Privacy Policy
Retro Handheld
Overview
Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how Retro Handheld ("the App"), developed by Pixel Workshop LLC ("we," "us," or "our"), handles your information. The short version: we collect no personal data about you, the app keeps your games and saves local to your device, and the only personal data we ever receive is what you choose to put in a support message.
Information We Do Not Collect
Retro Handheld does not collect any personally identifiable information. Specifically, the App does not collect:
- Your name, email address, or any contact information
- Your location data
- Device identifiers or advertising IDs
- Usage analytics or crash reports sent to us
- Any information about the game files you import or play (see Cover Art Downloads below for the one third-party lookup the App makes)
Data Stored on Your Device
All data generated by Retro Handheld — including imported game files, save data, save states, cheat codes, controller mappings, settings, and preferences — is stored locally on your device. We have no access to it, and none of it is sent to Pixel Workshop. The one exception is the cover-art lookup described below, which sends a game title to a third-party artwork server.
If you delete the App, all locally stored data will be removed from your device.
Imported Game Files
Any game files you import into the App, including ROMs or disc images, are stored locally on your device. We have no access to these files at any time. You are solely responsible for ensuring you have the legal right to use any files you import.
Third-Party Services
Retro Handheld does not integrate any third-party analytics, advertising, or tracking services. Its bundled open-source emulation cores run locally on your device, and gameplay itself does not require an internet connection. The App does make network requests in two situations: the cover-art lookup described below, and App Store purchases handled by Apple.
Cover Art Downloads
To display box art in your library, Retro Handheld may request a matching image from the public LibRetro thumbnail server at thumbnails.libretro.com. Making that request discloses the title being matched and your device's IP address to that server, which is operated by a third party and not by Pixel Workshop. We do not receive the request or its result, and no save data, save states, or game files are ever transmitted.
A lookup happens only when a game has no artwork yet. If you would prefer that no such request is made, keep the device offline while importing games.
In-App Purchases
Retro Handheld offers optional in-app purchases. Purchases are processed entirely by Apple through the App Store, and the App uses Apple's StoreKit framework to check which items you own and to restore them on your devices. Those checks require a network connection to Apple. We never receive or store your payment card details, billing address, or Apple Account credentials.
Our Website and Contact Form
This section describes the Pixel Workshop website rather than the App. When you submit the contact form on a support page, your name, email address, selected topic, and message are transmitted to Formspree, a third-party form-processing service in the United States, which delivers them to us. We use that information only to answer you and keep it no longer than needed to resolve your request. Please do not include sensitive personal information, or private content from the App, in a support message.
Our website is hosted on GitHub Pages. As with most web hosting, standard server logs, including visitor IP addresses, are recorded by the host to serve the site and protect it from abuse. Our pages also load typefaces from Google Fonts, which discloses your IP address to Google when a page loads. We do not use advertising cookies, and we run no analytics on the website.
Your Privacy Rights in the EEA and the UK
Pixel Workshop LLC is the data controller for the limited processing described in this policy. Because Retro Handheld keeps your content on your device and we operate no account system and no server of our own, there is normally no personal data held by us to access, correct, or erase. Where we do process personal data, principally a support message you choose to send us, our legal basis is our legitimate interest in responding to you.
Subject to the conditions set out in the GDPR and the UK GDPR, you have the right to request access to personal data we hold about you, to have it corrected or erased, to restrict or object to its processing, to receive it in a portable form, and to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. To exercise any of these rights, contact us through our support page. Information you send us is processed in the United States.
California Privacy Rights
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We have not done so in the preceding twelve months, and we do not use or disclose sensitive personal information beyond the purposes permitted without a right to limit.
The only category of personal information we receive is the identifiers and message contents you choose to send us through our support form. California residents have the right to know what personal information we hold, to request its correction or deletion, and not to be treated differently for exercising those rights. Submit a request through our support page; we may need to verify that the request comes from you.
Children's Privacy
Retro Handheld is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. We do not use persistent identifiers to build profiles, to serve advertising, or to track users across apps or websites. If you believe a child has sent us personal information through our support form, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be reflected on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us through our support page.