We collect nothing.

PlayShelf is made by Sprout Works for families. Here's exactly what that means for your information.

Last updated November 2, 2026

The short version: PlayShelf collects no personal information from anyone. Your players and their progress live on your devices and, if you use iCloud, in your own private iCloud storage, where Sprout Works can't see them. There are no ads, no tracking, no accounts and no third-party code, and nothing is ever sent to us.

What PlayShelf keeps on your device

To let each person in your household play their own way, PlayShelf stores on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV:

each player's name, the critter they picked and their tier (Sprout, Explorer, Ranger or Pro);
their settings, such as assists, looks and how see-through the on-screen controls are;
their progress and saves in each cartridge.

This information is kept on the device. On iPhone and iPad it's included in your device's own backup if you use iCloud Backup or back up to a computer, which Apple handles under its own privacy policy. Sprout Works never receives it.

iCloud sync

If you're signed in to iCloud, PlayShelf can keep the same players, progress and settings on your iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. It uses Apple's iCloud to do this: a copy is stored in your own private iCloud storage, with players' names and saves encrypted, and Apple handles it under its own privacy policy. Sprout Works can't see or access it. To stop syncing, turn off iCloud for PlayShelf in your device's settings; your players stay on the device.

Your iPhone and your Apple TV

You can use PlayShelf on your iPhone or iPad as a controller for PlayShelf on your Apple TV. The two talk to each other directly over your home network, so the first time, your iPhone or iPad asks whether PlayShelf may find devices on your local network. What passes between them (button presses, and the player who's playing) stays on your network and never reaches us.

What we collect

Nothing. PlayShelf has no analytics, no advertising, no tracking and no third-party software development kits. It never contacts Sprout Works or anyone else: the only connections it makes are to your own iCloud, for sync, and to your own devices on your home network. We don't use the advertising identifier and don't track you across apps or websites.

If you've chosen in your device's settings to share analytics with app developers, Apple may share anonymous crash reports and usage statistics with us. They never include your players' names. You can turn this off in Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements.

Children

PlayShelf is made for families, including young children. Because we don't collect personal information from anyone, we don't collect it from children under 13 either. A player's name never leaves your family's own devices and iCloud. Settings, links and anything else meant for grown-ups sit behind a parental gate.

This website

playshelf.sprout.works uses no cookies, analytics or trackers, and loads nothing from other companies. Like any website, our hosting provider (Vercel) processes technical information such as your IP address to deliver the pages and keep the site secure. We don't use it to identify you.

If you email us, we use your message and address only to answer you.

Deleting your information

To remove one player and all their saves, go to Grown-ups > Profiles, choose the player and delete them; with iCloud on, they're removed from your other devices too. To remove everything from a device, delete the PlayShelf app. To remove PlayShelf's copy in iCloud, delete its data in your device's iCloud storage settings.

Changes to this policy

If PlayShelf ever changes how it handles information, we'll update this page and the date above before that version of the app is released.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email corey@sprout.works.