Privacy Policy

Last updated · September 26, 2026

Cartridge is a video game library app that lets you track the games you’re playing, finishing, and wishing for. This policy explains what information the app handles and where it goes. The short version: we collect the minimum needed to run your account and library, we use analytics only to understand how the app is used, we don’t show ads, and we never sell your data.

Information we collect

If you sign in

You can sign in with Apple or Google. We receive:

• Your name, if you choose to share it
• Your email address — or a private relay address if you use Apple's Hide My Email
• Your Google profile picture, if you sign in with Google
• A unique identifier from Apple or Google that links your account

This is stored on our backend, hosted by Convex, and used only to sign you in and show your profile. Your use of Google Sign-In is also covered by Google’s privacy policy.

Your game library

The games you add, along with their status (playing, backlog, completed, wishlist), platform, and progress, are stored on our backend, hosted by Convex. This data is tied to your account and is what lets your library sync across sessions and devices.

Your profile

Signed-in accounts get a profile: name, handle, bio, and picture. You can upload a photo for it. The app reads only the photo you pick; it is stored on Convex and shown on your profile.

Profiles are public by default. Other players can see your library, stats, reviews, lists, and activity. Your notes stay private. Set your profile to Only me and only your name, picture, and counts stay visible.

If you link Steam or PlayStation

You can optionally connect a Steam or PlayStation account from Settings → Import to pull your games into your library. In both cases you sign in on Steam’s or PlayStation’s own pages — your username, password, and any two-factor codes go directly to them, and we never see them.

• Steam — we receive your public Steam ID and use it to fetch your owned games and playtime from Steam's API. This only works if your Steam profile's "Game details" setting is public.
• PlayStation — we receive a sign-in token from PlayStation that lets us fetch your PS4 and PS5 game list and playtime.

If you’re signed in, your Steam ID or PlayStation token is kept on our backend so future imports don’t require re-linking. In guest mode it stays only on your device. Either way, you can disconnect at any time from the import screen, which deletes the stored link. The games and playtime you choose to import become part of your library, just like games you add by hand; the temporary import review list is deleted automatically once an import finishes. Your use of those services is covered by Steam’s privacy policy and PlayStation’s privacy policy.

If you use guest mode

In guest mode, your library is stored only on your device. To build your Discover deck, the app sends your games, their status, rating, and hours to our backend. It uses them for that one request and keeps nothing. If you later sign in, your on-device library is migrated to your account. Anonymous usage analytics still apply (see Analytics below), but they are never linked to your name, email, or any account.

Notifications

If you turn on notifications, we store your device’s push token on our backend. Notifications are delivered through Expo’s push service and Apple. Turn them off and the token is deleted.

Preferences

Settings such as theme and haptics are stored on your device and never leave it.

Game data and images

Game titles, artwork, and metadata come from IGDB, a service operated by Twitch. Search queries you type are sent to our backend, which forwards them to IGDB to fetch results — your identity is not included in those requests. Cover images load directly from IGDB’s image servers, which means your device’s IP address is visible to IGDB when images load, as with any content delivery network.

Discover recommendations

If you’re signed in, Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic, orders your Discover deck and writes the reason on each card. For that, our backend sends Anthropic:

• Titles of your top library games, with their status, your rating, and hours played
• Titles of games you recently swiped away
• The candidate games to choose from

The request carries no name, email, or account ID. Your notes are never sent. Anthropic handles the request under its API terms. Guests get a deck built on our backend alone.

Game similarity comes from Voyage AI. We send it catalog text only (titles, genres, summaries), never anything about you.

Analytics

We use PostHog to understand how the app is used so we can improve it. Analytics events are sent to PostHog’s US servers and include:

• Usage events — opening the app, screens viewed, adding or removing games, updating a game's status or rating, and running a library import (with the game's catalog ID and the import provider, e.g. Steam or PlayStation)
• Basic device and app information — device model, operating system version, and app version
• Crash and error reports, so we can find and fix bugs

If you’re signed in, these events are associated with your account ID and name, so we can understand usage without double-counting devices. In guest mode, events carry only a random identifier scoped to your device and are not linked to you. Analytics data is used solely to improve Cartridge — it is never used for advertising and never sold. To have your analytics data deleted, contact us at the email below.

What we don’t do

• No advertising or advertising trackers
• No selling or sharing of personal data with third parties beyond the service providers named above
• No collection of location, contacts, or any other device data. The app reads only the one photo you pick for your profile

Data retention and deletion

Your account and library data are kept for as long as your account exists. You can delete your account and all associated data at any time from Settings → Delete account in the app. You can also contact us at the email below and we’ll remove it promptly.

Guest-mode data lives only on your device and is removed when you delete the app.

Children

Cartridge is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, we’ll update this page and revise the date at the top. Material changes will be noted in the app’s release notes.

Contact

Questions or deletion requests: hello@getcartridge.app