TapForge Studios

Privacy Policy — CoreForge

Applies to the Android application CoreForge (com.tapforgestudios.coreforge).
Effective 9 September 2026 · Last updated 9 September 2026

CoreForge is an HVAC certification exam study aid. It runs entirely on your device. There is no account to create, no login, and nothing you study is sent to us. This page explains the one place data does leave the app — the advertising component — and exactly what you can do about it.

The short version. Your questions, answers, scores, bookmarks and progress stay on your phone and are never transmitted. We operate no servers and hold no database about you. Advertising is served by Google AdMob, which does collect data; you can remove ads entirely with the one-time in-app purchase, and in some regions you are asked for advertising consent on first launch.

1. Who is responsible

This app is published by TapForge Studios (99 Cent Apps LLC), Crown Point, Indiana, USA. For any privacy question, contact contact@tapforgeapps.com.

2. What stays on your device

The following is written to local storage on your phone and is never sent to us or to anyone else:

This lives in a local database and a local settings file inside the app's private storage. If Android backup is enabled on your device, this data may be included in your own Google backup, which is governed by Google's Privacy Policy, not by us. Uninstalling the app deletes all of it. You can also clear it at any time from About → Reset all progress.

3. What the app collects and shares

The app itself collects nothing. Its advertising component does. This table matches the Data safety declaration on our Google Play listing.

Data typeCollectedSharedPurposeOptional?
Device or other IDs (advertising ID) YesYes Advertising, fraud prevention Removed by purchasing Pro
Approximate location (derived from IP address) YesYes Advertising, legal compliance Removed by purchasing Pro
App interactions YesYes Advertising, analytics Removed by purchasing Pro
Crash logs and diagnostics YesYes Stability and performance Removed by purchasing Pro

All of it is transmitted over an encrypted connection. We do not sell personal information, and we do not run any analytics SDK of our own — the only third party in the app is Google.

4. Third parties

Google AdMob

Serves the banner, interstitial and rewarded ads in the free version. AdMob's handling of data is described in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services and in Google's Privacy Policy. You can limit ad personalisation at the OS level via Settings → Google → Ads, and reset or delete your advertising ID there.

Google User Messaging Platform

In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, the app shows a consent form on first launch before any personalised advertising occurs. Your choice is stored by Google's consent framework. Where that form applies, you can change your answer later from the privacy options the app presents.

Google Play Billing

Handles the optional one-time purchase. The transaction happens inside Google Play — we never see or store your card number, billing address or any payment credential. The app receives only a token confirming the purchase.

5. Removing advertising

Buying CoreForge Pro disables all advertising in the app. Once purchased, no ad requests are made and the AdMob data collection above stops.

6. Permissions

The app requests no access to your camera, microphone, contacts, files, precise location, or any other sensitive permission.

7. Children

CoreForge is a professional trade-certification study aid intended for adults working in or entering the HVAC trade. It is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided information through this app, contact us and we will act on it.

8. Your rights and your data

Because we hold no personal data about you on any server, there is no account for us to look up, export or erase. In practice:

If you are in the EEA, the UK, California or another region with statutory data rights, you may still contact us at contact@tapforgeapps.com and we will respond within 30 days.

9. Accuracy and independence

CoreForge is an independent study aid published by TapForge Studios. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorized by North American Technician Excellence (NATE). NATE is a trademark of its owner and is referred to only to identify the examinations this material prepares for. All practice questions are original work written for this app; no actual exam content is reproduced. It is also not a government application and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always verify current exam requirements, fees and scheduling directly with natex.org.

10. Changes to this policy

If this policy changes materially, the effective date at the top of this page is updated and the change is described in the app's release notes. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.