Privacy policy

Effective date: December 1, 2026

Overworld is made by Great Desktop Apps, LLC. This policy covers the Overworld app for Android and buying an Overworld license.

The short version

Overworld has no accounts, no analytics, no ads and no crash reporting. It runs on your device and keeps what it reads there. The only time the app goes online is to check for a new version of itself, at most once a day, and you can turn that off. When you buy a license, our store, Lemon Squeezy, handles your payment, and we use your email address to send you your license file.

What the app does on your device

• Reads your game while you play. Overworld reads the running game's memory from RetroArch on the same device, over the device's own loopback connection. It only reads. It never changes your game or your saves.
• Reads your ROM file. With your permission (Android's All files access, which is optional), Overworld finds the ROM you're playing, works out which game it is, and reads names such as species and moves from it. The ROM is never copied anywhere and never leaves your device.
• Shows the companion screen. The companion page is served from your device to your device only. Overworld never listens on your Wi-Fi network, so other devices can't reach it.
• Keeps a log. Overworld writes a small log file inside its own app storage, to help with problems. The log never includes your license's email address or license ID in normal use. It stays on your device unless you choose to send it to us.
• Stores your license. When you load a license file, Overworld keeps a copy in its own app storage and checks it offline. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else to check it.

Uninstalling Overworld removes everything above from the device, apart from files you saved elsewhere yourself.

The update check

Once a day at most, when you open Overworld, it downloads one small file from our public release page on GitHub to see whether a newer version exists. The request carries only the app's name ("Overworld"). It carries no cookies and nothing about you, your device, your games or your license. If an update exists and you tap Update, Overworld downloads the new version from the same place.

Like any website, GitHub sees the internet (IP) address the request comes from. GitHub's handling of that is covered by GitHub's privacy statement. We don't receive it.

You can turn the update check off in Settings → Updates. Overworld then makes no network requests at all.

Permissions

• Notifications (optional): shows that Overworld is running and whether it's connected to your game.
• All files access (optional): lets Overworld find and read your ROM, as above. Without it, Overworld still works but shows fewer names.
• Install apps (only if you use in-app updates): Android asks for this when you first tap Update. Android itself checks that an update is signed by us before installing it.

Buying a license

Licenses are sold through Lemon Squeezy, which acts as the merchant of record. Lemon Squeezy collects your payment details and handles tax, and its own privacy policy covers that. We never see your full card details.

From your order, we receive your name, email address, country, what you bought and when. We use them to:

• create your license file, which contains your email address, an order-based license ID, what you bought and the date your updates run until
• email the license file to you
• answer you if you contact us, and send you a replacement license if you lose yours

We send your license email through Resend, an email delivery service. To deliver it, Resend receives your email address, the email itself and your license file. Resend's own privacy policy covers how it handles them.

Your email address is inside your license file so that a license can be traced back to its order. Anyone you share your license file with can see it, so please keep it to yourself.

We don't sell your information, share it for advertising, or send you marketing email unless you ask for it. We keep order records for 7 years.

Your choices and rights

You can ask us for a copy of the information we hold about you, or ask us to correct or delete it, by emailing support@greatdesktopapps.com. If we delete your order record, we can no longer send you a replacement license. Depending on where you live, you may also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.

Children

Overworld isn't directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from them.

Changes

If this policy changes, we'll update the date at the top and note the change in the app's release notes.

Contact

support@greatdesktopapps.com
Great Desktop Apps, LLC