Privacy Policy — Rostam: Tales of the Shahnameh // 99th9th

[01] Overview & Privacy-by-Design Philosophy

"Rostam: Tales of the Shahnameh" (the "App"), developed and published by 99th9th, brings the thousand-year-old Persian epic of the Shahnameh by Ferdowsi to life through living manuscript art, synchronized narration, and interactive 3D spatial dioramas.

We believe that great storytelling does not require harvesting your personal data. The App is built on a strict privacy-by-design architecture:

No User Accounts: You do not need to create an account, register, or provide personal details.
Zero Third-Party Advertising: No commercial ad networks or behavioral banners exist in the App.
Zero Third-Party Analytics SDKs: We do not embed external telemetry or device fingerprinting SDKs (Apple Guideline 5.1.2).
On-Device Sandbox: Reading progress and preferences execute strictly local on your device.

[02] Information We Do NOT Collect

We do not collect, transmit, sell, or rent any of the following personal information:

• Real name or email address

• Geolocation or GPS data

• Telephone or postal address

• Contacts or photos

• Biometric identifiers

• Advertising IDs (IDFA/IDFV)

• Financial/payment card details

• Browser/search histories

[03] On-Device Data Storage & Apple Required Reason APIs

The App stores minimal operational preferences exclusively within your device's local sandbox. In compliance with Apple App Store Review Guidelines, our app includes an official Apple Privacy Manifest (PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy) declaring the exact APIs accessed:

A. Local User Preferences (UserDefaults / @AppStorage)

Declared Reason Code: CA92.1

Stores selected audience story tier (Child, Adult, Advanced), reading progression, downloaded Extended Audio catalog state, and visual parchment theme. This data never leaves your device.

B. Local File System & Asset Cache (FileTimestamp)

Declared Reason Code: C617.1

Used strictly to inspect local cached files, verify audio package integrity, and manage storage usage in Settings.

[04] Network Communications & External Services

The App operates fully offline by default, but may perform the following specific network requests:

Static Asset Downloads (assets.99th9th.com): Chapters 1 & 6 come pre-installed. Users may optionally download the Extended Audio Package (Chapters 2–5, 7, 8 — ~29.2 MB) via encrypted HTTPS GET requests. No user identifiers or cookies are attached.

Apple Game Center (GameKit): Optionally syncs story achievements and Pahlavan warrior ranks natively via Apple's secure servers in accordance with the Apple Privacy Policy.

[05] Children's Privacy (COPPA & Apple Guideline 1.3 / 5.1.4)

COPPA Compliance: We strictly comply with COPPA, GDPR minor provisions, and worldwide child safety frameworks. We do not collect personal data from children under 13.
Curated Child Tier: Offers non-graphic mythological adaptations focusing on valor and wonder, omitting explicit combat trauma.
External Links Suppressed: In accordance with Apple Guideline 1.3, all external web links are completely disabled in Child mode.
On-Device Parental Gate: Switching to Adult or Advanced tiers requires solving an on-device arithmetic multiplication challenge.

[06] Data Retention, Control & Support

You can remove downloaded audio packs at any time in the in-app Settings screen under "Offline Storytelling Audio Catalog". Resetting all local progress is accomplished by uninstalling the app.

If you have questions regarding this policy, contact us at: 9th@99th9th.com