Hometown Wars

Privacy Policy & Support. Last updated: 31 October 2026.

Hometown Wars is a game in which your ZIP takes on every other ZIP in the United States. You walk to real public places to collect resources that build your ZIP up the ladder. This page explains what the app collects, why it needs it, how long it's kept, the choices you have, and how to get help. Hometown Wars is made by SCIP Solutions Pty Ltd ("we", "us").

Information we collect

Your location, while the app is open. The app uses your location to find public places near you and to check that you're close enough to collect from them. It never uses your location in the background.

When you're signed in and you collect, set up a drill or teleport, our server receives where and when it happened. That lets it check the move was possible (for example, that nobody jumped across town in a second). These records are deleted after 45 days. The server also keeps the last spot you collected from, so it can check your next move. That spot is cleared after 90 days without play.

Your account, if you sign in. You can play without an account. If you choose Sign in with Apple, we receive an identifier for your account and the email address Apple provides. You can choose Apple's private relay address instead of your own. We don't receive your name. Your email is used only to run your sign-in. We never contact you with it, show it to other players or share it.

Your game. This covers:

• your ZIP
• the alias you pick from the game's word lists, or that it gives you
• your plots and what you've built on them
• what you've collected and your ladder points
• which version of the app you're using

Other players see your alias, your ZIP and your plot on the map. They never see your name, your email or where you are. If you join with a friend's invite code, we record that their code brought you in, so the reward can go to you both. Your friend sees only how many people have joined with their code.

Places you find. The public places your phone finds nearby, such as parks, stations and shops, are shared with every player so everyone sees the same map. We note which account first shared each place.

Purchases. Apple handles all payments. We receive only which item you bought, its price and Apple's transaction number. We use them to add the item to your game and to count sales. We never see your payment details.

Notifications. If you turn them on, reminders such as the morning Pulse are scheduled on your phone itself. We don't send them from a server, and we don't keep a notification token.

This website. The website counts its visits and how many people tap through to the App Store. It also records where each visit came from, such as an ad, a search engine or typing the address. It uses no cookies and doesn't record your IP address, device or anything else that identifies you.

What we don't do

The app has no advertising and no analytics services. It doesn't track you across apps or websites, and it doesn't access your device's advertising identifier. We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, and we don't use it to profile you.

Who helps us run it

Your account and game are stored with our database provider, Supabase, which processes them only on our behalf. Apple runs sign-in and payments. Apple Maps finds the places near you. We don't share your information with anyone else unless the law requires it.

How long we keep it

Deleting your information

In the app, go to ZIP → Settings → Delete my account. This deletes your account, alias, plots, stakes and history from our server and from your device. What you helped your ZIP build stays built, but it's no longer linked to you.

Start over erases only what's saved on your device. Deleting the app removes everything stored on your device.

Your privacy rights

Depending on your state, you may have these rights over your personal information. We give them to every player in the United States, wherever you live.

• Know and access: what we hold about you, and a copy of it.
• Delete: in the app as above, or by asking us.
• Correct: anything that's wrong. You can change your alias in the app once a week.
• Opt out of sale, sharing, targeted advertising and profiling. We do none of these, so there's nothing to opt out of. We treat a Global Privacy Control signal as that request anyway.
• Limit the use of sensitive information. Your precise location counts as sensitive. We use it only to run the game as described above, never to infer anything about you.
• Appeal: if we turn down a request, you can ask us to reconsider, and we'll explain our answer.

To make a request, email support@hometownwars.com from the address you signed in with, or include your alias and ZIP. We'll check it's your account before acting on it, and we reply within 45 days. An authorized agent can make a request for you with your written permission. Using these rights never changes how the game treats you.

California residents. In the past 12 months we collected these categories under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

• identifiers (your account identifier and email)
• commercial information (what you bought)
• precise geolocation (where you collected)
• internet activity (which app version you use)

All of it came from you and your use of the app. We used it for the purposes on this page and disclosed it only to the service providers named above. We have not sold or shared it. California's "Shine the Light" law doesn't apply, because we don't give personal information to anyone for their own marketing.

Children's privacy

Hometown Wars is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If we learn that a child under 13 has signed in, we delete the account. If you believe that has happened, contact us. Parents can also ask us what a child's account holds before it's deleted.

Playing safely

The game uses only public places: parks, beaches, stations, landmarks and shopping streets. Never go onto private property to reach a place. Look up and watch for traffic near roads. Never play while driving; collecting pauses at driving speed.

Where your information is processed

SCIP Solutions is based in Australia, and Supabase hosts our database in the United States. By using the app, you understand that your information is handled from Australia as well as in the United States.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, we'll post the revised version on this page with an updated date at the top.

Support

Questions, bug reports, purchase problems and feedback are welcome at support@hometownwars.com.

We aim to reply within a few business days. When reporting a problem, include your device model, your iOS version and your ZIP; it helps us find the problem quickly. Apple handles refunds for purchases at reportaproblem.apple.com.

ZIP Code is a trademark of the United States Postal Service. Hometown Wars is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPS.