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, advertising partners, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, provide a more prominent notice. Your continued use of apptidal after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your privacy rights, or wish to make a data request, please reach out:

• By email at privacy@apptidal.com
• Through our contact page

We aim to acknowledge privacy requests promptly and to respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.