Hobby Pets terms & privacy

1. About these terms

1.1 These terms apply to your HobbyPets account and the optional online features. The current project contact for support, privacy and appeals is jezzahh1@gmail.com.

1.2 Accept only if you understand and agree. Keep a copy if you wish. The version accepted and server date are recorded for your account. Material changes may require renewed acceptance.

1.3 Public launch operator details will be published before general release. These terms do not claim that the service is certified safe or compliant in every country.

1.4 The account terms, privacy notice and community rules are presented together for convenient reading. A statement describing how information is used is not itself consent to every possible use. Optional public sharing and a provider's sensitive-data checks require their own choices.

1.5 Numbered clauses can be found using Search or Contents. Read the sections relevant to you and ask support about anything unclear before accepting. The displayed version is the version recorded on acceptance; opening, searching or scrolling this notice does not accept it.

2. Account creation and security

2.1 Provide your real age, an email you control and a unique, appropriate username. Do not impersonate someone, lend an account to bypass age restrictions or use another person's identity for a check.

2.2 Keep your password and sign-in codes private. Tell support about suspected account misuse. Your exact age and email address are not shown in social profiles.

2.3 Email verification confirms control of an email address. It does not verify age or prove that a person is safe.

2.4 Protect your device and use an appropriate, unique password. We will not ask you to send a password, sign-in token or identity document in an ordinary chat. Use account recovery for a lost password and contact support about a compromised account.

2.5 Do not sell accounts, buy another player's access, share an account to bypass moderation, or create replacement accounts to contact someone who blocked you. Parents helping a child must use the authorised family process when available; they must not misrepresent their own age as the child's.

3. Age groups and growing older

3.1 The age selector offers 1–150. Selecting an age is a declaration, not independent verification. Normal self-service account creation is currently available from age 13; this is a product limit, not a statement that one minimum age satisfies every country's law.

3.2 Teen and adult conversations are separate. Restrictions may also depend on local requirements and parental consent. A country selection alone does not establish someone's location or legal eligibility.

3.3 Recorded age advances after each full year from its recorded date. We do not infer your birthday or collect a full birth date for this calculation. Ask for an age correction in Settings > Age & privacy.

3.4 Corrections cannot immediately switch chat groups. A trusted age check is required. On a verified group change, previous-group friendships, guild membership and your retained chat history are removed; safety blocks remain. Your pets and earned progress remain.

3.5 The intended social groups are children under 13, teens aged 13–17 and adults aged 18 or over. These are game permission groups, not a declaration that the same legal consent age applies everywhere. Local requirements may mean a feature is unavailable even within one of these groups.

3.6 Never choose a false age or group to get past a failed check. An incomplete or failed adult check does not prove that a person is a child or teen. Where evidence cannot establish the required group, access remains restricted and the player can request review.

4. Independent age checks

4.1 Independent verification is available only when a supported provider has been configured. Until then the app shows that age is not independently verified.

4.2 When available, the provider handles its camera, document or digital-ID flow and presents its own notices. You choose whether to proceed. The check may require more than one step or a stronger method; a camera estimate is not exact proof of age.

4.3 HobbyPets uses results only for the permissions that the evidence and applicable review support. In the AWS camera method, our backend temporarily receives a reference image in memory; see section 31. In the alternative KWS and Yoti methods, we receive a provider result rather than your selfie or document image. We do not store selfies or identity document images in your account. An adult-only result does not confirm an exact age.

4.4 Failed or inconclusive checks do not erase pet progress. Retry, correct your declared age or contact support for review. Do not send selfies or ID documents to the support email. Checks have attempt limits to prevent misuse.

4.5 AWS camera liveness and age estimation is the selected method being prepared, subject to activation and review. KWS and Yoti remain inactive alternatives unless explicitly enabled and identified to you. The button starts a process; permission, provider instructions, consent and result confirmation may require additional steps. A one-click completion or an approved method for every age and country is not promised.

4.6 When a KWS check is enabled, your account email, selected verification country, language and an opaque request reference are passed to KWS. KWS and its checking providers handle the verification interaction under their notices. KWS may recognise a previous verification through its AgeGraph; consult its notice for retention and opt-out choices.

4.7 Only an authenticated provider result matched to the originating account and request can change verified permissions. A browser screen, return link or client-side tick does not grant access. Verification lowers particular risks; it is not a background check, a guarantee of identity in all circumstances or a guarantee of good behaviour.

5. Children and parental consent

5.1 Under-13 social features stay locked until an operational verified-parent consent process and launch review are complete. An adult age check alone is not proof of guardianship or permission for a child.

5.2 Where the reviewed children's service is activated, a parent may separately permit friends chat, kids guild chat and kids Explore. These features use the under-13 group, not adult or teen rooms. Parent permission and the child's age declaration are separate records: a parent-adult check does not independently verify the child's age. Restricting age groups reduces risk but cannot guarantee the real identity or age of every person using an account. Legacy preset-only contacts may remain available under their existing controls.

5.3 Parents can contact support about access, corrections, withdrawal or deletion. Applicable parental-consent and child-data rights are not waived by accepting these terms.

5.4 Children should tell a trusted adult about uncomfortable contact, requests for secrets or gifts, attempts to move a conversation elsewhere, or requests for photographs or personal details. A report does not require the child to confront the other player.

5.5 Do not submit a child's face or identity document through an adult verification flow. A parent verifying adulthood for a consent process must use their own information and the designated parent flow. Child access will not be enabled by treating a parent's adult result as the child's age result.

5.6 Hand the device to a parent or legal guardian. The parent signs into their own confirmed email, reads the parent notice, chooses features and expressly confirms their authority and the child's correct age. Kids Web Services (KWS) checks adulthood using an available method; its result alone is not consent. The game grants the chosen permissions only after the bound provider result and recorded permission pass server checks. One click starts the process; email confirmation and provider steps may be necessary.

5.7 A new parent-managed child account is created after approval, with a generated nickname and no child email. Existing children keep their account and pet progress. Parent accounts in Settings or the sign-in screen let the parent reopen managed child accounts or pause permission. Requests for access, correction and deletion go to the published support contact; withdrawing online permission does not delete pet progress.

5.8 KWS receives the parent's email, country and a request reference; its hosted notice describes the method-specific data it collects. HobbyPets receives the adult-check result, not the parent's ID or card details. Firebase holds the account, permission, selected features, version, date, parent-child link and moderation records. Selected online features share the child's nickname, avatar, pet, level, colour, game position and chat with eligible children. Country and exact age remain private. There is no consent to advertising, purchases or unrelated sharing in this permission.

5.9 Pending verification sessions expire after 24 hours, handoff codes after 30 minutes. Retention cleanup must be activated and checked before children's release. Permission remains subject to withdrawal, policy changes, review and the conservative age-group boundary; entering a new group needs its own eligibility check. Parents should supervise use, report concerns and never give their own adult login to a child for chatting.

6. Country and public profile choices

6.1 Country is optional. Leaving it blank does not prevent saving account details. It is private unless an adult separately chooses to show it to other players; that choice is off by default and can be changed in Settings.

6.2 Mandatory account terms do not grant permission to publish your country. Exact age, email and private verification records are not part of your public profile.

6.3 Username, avatar, selected pet, level and colour theme are shown during permitted social interactions. Country is not currently used to select your game server. If regional routing is introduced, it will be explained separately; it will not require public country sharing.

6.4 Turning country sharing off updates shared profile records. It cannot erase information that another player has already seen or copied.

7. Community rules

7.1 Be respectful. Do not bully, groom, threaten, sexually exploit, harass, discriminate, scam or encourage harm. Sexual content involving children is prohibited. Do not contact players outside the game to evade a block or age restriction.

7.2 Do not publish addresses, school details, phone numbers, passwords, payment details or another person's private information. Keep hobby guild conversations appropriate for their age group.

7.3 Do not cheat, abuse reporting, automate spam, exploit bugs or disrupt the game or its security. Report vulnerabilities privately to support.

7.4 There is no global chat. Text filtering can miss harmful content and is not a replacement for blocking, reporting or review.

8. Your messages and content

8.1 You remain responsible for messages and content you submit. Only share content you are entitled to use.

8.2 You permit HobbyPets and its service providers to store, deliver, display and review that content as needed to operate the game, provide requested features, handle safety reports and meet applicable law.

8.3 This operational permission does not transfer ownership of your content. Messages already delivered or retained as necessary safety evidence may remain after you leave a conversation.

9. Blocks, reports and moderation

9.1 Unfriend, block or report from chat. Blocking and reporting separate accounts from new direct messages, friend requests and each other's new guild messages. Their pets may still appear in Explore.

9.2 One report is counted per message; an account may submit ten reports per UTC week. Reported messages are hidden pending review. Reports alone do not prove misconduct.

9.3 Three distinct violations upheld by a moderator within 30 days lead to a 24-hour chat restriction. Repeat restrictions increase by one day up to seven days. Serious or repeated misconduct may receive a separately reviewed permanent restriction.

9.4 Malicious false reporting can lead to restrictions after review. An unsuccessful report is not automatically a false report. Safety actions must not be used to target or ostracise players.

9.5 We may preserve relevant evidence and restrict contact while reviewing a credible safety concern. Reviews should consider context, severity, reliability and prior upheld conduct, rather than report volume alone. For immediate risks we may act before contacting the account, with a reason and review route where appropriate and lawful.

9.6 Reporting is confidential to the extent reasonably possible, but we cannot promise absolute anonymity in every investigation or legal process. We do not provide other players with private identity-check documents or a complainant's private contact details.

9.7 Filters and reports are safeguards, not assurances that every message has been reviewed. No player is appointed a moderator merely by reporting others. Do not organise mass reports, retaliate against complainants or falsely claim to represent HobbyPets support.

10. Appeals and urgent help

10.1 You may appeal moderation through chat or email the project contact. Give the relevant account name, decision and reason for review; do not include unnecessary private information.

10.2 We do not promise instant or round-the-clock moderation. If someone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services. In Australia call 000 for an emergency. The eSafety Commissioner provides online abuse reporting guidance at esafety.gov.au.

10.3 Using our support process does not remove your right to complain to an applicable regulator or seek another lawful remedy.

11. Information used to run the game

11.1 We process account details, game saves, username, chosen avatar/theme, private age and consent records, friend/guild relationships, messages, blocks, reports and appeals to provide and protect the game.

11.2 Authentication and app-integrity services process technical information needed for sign-in, security and abuse prevention. Multiplayer services process temporary map position and appearance so other players can see your pet.

11.3 We do not sell chat data or use it for targeted advertising. Optional social features can be left unused. Information must be limited to what is needed for the stated purpose.

12. Providers and overseas processing

12.1 Google Firebase supplies authentication, database and cloud infrastructure. Current infrastructure may process information in Australia, Singapore, the United States and other provider locations.

12.2 An independent age-check provider, when enabled, is identified before you leave the app. Its methods, processing locations and retention notices must be reviewed before proceeding.

12.3 Authorised service providers process information for their disclosed functions. Required legal disclosures and necessary investigation of abuse may involve additional recipients. Contact support for provider/privacy questions.

13. Storage and retention

13.1 Each account retains up to 100 ordinary inbox/chat items, loaded in small pages. Older slots are overwritten; ordinary items also have a 30-day expiry. Chat metadata, including message likes, can remain for up to 30 days. A like marks your own copy and updates the author's count; it does not publish a list of who liked a message.

13.2 Reports and appeals use separate access-controlled evidence, normally with 90-day expiry unless an active case or law requires a longer hold. Age verification receipts have a 90-day expiry target; the private age and consent state remains while needed for the account.

13.3 Account and relationship records remain while needed to provide the account. Expiry processing is not instantaneous. Device caches, backups and recipients' copies may outlive immediate deletion. Contact support for the current retention/deletion process.

14. Access, correction and deletion

14.1 You can change supported profile/privacy settings in the game. Contact support to request access to your personal information, correct a record, delete an account or make a privacy complaint.

14.2 We may need to verify that a request concerns your account without collecting excessive information. We will explain applicable retention exceptions, including safety evidence or legal obligations.

14.3 Withdrawing optional public country sharing does not erase pet progress. Closing an account or deleting its data can remove saved progress; any destructive request requires clear confirmation.

14.4 Depending on applicable law, rights may also include portability, restricting or objecting to certain processing, withdrawing a consent, and complaining to a data-protection authority. Not every right applies to every record or jurisdiction. Support will explain the applicable response and any lawful refusal rather than treating these terms as a waiver.

14.5 Do not send sensitive evidence unnecessarily. Support may ask for a proportionate way to demonstrate control of an account before disclosing or removing its data. Parents' requests about children require appropriate verification of their authority; one player's request cannot erase another player's independent account.

15. Game access, purchases and changes

15.1 Game content, balance and available online features may change. Network interruptions, maintenance and outages can occur. Reconnection attempts do not guarantee uninterrupted service.

15.2 Pets, levels and virtual items are in-game features, not cash or an investment. Any purchase must show its price and applicable store terms before payment. These terms do not authorise undisclosed charges.

15.3 Refund and consumer rights required by law continue to apply, including applicable Australian Consumer Law guarantees. No clause excludes or limits a right or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

16. Suspension, changes and contact

16.1 Access may be restricted to protect players, investigate misuse or meet legal requirements. Where appropriate, we provide a reason and an appeal route. A chat restriction does not automatically erase earned pet progress.

16.2 Important changes are identified by version. Continued gameplay is not a substitute for an explicit consent where one is required.

16.3 Support, privacy and moderation appeals: jezzahh1@gmail.com. This temporary project contact and the legal operator details must be confirmed before public launch.

16.4 These terms do not promise that all misconduct will be prevented, that every verification will be correct or that players waive mandatory rights.

17. Licence to use the game

17.1 Subject to these terms and any applicable store licence, you may install and use the authorised HobbyPets application for your own lawful personal entertainment and hobby activities. This permission gives access to the service; it does not transfer ownership of the software, game artwork, names, audio or underlying systems.

17.2 Rights in HobbyPets materials belong to their respective owners or licensors. Third-party and open-source components remain subject to their applicable licences. Nothing in these terms removes permissions independently granted by an open-source licence or an exception provided by law.

17.3 Do not distribute paid or restricted game material, sell unauthorised copies, remove ownership notices, or present a modified version as an official release. Ask support before using game branding for a commercial product or implying a partnership.

17.4 Access to a test build is not a promise of permanent availability, future features or a commercial licence. If a licence ends, mandatory consumer rights, lawful record retention and permitted third-party licence rights still apply.

18. Technical misuse and fair play

18.1 Use normal game interfaces and any tools expressly authorised for players. Do not attack services, distribute malware, steal credentials, exploit payment or reward systems, forge verification outcomes, or attempt to read another player's private records.

18.2 Do not use automated accounts, spam, manipulated game clients or scripts to gain an unfair advantage, overload servers or evade rate limits. Accessibility tools used in good faith are not prohibited simply because they assist input; contact support if a tool may affect competitive fairness or security.

18.3 If you discover a vulnerability, stop activity that might harm accounts and report a minimal description privately. Do not access other users' information to prove a point, publish working abuse instructions or demand payment through threats. These terms do not create a paid bug bounty or authorise security testing beyond your own permitted account.

18.4 We may investigate credible exploitation and correct illegitimately obtained rewards using appropriate records. Good-faith bug reports, legitimate offline play and normal connection retries must not be treated as proof of cheating on their own.

19. Payments and purchase authorisation

19.1 A feature is paid only when its purchase screen clearly identifies a price and asks for authorisation. Agreeing to these account terms is not permission to charge a payment method. Applicable currency, taxes and any recurring billing must be disclosed before purchase.

19.2 Use a payment method you are authorised to use. Minors must have any required parent or guardian permission, and the store's family and payment restrictions continue to apply. Do not use stolen payment information or seek unauthorised refunds through false statements.

19.3 Payments made through a third-party app store follow that store's payment and refund process as well as mandatory law. Keep your receipt. If a purchase is missing, contact support with the transaction reference and product description, not your full payment-card number.

19.4 Pricing, offers and regional availability can change for future purchases. A completed transaction must not silently become a new recurring charge. Errors and disputes should be handled fairly, with notice and any refund or other remedy required by law.

20. Virtual items, currencies and progression

20.1 Pets, equipment, coins, gems, levels, streaks and other virtual features are part of the game experience. They are not bank deposits, securities, stored legal currency or a promise of monetary return. Their names do not create an entitlement to cash redemption.

20.2 Only transfers or exchanges expressly available inside the game are authorised. These terms do not create a player marketplace, real-money trading system or right to sell accounts or virtual items elsewhere.

20.3 Progress and virtual features may be affected by supported game rules, account closure, justified safety action, balance changes or technical faults. We will not use this clause to avoid a remedy required for a faulty or misdescribed paid product.

20.4 Report missing progress or accidental transactions promptly. Recovery depends on the available records and the cause of the problem; support does not promise recovery of every device-only or overwritten record. Deliberately exploiting a recovery process is prohibited.

21. Refunds, subscriptions and promotions

21.1 Nothing here imposes a blanket no-refunds policy. Refunds, repairs, replacement, cancellation and compensation required by applicable consumer law remain available. The appropriate remedy depends on the product, problem and applicable rules.

21.2 These terms do not themselves launch or enrol anyone in a subscription. If subscriptions are introduced, a separate purchase disclosure must state the billing interval, price, renewal, cancellation route and any trial conversion before a player subscribes.

21.3 A promotional offer must state its eligibility, duration and material restrictions. A trial is not permission for an undisclosed payment. Contests involving prizes, chance or special eligibility require their own reviewed rules; ordinary game rewards do not create such a contest by implication.

21.4 Contact the relevant store and HobbyPets support for billing problems. Do not publicly share receipts containing personal information. A good-faith consumer complaint, payment dispute or lawful refund request is not by itself misconduct.

22. Third-party services and external links

22.1 Authentication, app stores, hosting and verification may be supplied by other organisations. Their own terms and privacy notices apply to their services. HobbyPets must still meet its own obligations; identifying a provider does not transfer all responsibility to the player.

22.2 Before following an external verification link, check that you are in the expected provider flow. Never provide a game password to another player or an unrelated website. Support can explain an expected provider, but cannot waive the provider's identity or security requirements.

22.3 References to outside hobby information are for convenience and are not endorsements of every statement, product or service on the destination. External availability and content may change. A link does not authorise a third party to contact you or publish your profile.

22.4 Device operating systems and stores may impose their own camera, network, age and parental controls. The game must respect these controls. A blocked permission may prevent a feature from completing; it must not be treated as a successful check.

23. Hobbies, wellbeing and accessibility

23.1 HobbyPets encourages real-life hobbies and useful routines. Its tasks, scores, streaks and suggestions are game features, not medical, mental-health, financial or professional advice. They do not guarantee fitness gains, educational results or a particular wellbeing outcome.

23.2 Choose activities appropriate for your circumstances and abilities. Take breaks, use suitable equipment and obtain qualified advice where needed. Do not undertake an unsafe activity or ignore pain, fatigue, supervision or a professional's advice to earn a game reward.

23.3 Players must not pressure others into dangerous challenges or reveal sensitive health information to prove progress. Contact support if a task or community interaction creates a safety concern.

23.4 Tell support about accessibility barriers. We aim to offer understandable controls and notices, but a feature's presence does not mean it works with every assistive technology or device. No accessibility request waives a player's rights or requires them to publish a disability.

24. Availability, updates and testing

24.1 Online features depend on a compatible device, supported software and network access. Maintenance, provider outages and device limitations can interrupt service. Reasonable reconnect attempts and local saves reduce disruption but cannot guarantee continuous access or perfect synchronisation.

24.2 Keep the game updated through authorised distribution. Security or compatibility changes may require an update before online features can continue. Where reasonably practicable, important changes affecting access will be explained rather than silently changing a player's rights.

24.3 Development and test builds can contain unfinished features and defects. A roadmap, preview or experiment is not a guaranteed release commitment. Test participation does not remove applicable consumer or privacy protections.

24.4 Before a planned discontinuation materially affects purchased content or account access, we should provide appropriate notice and any remedy required by law. Emergency safety or security action may need to happen sooner. Ordinary improvements do not authorise deleting unrelated user data.

25. Responsibility and mandatory protections

25.1 We are responsible for obligations imposed on the operator by applicable law. These terms do not exclude fraud, deliberate misconduct, or any duty, guarantee, remedy or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

25.2 In Australia, applicable consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law continue to apply. Players may have remedies for services not supplied with due care and skill or products that fail the relevant guarantees. Similar mandatory rights may apply in other countries.

25.3 Subject to those protections, we do not promise that every interaction is safe, every verification is correct, every device is supported or the service will be uninterrupted. Statements about safeguards describe their intended function and limitations, not a guarantee that misconduct or technical faults can never occur.

25.4 Each person remains responsible for harm attributable to their own unlawful or wrongful conduct to the extent provided by law. These terms do not impose a blanket obligation on a child or consumer to pay every claim or legal expense involving the game, and do not transfer our own negligence to players.

25.5 No clause requires you to give up a lawful complaint, court claim, regulator report or statutory remedy. If a provision would be unfair, unlawful or unenforceable in your circumstances, it applies only to the extent the law permits, with the remaining lawful provisions continuing where possible.

26. Questions, complaints and dispute resolution

26.1 Contact jezzahh1@gmail.com with the issue, relevant account name, numbered clause if applicable and the outcome you seek. Include only necessary information. We should acknowledge a complaint and explain a practical next step; no fixed response time or round-the-clock staffing is promised by this development notice.

26.2 We encourage a good-faith attempt to resolve problems through support. This is not a compulsory waiting period that removes access to urgent relief, an app-store remedy, a regulator, an ombudsman or a court where those avenues are available.

26.3 Subject to mandatory laws and protections applying where a player lives, these terms are intended to be governed by Queensland and applicable Australian law. This clause does not force an overseas consumer to surrender a right to bring a claim in an otherwise competent local court.

26.4 There is no mandatory arbitration agreement, class-action waiver or shortened statutory claim deadline created by these terms. A future material change to dispute provisions requires specific legal review and appropriate notice; another game's rules are not incorporated merely because its style informed this document.

27. Parents, guardians and family decisions

27.1 A parent or legal guardian should help a minor understand these terms and provide any permission required by applicable law. A minor's own checkbox is not a substitute for verifiable parental consent where such consent is required.

27.2 Parental controls must be set by an authorised adult through the supported family process. Do not use another person's adult verification or consent record to enrol a child for whom you lack authority. Confirming adulthood does not by itself prove a guardian relationship.

27.3 Family choices may include approving individual friends and permitted communication features when the children's service launches. Approving one feature must not be treated as permission for unrelated public sharing, marketing, purchases or new data uses.

27.4 A parent may ask about records concerning their child, withdraw a consent or request deletion, subject to proportionate identity/authority checks and applicable law. Restricting a child's communication to protect them should not be presented as a punishment for reporting a concern.

28. Verification privacy and sensitive information

28.1 An age-check provider may process a camera image, identity document or other information according to the method the player chooses. Facial estimation and identity checking have different purposes and accuracy limits. Read the provider's notice for its processing, retention, participating vendors and any biometric implications before consenting.

28.2 HobbyPets should request only the result needed for the permission being assessed. For the prepared KWS adult flow, that means an adult-verification result, a request/transaction reference and timing, not a raw face recording or a full date of birth. The selected numerical age remains a declaration unless a method independently establishes it.

28.3 Sensitive information must not be repurposed for advertising, public profiles or unrelated analytics through this integration. A choice to publish a country does not authorise facial processing, and an age check does not authorise publication of the result beyond the game permissions described.

28.4 A provider outage, unavailable method, timeout or unsupported age group is not evidence of a person's age or wrongdoing. The player should receive a clear pending, unavailable or unsuccessful state and a lawful alternative or support route where required.

28.5 The independent-verification and children's launch processes require appropriate privacy, security and legal review. This notice does not assert that those reviews or an external provider approval have already been completed.

29. Sharing, intellectual-property complaints and feedback

29.1 You may describe your own play experience and share appropriate screenshots or gameplay clips to the extent allowed by applicable law, platform rules and the rights in the material. Do not expose another player's private messages or personal information without a lawful basis, imply official sponsorship or redistribute restricted assets as a competing product.

29.2 If you believe material in the service infringes your rights, contact support with identification of the material, where it appears, the right concerned and a way to contact you. Do not include more personal information than is necessary. We may request further details or respond to a valid legal notice under the relevant jurisdiction's process.

29.3 Where appropriate, affected users may explain an error or contest a removal. Neither a complaint nor a counterstatement automatically decides ownership. We may limit access during a reasonable investigation while preserving mandatory legal and appeal rights.

29.4 Feedback about bugs or features may be used to improve the game without a promise of payment or implementation. This does not grant us unrelated rights in your private creative work or require you to submit confidential material.

30. Definitions, interpretation and notice history

30.1 In this document, "HobbyPets" means the authorised game and supported account/online services operated by the identified project operator. "Player" or "you" means the account user, with an authorised parent or guardian acting where required. "Provider" means a separate organisation supplying a stated service. "Verified" means only that the particular evidence and check required for the displayed permission have been accepted.

30.2 "Friend" and "guild" describe in-game relationships, not a guarantee that a person is trustworthy or known offline. "Age group" describes the permission bands in clause 3.5. "Consent" means an applicable informed choice; it must not be inferred solely from using the game or receiving a message.

30.3 A heading is a navigation aid. Specific privacy or safety choices are not overridden by general wording about running the game. If mandatory local law conflicts with a provision, that law takes priority to the extent required.

30.4 Changes should have a clear version and explanation. A new feature with materially different data uses, purchases or risks needs an appropriate notice and any required new consent. We must not retroactively describe an old acceptance as agreement to a new sensitive-data use.

30.5 Not immediately enforcing a rule does not make all future breaches authorised. Any transfer of the operation of the service must respect existing consumer, privacy and notice obligations and must not silently expand access to personal information.

30.6 Current temporary contact: jezzahh1@gmail.com. Public launch requires confirmed legal-operator details and review of the final product, provider arrangements and jurisdictions. This document is the current development-stage account notice, not a promise of legal immunity or a substitute for qualified advice to the operator.

31. AWS camera processing and worldwide availability

31.1 Before a camera check, we explain its purpose, sensitive-data processing, destinations and alternatives and ask for a separate affirmative choice. General account terms and public-country sharing do not provide camera consent. Decline or cancel to keep solo pet progress; this may leave online contact unavailable.

31.2 AWS Rekognition processes a brief live camera stream in Malaysia to assess liveness. Our Firebase backend in Australia retrieves a reference image from that same successful session and sends it to AWS for an estimated age range. Temporary Cognito credentials are issued from Sydney. No separate AWS account is required for the player. The exact countries and service arrangements must be reviewed before regional activation.

31.3 HobbyPets does not write camera photos, videos, the numeric age range or liveness score to account storage. The official phone component uses a private temporary video cache during streaming. We isolate this cache and attempt cleanup on camera exit and app startup; a crash or operating-system failure can delay deletion. Image bytes are handled transiently in backend memory; clearing a buffer cannot guarantee that every runtime copy is immediately erased. Camera processing may involve biometric information even without long-term storage or identity matching. We do not create face collections or use this check to recognise a named person.

31.4 The numeric estimated range may be shown privately for the immediate result. It is not an exact age or a statistical guarantee. An overlapping range remains uncertain; failed adult checks never grant teen or child access. A supported broad group must agree with the declared age group and pass server-side eligibility review before acceptance. A person who disagrees can retry within limits or request an alternative review route without emailing selfies or ID documents.

31.5 We retain the accepted broad group, processing-consent version/time, private check country, assessment time and any group-boundary review date. Accepted adults have no scheduled repeat scan. Declared age advances from its recorded anniversary; that date is not represented as a verified birthday. A new check is required before entering a different protected group or accepting a requested correction into another group. There is no routine 90-day or annual paid scan, and paid checks never start automatically. Fraud, revocation, policy changes or a legal requirement may still restrict access or require review. Short-lived session references and per-account abuse counters have planned deletion periods of one and eight days respectively; diagnostic provider receipts have a 90-day deletion period, separate from the durable accepted-group record. Automated deletion is asynchronous. Account records follow the account-deletion and applicable legal-retention provisions in this notice.

31.6 AWS session results expire after three minutes. This is not a promise about every AWS service log, contractual processing or backup: provider data-use terms, an appropriate AI-services opt-out, retention and transfer safeguards must be reviewed before activation. HobbyPets will not intentionally use camera material for advertising or unrelated analytics. Country information for the check is private and separate from optional adult profile sharing.

31.7 The default liveness challenge can display changing colours. A movement-only option is offered for light sensitivity. Stop if uncomfortable. Camera compatibility, lighting, accessibility and model errors can affect results. There is no guarantee that everyone can complete this method; use solo play and contact support for another route.

31.8 Known under-13s cannot use this camera flow in the current version. A general parent checkbox or a verified adult account does not establish guardianship or specific consent to a child's sensitive-data processing. Regional minimum self-consent ages may be higher. Children's social mode remains unavailable until an appropriate operational parental-consent process and regional review are complete.

31.9 Worldwide distribution does not mean that free-text chat or facial estimation is enabled in every country. Activation requires review of the actual game, audience, moderation operations, age-estimator suitability, applicable laws, provider terms and international data transfers. Country selection alone cannot establish location or satisfy age or legal requirements. Access may remain restricted where an approved route is unavailable.

31.10 Australian social-media minimum-age rules have applied nationally since 10 December 2025 to in-scope services. Primarily online gaming services are generally excluded, but adding features or changing the service can affect classification. HobbyPets does not claim automatic exemption or certification. Applicable privacy, consumer and online-safety duties still require review. Other countries and states may impose additional child-consent, biometric and safety duties.

31.11 Contact jezzahh1@gmail.com to ask about processing, withdrawal, accessibility, correction, deletion or review. Never send a face recording, ID document, password or secret key to that address unless a separately established secure process and notice explicitly require it. This development-stage notice must be reviewed with the final legal operator and launch arrangements; it cannot guarantee immunity from claims or regulatory action.

31.12 Google Play Age Signals is an optional Android route for supported Google accounts and apps installed or updated through Google Play. Google manages the sharing prompt and its own verification or parental-supervision process. Choosing this route shares an age range and its assurance level with HobbyPets for age-appropriate access; it does not send a camera recording to HobbyPets or automatically start an AWS check. Automatic sign-in invitations are limited to once a year; choosing a check or a retry in settings remains under your control. A correction within the accepted group needs no new scan unless it would extend a minor's age-group boundary.

31.13 A self-declared Google age is not independent verification. A parent-managed signal does not by itself establish the specific parental consent required for HobbyPets social features. Assessed and more strongly verified signals remain subject to the applicable country and safety policy. Unknown, declined, unsupported, disputed or mismatched results do not automatically assign another group. Some users will need a different available route.

31.14 To protect against forged client responses, the app binds the Google result to a short-lived account challenge and requests a Play Integrity token. Our backend validates that token with Google, including app recognition, licensing, device integrity, request binding and time. This is not a guarantee that an account cannot be shared or misused. HobbyPets does not keep the raw integrity token or numeric Google age range in the account; it retains the broad group, assurance tier, consent time, private country and review boundary for account eligibility and safety. We do not use these signals for advertising or unrelated analytics. Google and Firebase process requests under their own terms and the reviewed international-transfer arrangements.

31.15 Apple Declared Age Range is planned separately for iPhone. Its availability or a declared range must not be represented as a verified age without evaluating the returned source and applicable requirements.