Legal · Games

Privacy policy for “Groom Me”

For all games

Last updated: October 18, 2026

Contents

1. Controller

Patrick Gruben
Rolandstraße 14
40476 Düsseldorf
Germany
E-mail: info@grubenhund.com
Phone: +49 160 94857908

Under the brand “grubenhund games” I develop and publish games for smartphones and tablets. I am not required to appoint a data protection officer; if you have questions, write to me directly.

2. Scope

This policy covers the game “Groom Me”. The version for all games is at games.grubenhund.com/en/privacy.

What happens when you visit this website (games.grubenhund.com) is described in the section “Visiting this website”. The dog training website grubenhund.com has its own privacy policy (in German).

3. In short

  • You don't need an account – no name, no e-mail, no password.
  • Your progress, album and settings stay on your device only. I run no servers for “Groom Me”.
  • The game shows no ads. Apart from the App Store (price, purchase and restore), it talks to no service on the internet.
  • Apple handles the purchase; I never see payment details.

4. Progress on your device

“Groom Me” stores on your device: your progress (coins, yarn, progress, stories, decor and rooms, daily and weekly goals, whether you bought “The whole salon”) with your settings (language, sound, haptics, graphics, text size, assistance), up to twelve before-and-after pictures in the album, your knitting in progress and which hints you have already seen. The album pictures are captured in the game, not with your camera. This data never reaches me. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (providing the game) and § 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG (storage on the device that is strictly necessary).

Note on device backups: if iCloud Backup on your iPhone or iPad is on, it may also back up the game data. Apple's privacy terms apply; I do not receive this data.

5. Permissions and links

“Groom Me” asks for no permissions – no microphone, camera, location or notifications. Only when you save an album picture to your photos does iOS ask whether the app may add images. The game contains no links to the internet; help and legal texts are available via the App Store and on this website.

6. Sharing pictures and backups

With “Save or share picture” you pass an album picture, and with Settings → “Help and progress” → “Export backup” a backup file (progress and album), to the iOS share sheet – for example to “Save to Files”, your photos or another app. You decide where it goes; I do not receive this data. For the backup file and the shared picture, the game keeps one copy each in the app's cache; it is replaced at the next export and deleted with the app. “Import backup” reads such a file back in after showing you a preview.

7. In-app purchases

Purchases are handled entirely by the Apple App Store, which is a separate controller for this. We never receive payment details. The game only receives a purchase confirmation and records in your save which content you bought, so it stays unlocked. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

There is exactly one purchase: “The whole salon” (one-time). After the tutorial and six free appointments, it unlocks more appointments, the guests Domino and Muffin, the whole knitting corner, the later stories and new looks; decorating, the album and the boutique stay open without buying. The game checks the purchase via Apple's StoreKit on your device and records it in your save; there is no validation server of my own. “Restore purchases” is in the “The whole salon” window and in the boutique under “Yarn”.

8. Children and teens

“Groom Me” is a calm game without violence, chat, accounts or ads, and it does not ask for your age. Minors need their parents' permission for the purchase; the game has no parental gate of its own before buying. We recommend protecting purchases in the device settings (Screen Time → iTunes & App Store Purchases).

9. Visiting this website

This website (games.grubenhund.com) sets no cookies, uses no analytics or tracking tools and embeds no third-party content; fonts, images and videos come from the same server. Links to the App Store, Google Play or other websites only transfer data to those providers once you click them.

When you open a page, the host processes technically necessary data in server logs: IP address, date and time, requested address, amount of data transferred, browser and operating system. This is required to deliver the website, detect attacks and fix errors (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; legitimate interest in secure and reliable operation). The site is hosted by Vercel Inc., 650 California St, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA, as processor; transfers to the USA are covered by the EU Standard Contractual Clauses and Vercel's certification under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. Logs are kept only as long as needed for operation, security and troubleshooting, usually no longer than 30 days.

If you send me an e-mail, I process your details in order to reply (Art. 6(1)(b) or (f) GDPR).

10. Recipients and service providers

  • Apple – App Store and payment processing, iCloud device backup (separate controller)
  • Vercel Inc. (USA) – hosting of this website games.grubenhund.com (processor, see “Visiting this website”)

Beyond that we do not share personal data, and we never sell data.

11. Transfers outside the EU

Some service providers are based in the USA. Where data is transferred there, this is based on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (adequacy decision of the European Commission) or EU Standard Contractual Clauses (Art. 46(2)(c) GDPR).

12. Your rights

You have the right of access (Art. 15 GDPR), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18), data portability (Art. 20) and objection (Art. 21), and you may withdraw consent at any time with effect for the future (Art. 7(3)). Write to info@grubenhund.com.

Right to object

Where we process data on the basis of legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR), you may object to this processing at any time on grounds relating to your particular situation (Art. 21 GDPR). Write to info@grubenhund.com.

How to delete data yourself is explained under Delete data.

You may also lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, for example the data protection authority of North Rhine-Westphalia (LDI NRW), Kavalleriestraße 2–4, 40213 Düsseldorf, Germany.

13. Changes

When a game changes – for example with new features or service providers – I update this policy. The version published here applies. If this English version differs from the German one, the German version prevails.