Privacy Policy

Last Updated: June 21, 2026

Steam Game Idler ("SGI", "the Application", "we", "us", or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our desktop application or visit our website. Both may display Google AdSense advertisements.

1. Information We Collect

Most of the following information is processed and stored locally on your device. However, some information may be transmitted to Steam's servers when interacting with the Steam Web API, or to our servers when using PRO subscription features. This data transmission is limited to facilitating the app's functionality.

1.1 Steam Account Information

• Steam ID: Your unique Steam identifier to manage your game library and settings
• Steam Username: Your Steam persona name for display purposes
• Game Library Data: Information about games in your Steam library, including achievements and trading card data
• Steam Web API Key: If provided, used to access enhanced Steam features (optional)

1.2 Authentication Data

• Steam Session Cookies: Including sessionid, steamLoginSecure, and steamMachineAuth tokens for card farming features

1.3 Application Settings

• User Preferences: Your application settings including achievement unlocker configurations, card farming preferences, and general settings
• Game-Specific Settings: Custom configurations for individual games (idle time limits, achievement unlock limits, etc.)
• Application State: Information about your current session and application usage

1.4 PRO Subscription Data (Optional)

If you subscribe to Steam Game Idler PRO, we collect and store the following information in our secure database to manage your subscription:

• Steam ID: To link your PRO subscription to your Steam account and verify subscription status
• Email Address: Required for billing communications, receipts, and subscription management notifications
• Discord User ID: Optional, only stored if you manually claim the Discord donator role through our Discord server
• Payment Processor Reference ID: A Stripe Customer ID or PayPal Payer ID, depending on which payment method you choose, linking your subscription to our payment processor (we do not store any credit card, PayPal, or banking details)
• Subscription Status: Information about your active subscription tier, renewal date, and status

Important: We do NOT store any credit card numbers, banking information, or payment details. All payment information is securely handled and stored by Stripe or PayPal, our payment processors.

1.5 Device Identification

To verify and protect PRO subscriptions from unauthorized sharing across devices, SGI generates a device fingerprint (a non-personal hardware identifier) and sends it to our subscription verification service together with your Steam ID or license key. Some PRO subscribers, particularly legacy subscribers, are identified by their Steam ID rather than a license key. A license key is active on one device at a time and can be transferred to a new device through the application's settings.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information solely to provide SGI's functionality:

• Game Management: To idle games, unlock achievements, and manage trading cards in your Steam library
• Session Management: To maintain your login state and validate Steam sessions for card farming
• Settings Persistence: To save and restore your application preferences between sessions
• Steam API Integration: To retrieve game information, achievement data, and trading card details
• PRO Subscription Management: To verify your subscription status, provide PRO features, send billing notifications, and manage your subscription lifecycle
• Communication: To send you important updates about your subscription, billing receipts, and service announcements (PRO subscribers only)

We will never sell your personal information or use it for purposes unrelated to providing and improving Steam Game Idler.

3. Data Storage and Security

3.1 Local Storage

Most of your data is stored locally on your device in the application's data directory. We do not transmit your personal information to external servers except when necessary to communicate with Steam's official APIs or to manage your PRO subscription (if applicable).

3.2 Remote Storage (PRO Subscriptions Only)

If you subscribe to Steam Game Idler PRO, the following information is stored in our secure database:

• Steam ID
• Email address
• Discord User ID (if claimed)
• Stripe Customer ID or PayPal Payer ID (reference only)
• Subscription status and tier information

To keep your subscription status up to date, the application periodically (roughly every 3 hours) re-checks your subscription with this service, sending your device fingerprint along with your Steam ID or license key. See section 4.6 for more detail.

3.3 Data Retention

PRO Subscription Data: We retain your subscription information for as long as your subscription is active, plus an additional period after cancellation as required for billing records, dispute resolution, and legal compliance (typically 7 years). You may request deletion of your data by contacting us, subject to our legal obligations.

3.4 Local Data Location

Your local application data is stored in the following location on your device:

• Windows: %AppData%\Roaming\com.zevnda.steam-game-idler

4. Third-Party Services

4.1 Steam Integration

SGI integrates with Steam's official services and APIs. When using our application:

• We communicate with Steam Community and Steam Web API endpoints
• Your interactions are subject to Steam's Privacy Policy
• We only access Steam data that you explicitly authorize through Steam's authentication mechanisms

4.2 Payment Processing (Stripe & PayPal)

PRO subscriptions are processed through one of two third-party payment processors, depending on which option you choose at checkout: Stripe or PayPal.

If you pay with Stripe:

• Stripe collects and processes your payment information (credit card, billing address, etc.) directly
• We receive only a Stripe Customer ID reference and subscription status from Stripe
• We never have access to your full credit card numbers or banking details
• Your payment information is subject to Stripe's Privacy Policy
• Stripe is PCI-DSS compliant and uses industry-leading security practices

If you pay with PayPal:

• PayPal collects and processes your payment information (PayPal account, linked card or bank account, etc.) directly
• We receive only a PayPal Payer ID reference, your email address, and subscription status from PayPal
• We never have access to your PayPal login credentials or linked card/bank details
• Your payment information is subject to PayPal's Privacy Policy

For questions about payment processing or to update your payment information, you can manage your subscription through the Stripe customer portal or your PayPal account settings, whichever applies to you, accessible from the application's settings.

4.3 Analytics and Advertising

Desktop Application: SGI does not collect telemetry or usage statistics. Ad placements shown to non-PRO users load content directly from our website in an embedded frame, which may include Google AdSense and Google Analytics and set cookies in that context.

Website: Our website uses Google AdSense for advertising (see section 4.7), Google Analytics to understand site traffic and usage trends, and Vercel Analytics to collect aggregated, non-personal usage statistics to help improve site performance and user experience. No personally identifiable information is collected by Vercel Analytics.

4.4 Discord Rich Presence (Optional)

SGI includes a Discord Rich Presence feature, enabled by default, that shares your current activity with Discord while the application is running, such as the game or feature you are currently using (e.g. "Farming Cards"), a short activity description (e.g. progress on achievement unlocking), and the time your session started. You can disable this feature at any time in Settings. This data is subject to Discord's Privacy Policy.

4.5 In-App Help Desk (Chatway)

The application's in-app help desk is provided by a third-party live chat service, Chatway. If you open the help desk, Chatway may collect your Steam username, Steam ID, application version, PRO subscription tier, installation type, and license key (if applicable) to help us assist you. This data is subject to Chatway's Privacy Policy.

4.6 Subscription Verification Service

SGI periodically verifies your PRO subscription status with a dedicated verification service, sending a device fingerprint together with your Steam ID or license key (see section 1.5). This service is operated separately from, and is not part of, our public desktop application or website codebase (see section 7).

4.7 Google AdSense and Consent Management

Both our website and desktop application may use Google AdSense to display advertisements. As part of this, Google and its partners may use cookies and collect data to personalize ads and measure ad performance. You may see a consent message when using our site or app, allowing you to manage your preferences for personalized ads and data collection.

• Third-Party Cookies: Google and partners may set cookies to deliver and personalize ads
• User Consent: You can accept or manage your ad and data preferences via the consent message shown in our website or app
• Scope: This applies to both the Steam Game Idler website and desktop application
• More Information: Google's Advertising Privacy & Terms

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Steam API Communication:Only the necessary data to communicate with Steam's official APIs for application functionality
• Payment Processing: When you subscribe to PRO, your payment information is shared with Stripe or PayPal (whichever you choose) to process your subscription. We receive only subscription status and a customer/payer reference ID from them
• Support and Verification Services: If you use the in-app help desk or hold a PRO subscription, limited data is shared with our help desk provider (Chatway) and our subscription verification service, as described in sections 4.5 and 4.6
• Legal Requirements: If required by law, legal process, or governmental request
• Security Purposes: To protect the rights, property, or safety of SGI users or the public

All third parties we work with are required to maintain appropriate security measures and use your information only for the purposes we specify.

6. Data Export and Deletion

6.1 Data Export

SGI includes built-in functionality to export your settings and preferences. You can access this feature through the application's settings panel to create a backup of your configuration.

6.2 Data Deletion

You can delete your local application data at any time by:

• Using the "Reset Settings" feature in the application
• Uninstalling the application (which will remove all local data)
• Manually deleting the application data folder from your system

6.3 PRO Subscription Data Deletion

If you wish to delete your PRO subscription data from our servers, you can:

• Cancel your subscription and request data deletion by contacting us (see section 9)
• Submit a data deletion request through the in-app help desk

Please note that we may retain certain information as required by law or for legitimate business purposes (such as billing records for tax purposes) even after you request deletion. We will respond to your deletion request within 30 days.

6.4 Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal obligations)
• Portability: Request your data in a structured, commonly used format
• Objection: Object to certain processing of your personal information

7. Public Source Code Transparency

The Steam Game Idler desktop application and website both have enitely public source code. You can review their code, data handling practices, and security measures at our GitHub repository. This transparency lets you verify exactly how your data is handled by the application and website themselves. Our subscription verification service (section 4.6), which processes only the data necessary to validate PRO subscription status, is operated separately and is not part of this public codebase. While you are free to view, modify, and distribute the application's source code, our license does not permit circumventing the license key checks that this verification service relies on — see our Terms of Service for details.

8. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. We will notify users of any material changes through:

• Application updates with changelog notifications
• Updates to this page with a revised "Last Updated" date
• Announcements in our GitHub repository

9. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

• Email: contact@steamgameidler.com (for data requests, including PRO subscription data deletion)
• GitHub Issues: Report an issue or ask questions
• GitHub Discussions: Community discussions and support

10. Consent

By using Steam Game Idler or visiting our website, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this Privacy Policy, including the use of Google AdSense and related cookies. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use our application or website.