Last updated: October 18, 2026 · applies to Foxes & Owls 2.0
The short version: Foxes & Owls has no accounts, no ads and no tracking. While you play, your location and display name are shared with the other players in your match so the game works, and that match data is only kept in the game server's memory while the match is running. The camera is used only on your iPhone to scan game QR codes — nothing is saved or uploaded. We never sell your information.
Foxes & Owls: Capture The Flag ("Foxes & Owls", "the App", "we", "us") is a location-based multiplayer game for iPhone. This policy explains what information the App uses, why it's needed and how it's handled. It also covers this website.
Information the App uses
- Location (precise) and heading. Your GPS position and the direction your phone is facing are your game piece. While you're in a game, the App sends them to the game server, which shares them with the other players in that same game under the game's rules (teammates see you; opponents see you when you're spotted, carrying a flag, or revealed by an item). The App only uses location while it's open and in use — it does not track you in the background.
- Display name. The name you choose is shown to players in your games and next to your chat messages. It doesn't have to be your real name.
- Install ID. On first launch the App creates a random identifier for this installation and stores it on your device (in the App's storage and your device Keychain, so a reinstall can return you to your spot). It's sent only when you join a game, so the server can put you back in your slot if you drop out. It isn't linked to your name, Apple ID or any other identity, and it isn't used for tracking or advertising.
- Gameplay. Your team, starting kit, items, score and actions (tags, captures, items used) are processed by the server to run the match and are visible to players in it as part of the game.
- Chat messages. Messages you send go to your team or to everyone in the game, depending on the chat you pick. Please don't share personal information in chat.
- Reports. If you report a chat message, the message text, the names and in-game IDs of you and the reported player, and the game it came from are sent to us for moderation.
- Camera (QR scanning only). When you tap Scan QR, the App uses the camera to read a game's QR code. Images are processed only on your iPhone, in real time, and are never stored or uploaded. The camera isn't used for anything else, and you can always join by link or code instead.
- Nearby Interaction & local network. For close-range actions (tags and the High Five revive), iPhones with an Ultra-Wideband chip measure the distance to nearby players' phones. To do that, your phone exchanges your in-game player ID and display name with nearby phones in the same game over the local network. The measured distance may be sent to the server with a tag so it can check it.
- Connection data. Like any internet service, the game servers see your IP address when you connect. It's used to deliver the game and to rate-limit abuse.
What the App does not do
- No accounts, email addresses, phone numbers or passwords.
- No access to your contacts, photos or files.
- No advertising, no advertising identifiers, and no third-party analytics or tracking SDKs. Foxes & Owls does not track you across other companies' apps or websites.
- We don't sell or rent your information or share it for anyone's marketing.
How long things are kept
| Data | Where | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Location, heading, gameplay, chat | Game server memory | Only while the game exists. Games are deleted automatically after everyone has left (about 20 minutes); nothing is written to a database. |
| Install ID | Your device; game server memory during a game | On your device until you delete the App (and its Keychain item); on the server only while the game exists. Server logs may record a shortened form when you join. |
| Reports | Server logs | As long as needed to review the report and keep the game safe. |
| Name, settings, blocked players, recent games | Your device only | Until you change them or delete the App. |
| Camera images | Never leave your iPhone | Not stored at all. |
The App does not keep a history of where you have played.
Who processes data for us
Game servers run on Fly.io in several regions (currently the eastern, central and western United States and São Paulo, Brazil). The App picks the region nearest the host, so your match data may be processed outside your country. This website is hosted on Cloudflare Pages. These providers may keep standard technical logs (such as IP addresses) as part of running their services. Donations are handled by Ko-fi under its own privacy policy — the App never sees your payment details.
This website
This site uses no cookies, analytics or trackers. Invite pages (/j/…) read the game
code from the link inside your browser only, to show it to you.
Your choices
- Location: grant or revoke it any time in iPhone Settings › Apps › Foxes & Owls › Location. The game can't be played without it.
- Camera, Local Network & Nearby Interaction: you're asked the first time they're needed, and can change them in iPhone Settings › Apps › Foxes & Owls. You can play without them (join by link or code; tags fall back to GPS).
- Leaving a game: leave from the in-game menu, or abandon a recent game from the Join screen to free your spot.
- Deleting data: deleting the App removes what it stores on your device. Since there are no accounts and match data isn't kept, there's usually nothing else to delete — but you can contact us with any request.
Children
Foxes & Owls is not directed to children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has shared information with us, contact us and we'll take care of it.
Security
The App talks to our game servers over encrypted connections (HTTPS / secure WebSockets). No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, but we keep what we handle to a minimum.
Changes
If this policy changes, we'll update the date at the top of this page.
Contact
Questions about privacy? Email ctfgamesupport@gmail.com.