Christmas Countdown 2026
Privacy Policy
This policy explains what information the Christmas Countdown 2026 app collects, why, who it is shared with, and the choices you have.
Effective date: 3 October 2026 · Last updated: 3 October 2026- No account or sign-up. We never ask for your name, email or phone number.
- Your trees, gift lists, letters to Santa, events, scores and settings are stored only on your device. We do not have servers that receive them.
- We use Google AdMob to show ads to free users, and ask for consent where the law requires it.
- We use Google Firebase for anonymous usage statistics, crash reports and push notifications.
- Purchases are handled by Google Play. We never see your payment details.
- We do not sell your personal information.
- The app does not use your location, camera, microphone, contacts or photos.
1 Who we are
Christmas Countdown 2026 (the "App", package com.linksgroups.christmascountdown) is developed and published by LinksGroups Engine ("we", "us", "our"). For the purposes of data protection law, LinksGroups Engine is the controller of the limited information described in this policy.
Contact: info@linksgroups.com · Website: https://linksgroups.com
2 Information stored on your device
The following information is created by you while using the App and is saved only in the App's private storage on your device. It is not sent to us or to anyone else, unless you choose to share something (for example, a card) using your phone's share menu.
| Information | Purpose | Leaves your device? |
|---|---|---|
| Settings (scene, lights, font, snow, countdown style and target day, music, reminders) | Remember how you like the App | No |
| Gift planner: names or nicknames you enter for people, gift ideas, budgets, prices, "bought"/"wrapped" status and reminder times | Your gift list and shopping reminders | No |
| Secret Santa names you enter | Run the draw on your device | No (only if you share the result yourself) |
| Letter to Santa (the name and wishes you type) | Show your letter and certificate | No (only if you share it yourself) |
| Decorated trees and custom festive countdowns | Save your creations | No |
| Christmas cards you make | Create a picture to share. Cards aren't saved; the picture is made only when you share it | Only if you share it yourself |
| Advent progress, game scores, Star Dust, achievements and snow shop items | Progress, rewards and high scores | No |
| Premium status and any 12-hour unlocks earned by watching an ad | Unlock features (also read by the App's own home-screen widgets and live wallpaper) | No |
| Motion sensor readings (only if 3D tilt is on) | Move the scene as you tilt your phone. Readings are used live and never stored | No |
Please don't enter sensitive information (such as health details or passwords) in free-text fields. Anything you type stays on your device, but it is your choice what you write.
3 Information processed by Google services
The App uses the following services provided by Google. These services collect some information automatically from your device and process it according to their own privacy terms.
| Service | Information collected | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Google AdMob Free users only |
Advertising ID (Android "AAID"), IP address, device and app information (model, OS version, language, app version), approximate location derived from IP, ad interactions (views, taps), consent choices | Show banner, interstitial, rewarded, rewarded-interstitial and app-open ads; measure ads; prevent fraud; personalise ads only where you consent |
| Google User Messaging Platform (UMP) | Your consent choices, device and region information | Ask for, store and respect your advertising consent where required (for example in the EEA, UK and Switzerland) |
| Google Analytics for Firebase | App-instance ID, Advertising ID (where available), app usage events (such as app opens, screens viewed, sessions, first open), device model, OS version, language, app version, country/region derived from IP | Understand, in aggregate, how the App is used so we can fix problems and improve features. We do not use it to identify you |
| Firebase Crashlytics | Crash and error reports (stack traces), device state at the time of the crash (model, OS version, free memory and disk), Crashlytics installation ID | Find and fix crashes and bugs |
| Firebase Cloud Messaging | A push token that identifies the App installation (not you) | Deliver occasional announcements and festive notifications |
| Google Play Billing | Purchase and subscription status and a purchase token. Payment details are handled by Google, never by us | Sell and restore the Premium subscription |
| Google Play In-App Updates and In-App Review | Handled by the Google Play Store app on your device | Let you update the App and leave a rating without leaving the App |
Learn more about how Google uses information from apps that use its services: How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services, Google Privacy Policy and Privacy and Security in Firebase.
4 How we use information
- To provide the App: show your countdown, save your creations, run games, reminders, widgets and the live wallpaper.
- To fund the free version: show ads to users who don't have Premium, and offer optional rewarded ads that unlock items for 12 hours or give bonus Star Dust.
- To improve the App: use aggregated analytics and crash reports to fix bugs and decide what to build next.
- To process purchases: unlock Premium and restore it on your devices through Google Play.
- To communicate with you: send optional reminders and occasional push notifications, and reply if you email us.
We do not use your information for automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
5 Legal bases for processing (EEA, UK and Switzerland)
- Consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)): personalised advertising and storing or accessing information on your device for advertising, where required. You can withdraw consent at any time (see section 6).
- Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)): providing the App and the Premium subscription you buy.
- Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): non-personalised ads, aggregated analytics, crash reporting, security and fraud prevention. You can object at any time by contacting us.
- Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)): where we must keep or disclose information by law.
6 Advertising and your consent
Free users see ads served by Google AdMob: banners on some secondary screens; interstitial ads when leaving some screens or opening the App again after a while; an optional rewarded-interstitial offer after a game (which you can skip before it starts); and rewarded ads only when you choose to watch one to unlock an item. We limit full-screen ads to at most one every few minutes and never show ads to Premium subscribers.
If you are in the EEA, UK or Switzerland, the App shows Google's consent message the first time you open it, and ads are only personalised if you agree.
- In the App: open Explore → Help & About → Privacy choices (shown where consent is required) to review or withdraw your consent.
- On your phone: Settings → Google → Ads (or Settings → Privacy → Ads) → Delete advertising ID. Apps then can't use it to personalise ads.
- Google: manage ad personalisation at My Ad Center.
- Remove ads completely: subscribe to Premium.
7 Analytics and crash reports
We use Google Analytics for Firebase to see aggregated information, for example how many people use the advent calendar, and Firebase Crashlytics to receive reports when the App crashes. These reports do not include the names, gift lists, letters or other content you type into the App. We do not combine this information with other data to identify you.
If you prefer that we don't process analytics or crash data about your installation, email us at info@linksgroups.com. You can also reset or delete your advertising ID as described in section 6.
8 Notifications
- Reminders (milestones, advent gifts and gift-shopping reminders) are scheduled locally on your device. They are off until you turn them on in Customise, and Android will ask for notification permission.
- Push notifications are sent through Firebase Cloud Messaging using a push token. They only appear if you allow notifications.
- You can turn notifications off at any time in the App (Customise → Reminders) or in your phone's Settings → Apps → Christmas Countdown → Notifications.
9 Purchases and subscriptions
Premium is sold as a subscription through Google Play Billing. Google processes your payment and shares with us only what is needed to confirm and restore your subscription (such as the product, purchase status and a purchase token). We never receive your card or bank details. See the Google Payments Privacy Notice.
10 App permissions
| Permission | Why the App needs it |
|---|---|
| Internet, network state | Load ads, Firebase services, purchases and app updates |
| Notifications (POST_NOTIFICATIONS) | Show reminders and push notifications you allow |
| Run at startup (RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED) | Restore your scheduled reminders and refresh widgets after the phone restarts |
| Vibrate, wake lock, foreground service | Haptic feedback, and reliable delivery of notifications and background tasks by Google libraries |
| Advertising ID (AD_ID) and Android Privacy Sandbox ad services | Used by Google AdMob and Firebase as described in sections 3 and 6 |
| Google Play Billing, install referrer | Process Premium purchases and measure how the App was installed |
| Push messages (C2DM receive) | Receive Firebase Cloud Messaging notifications |
The App does not request access to your location, camera, microphone, contacts, photos or files. The live wallpaper and widgets only display App content and are added by you through Android's own pickers.
11 Sharing and disclosure
We do not sell your personal information. Information is shared only:
- with the Google services listed in section 3, which process it to provide their services to us;
- when you choose to share a picture, card or text using your phone's share menu (the app you pick then handles it under its own terms);
- if required by law, regulation, legal process or a valid government request, or to protect the rights, safety and security of our users or the public;
- as part of a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, in which case this policy would continue to apply to your information.
12 International transfers
Google may process information in the United States and other countries where it or its sub-processors operate. Where information about users in the EEA, UK or Switzerland is transferred, Google relies on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses and the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.
13 Data retention
- On-device data stays until you delete it in the App, clear the App's storage, or uninstall the App.
- Analytics, crash reports and ad data are kept by Google for limited periods set by Google's retention policies and our Firebase settings, then deleted or anonymised.
- Emails you send us are kept only as long as needed to answer you and for our records.
14 Security
Information sent to Google services is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS). Data stored by the App lives in Android's private app storage, which other apps cannot read. No method of storage or transmission is 100% secure, but we work to protect the information we handle.
15 Your rights and choices
EEA, UK and Switzerland
You have the right to access, correct, delete or restrict the processing of your personal data, to object to processing based on legitimate interests, to data portability, and to withdraw consent at any time without affecting earlier processing. You can also complain to your local data protection authority (in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office).
California and other US states
You 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 for cross-context behavioural advertising. We do not sell personal information for money. To opt out of personalised advertising, delete your advertising ID or turn off ad personalisation as described in section 6. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.
How to make a request
Email info@linksgroups.com. Because we don't use accounts, we can't link most data to you personally. For data held by Google, include any IDs you can find, and we will help where we can. We will reply within one month (or the period required by your local law).
16 Deleting your data
- Everything stored by the App: uninstall the App, or go to your phone's Settings → Apps → Christmas Countdown → Storage → Clear storage. Individual items (trees, people, gifts, events) can also be deleted inside the App.
- Advertising data: delete or reset your advertising ID (section 6).
- Analytics or crash data: email us and we will ask Google to delete data linked to your App installation where possible.
- Premium subscription: cancel in Google Play. Your purchase history is kept by Google under its own policies.
17 Children's privacy
The App is a general-audience app intended for users aged 13 and over. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or the higher age required in your country). Younger children should use the App only with a parent or guardian, who can turn off notifications and buy Premium to remove ads.
If you believe a child has provided personal information through the App, please contact us at info@linksgroups.com and we will take steps to delete it.
18 Links and sharing
The App and this website may link to other websites and apps, such as Google Play or our other apps. Ads may also link to advertisers' sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties, so please read their policies.
19 Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when the App changes or the law requires it. We will change the "Last updated" date above and, for significant changes, let you know in the App or on our store listing. Continuing to use the App after an update means the updated policy applies.
20 Contact us
LinksGroups Engine
Email: info@linksgroups.com
Website: https://linksgroups.com