Privacy Policy

Last updated: 13 July 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Jovly Inc. ("Jovly", "we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal data when you visit jovly.com, create a game room, play our games, or use our matchmaking features. It applies to both our public website and our in-app game rooms.

Please read it together with our Terms of Service. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use Jovly.

1. Who we are

Jovly Inc. is the controller responsible for your personal data. Jovly is a social gaming platform where people play real-time party games together over video. If you have any questions about this policy or your data, please Contact Us.

2. Two ways to use Jovly

How much data we collect depends on how you use the platform:

  • Play with friends. You (or someone you know) create a game room and invite people you already know. You can play as a guest, without an account, and we collect only the minimum needed to run the game.
  • Meet new people (matchmaking). You create a profile so that Jovly can match you with compatible players you don't yet know, and organize games for you. This mode requires a registered account and involves more personal data — including, if you choose to provide it, sensitive information (see Section 4).

You are always in control of which mode you use and how much information you share.

3. Information we collect

a. Account information

When you register, we collect your sign-in credentials through our authentication provider (Amazon Cognito), such as your email address, together with a nickname and an avatar you choose.

b. Guest information

If you play as a guest, we create a temporary anonymous identity so you can join a room. You may later convert it into a registered account without losing your place.

c. Matchmaking profile data

If you use the "Meet new people" features, you may choose to provide profile details such as: age or date of birth, gender, spoken languages, timezone, approximate location (country/region and, if you enable radius matching, a coarse city-level location — never your exact address), relationship status, sexual orientation, interests and hobbies, a short bio, photos, and your intent (for example, making friends, finding a partner, or practising a language).

All profile fields are optional. You choose what to share, and "prefer not to say" is always available.

Every profile field also has a visibility setting that you control. For each field you choose whether it is used only for matching (used by our matching engine but never shown to anyone) or is additionally visible to the people you play with in a game room. No profile field is ever made public on the internet or exposed to search engines. Your nickname and avatar are always visible to the people you play with in a room.

d. Matching preferences and availability

To match you with others, we collect the preferences you set (such as preferred languages, age range, gender, location target, and shared interests) and your availability (recurring timeslots, timezone, and how often you want to play).

e. Gameplay content

While playing, we process the actions you take in a game — for example drawings, guesses, votes, clues, cards played, and in-room messages — so the game can function and results can be scored.

f. Video and audio

Game rooms may include an embedded, self-hosted video conference (Jitsi) so players can see and hear each other. This audio and video is streamed in real time between participants. We do not record your video or audio calls.

g. Payment information

If you purchase a paid feature or subscription, payments are processed by Stripe. We do not collect or store your full card details; Stripe processes them under its own privacy policy.

h. Technical and usage data

Like most websites, we automatically collect limited technical data such as device and browser type, IP address, and basic usage and diagnostic logs, including any information you submit through in-app bug reports.

i. Contact form

If you contact us, we collect the name, email (optional), and message you provide, which is sent to our team by email so we can respond.

4. Sensitive (special category) data and your consent

Some matchmaking fields — in particular sexual orientation, and information that may reveal it — are considered special category personal data under laws such as the EU/UK GDPR. We only collect and use this data:

  • when you voluntarily choose to provide it, and
  • based on your explicit consent, which you can withdraw at any time by editing or removing the information from your profile.

We use this data only to match you according to the preferences you set. You can use most of Jovly without providing any sensitive data.

5. How we use your data

We use personal data to:

  • create and secure your account and guest sessions;
  • run game rooms, gameplay, scoring, and the embedded video conference;
  • operate matchmaking — match compatible players, honour your availability and cadence, assemble sessions, and send invitations and reminders;
  • keep the platform safe — enforce our code of conduct, handle blocking and reporting, and prevent abuse, harassment, and fraud;
  • process payments and manage subscriptions;
  • respond to your messages and support requests;
  • improve our games and services, including through aggregated, non-identifying analytics; and
  • comply with legal obligations.

Legal bases (where GDPR applies): performing our contract with you (providing the service), your consent (sensitive profile data, certain cookies, and marketing), our legitimate interests (safety, security, and improving the service), and compliance with legal obligations.

6. Matching and automated processing

Our matchmaking uses your profile, preferences, and availability to suggest and assemble game sessions with other players. This involves automated processing to filter for compatibility (for example, by language, age range, or location) and to schedule sessions. These matches are suggestions to help you connect; they do not produce legal or similarly significant effects about you, and you can always decline an invitation. You can contact us if you have questions about how a match was made.

7. How we share your data

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only as needed:

  • With other players. In a game room, other participants can see your nickname, avatar, in-game actions, and video/audio while you play. For matchmaking, other players in a matched session may see the profile details you have chosen to make visible. Contact details are only revealed on a mutual opt-in (see Section 8).
  • With service providers who help us run Jovly, including: Amazon Web Services (hosting, authentication, storage), Stripe (payments), and Jitsi (video). Some games send gameplay content (such as words and players' guesses) to OpenAI to compute similarity scores used for scoring; this content is not used to identify you.
  • For legal reasons, where required by law, to enforce our terms, or to protect the rights, safety, and security of our users and the public.
  • In a business transfer, such as a merger or acquisition, subject to this policy.

8. What other players can see

Jovly is designed so you only reveal what you intend to:

  • Information shown in a room (nickname, avatar, statuses, scores, and your in-game moves) is visible to the other players in that room — never to the public internet.
  • Your matchmaking profile is controlled field by field. For each profile field you choose whether it stays matching-only (used to find matches but never shown to anyone) or becomes visible to the people you play with in a room. Nothing in your profile is ever public on the internet; your nickname and avatar are always visible in a room.
  • In matchmaking, sensitive details and contact information are shared only when both people opt in. Expressing interest in playing again is revealed only when it is mutual — nobody is exposed one-sidedly.

You can block or report other players at any time. Blocked players are not matched with you again.

9. International data transfers

Jovly operates on cloud infrastructure that may process data in countries outside your own. Where we transfer personal data internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses) to protect it.

10. How long we keep your data

We keep personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes above:

  • Guest sessions are short-lived and expire after the game.
  • Account and profile data is kept while your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete or anonymize your personal data, except where we must retain limited records for legal, security, or accounting reasons.
  • Safety records (such as reports and blocks) may be retained longer to protect our community.

11. Your rights

Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR or the CCPA), you may have the right to:

  • access the personal data we hold about you;
  • correct inaccurate data;
  • delete your data ("right to be forgotten");
  • restrict or object to certain processing;
  • receive your data in a portable format;
  • withdraw consent at any time (including for sensitive data); and
  • not be discriminated against for exercising your rights.

To exercise any of these rights, Contact Us. You also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.

12. Security

We use technical and organizational measures — including encryption in transit, access controls, and authentication through Amazon Cognito — to protect your data. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to keep your information safe and to respond promptly to any incident.

13. Children and age restrictions

Jovly is not intended for children. You must be at least the age of digital consent in your country (generally 16 in the EU, 13 in some other regions) to create an account. The "Meet new people" matchmaking features — especially any romantic or dating-related matching — are strictly for adults and require you to be at least 18 years old. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children below these ages; if you believe a child has provided us data, contact us and we will remove it.

14. Cookies

We use a small number of cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember your language preference, and understand aggregate usage. You can control cookies through your browser settings; disabling some may affect how the site works.

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you. Your continued use of Jovly after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.

16. Contact us

Questions, requests, or concerns about your privacy? Contact Us.