ByteQuest is a walking exploration game. There are no ads, no third-party analytics or advertising SDKs, and no tracking across other companies' apps or websites. We never sell or share personal data. Data that leaves your device is stored with Apple (iCloud and CloudKit), which acts as our service provider.
Your GPS position reveals the map as you walk and detects when you arrive at landmarks. Location is used only while the app is open. Your explored map is kept in the app's save file on your device and, if you're signed into iCloud, in your private iCloud cloud save (see below). We never receive your route.
One thing is public: when you claim or join a coliseum arena, the arena record shows that landmark's coordinates together with your gladiator name and the time you claimed it. Anyone playing ByteQuest can see that you held that landmark's arena. Above running speed the game pauses and records nothing.
With your permission, ByteQuest and its Home Screen widget read your step count from Apple Health so walks taken while the app was closed still earn in-game coins. Step data is read-only and used only on your device. It is never written back to Health, never included in your iCloud cloud save, and never included in analytics. Declining Health access simply means only in-app walking counts.
Your progress, quest photos, and journal entries live in the app's private storage on your device (and in your device's own backups). The Home Screen widget reads a small copy of your step count, coin total, and character picture from storage shared only with the widget on your device.
If your device is signed into iCloud, ByteQuest keeps a copy of your game save in the private iCloud database that belongs to your Apple Account, so a new phone or a reinstall can restore your explorer. It holds your progress, items, coins, Super Gems, and explored map; step counts and walking distance are removed before it is uploaded. Apple stores it inside your account; we can't read it and it is never shared with other players. You can back up, restore, or see the last backup time in Settings → Account & Cloud Save. Erase All Data deletes it.
There is no ByteQuest account to create. The app uses the Apple Account signed into your device, through iCloud, for the cloud save and to mark arena snapshots as yours. iCloud identifies you with an opaque user record identifier Apple assigns inside the ByteQuest iCloud container — not your name, email, or Apple ID. Arena snapshots show that identifier. Without iCloud, everything works except cloud save and arenas.
If your device is signed in to Apple's Game Center, Apple shows a welcome banner when ByteQuest opens and the app shows your Game Center name in Settings. ByteQuest doesn't send or store your Game Center name or identifiers anywhere. Game Center isn't used in the under-13 setting.
ByteQuest asks once whether to share gameplay stats. Nothing is sent before you answer, and nothing is ever sent for players in the under-13 setting. If you choose Share, the app records gameplay events (for example "battle won", "quest started", or which Super Gem pack was bought and how gems were spent) to our iCloud database. Each event carries the event name, a timestamp, the app version, a random installation ID, and details such as levels, coin and gem balances, your guild, your age group (13–17 or 18+) when it's set, and error codes. iCloud also stores each event with the opaque iCloud identifier described above, so the events from one Apple Account are linked to each other and to that account's arena records and reports. Events never include your name, email, location, or step counts. You can change your answer any time in Settings → Data & Privacy; turning it off stops all future events and discards anything queued. Turning it off doesn't delete events already sent; Delete Uploaded Stats does (see below).
Coliseum arenas are shared between players through Apple's CloudKit public database. When you claim or join an arena, a snapshot is published so other players can challenge it: your gladiator name, your character's appearance and gear, your level and battle stats, your win count, your guild if you joined one, claim timestamps, the opaque iCloud identifier described above, and the landmark's coordinates. The arena record also lists unopened chests your champion earned there, each with the challenger's gladiator name, level, and date. It contains no email, walking history, or health data. Snapshots saved by versions of the app before November 2026 also include the explorer name you chose, until you leave or lose that arena or use Erase All Data.
Gladiator names pass a profanity filter. Any player can report or block any name on an arena. Reports send the reported name, the arena, and that player's opaque iCloud identifier to us, stored with your own iCloud identifier; we review them, typically within 24 hours, and remove offensive names. Blocking hides that player on your device, even if they change their name. We can ban an account from the arenas: banned identifiers are published in a list on this website that the app downloads (GitHub, which hosts this site, sees that request like any web visit).
ByteQuest offers optional in-app purchases: a ByteQuest Plus subscription and Super Gem packs. Apple handles all payments; we never see your payment details. Your Super Gem balance is part of your game save (and your iCloud cloud save). Erase All Data erases gems you bought. Restore Purchases restores your Plus subscription. Prices are shown before every purchase, subscriptions renew until cancelled in Settings, and the odds for every randomized reward are listed in the app under Settings → Prize Odds and on the Plus card.
Walk reminders, streak reminders, and arena alerts are optional. Reminders can be switched off in Settings → Notifications and start off for players under 18. Arena updates arrive as silent background notifications from iCloud and carry game data only.
| Data | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Arena snapshots | While you hold the arena. Removed when another player takes it, when you leave, or by Erase All Data. |
| Unopened arena chests | On the arena record until you collect them. Entries older than 30 days are removed the next time the arena is updated. |
| Analytics events | Up to 24 months, then deleted. A deletion request deletes them sooner. |
| Reports | Up to 12 months after filing, then deleted. |
| Deletion requests | Deleted when carried out, within 30 days. |
| Ban list entries | Until the ban is lifted. |
| iCloud cloud save | Until you delete it (Erase All Data) or delete it from your iCloud storage. |
In the app, Settings → Data & Privacy:
The request Erase All Data sends also removes your champion and its unopened chests from any arena still showing them. Deleting the app removes all on-device data but not server-side data, so use the options above first. Reports you filed are kept for safety reviews for up to 12 months. For anything else, email us (below); we respond within 7 days.
ByteQuest asks every player's age once and keeps only the age group, never the birthdate. On iOS 26 and later it first asks Apple for the age range on your Apple Account and uses it if you choose to share it. Players under 13 get the under-13 setting: the single-player game is the same, but arena fights become practice bouts that never write to the shared arena ledger, guilds are off, analytics are off, purchases are hidden, and no name, location, or identifier for the child is sent anywhere, apart from requests to remove arena data or stats from before the setting was turned on. The under-13 setting is remembered on the device even if the app is reinstalled, and it can't be switched off inside the app except by Apple's age range for the account showing 13 or older. Players under 18 start with reminder notifications off. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has published personal information in a gladiator name, email us and we will remove it.
ByteQuest doesn't track you across other companies' apps or websites, so it behaves the same whether or not a Do Not Track signal is set.
Location (while using the app) — reveal the map and detect landmark arrivals. Apple Health (read steps) — optional, credits closed-app walks. Camera — optional, photograph landmarks for quests. Notifications — optional reminders and arena alerts. Each permission can be declined or revoked in iOS Settings without breaking the core game.
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted here with a new effective date. Material changes will be noted in the app's release notes.
Neal Falletta-Cowden · hello@playbytequest.com