Help and FAQ

Quick answers to the questions we hear most. If yours is not here, write to support@grandpike.com. In the game, Menu > Settings > Help & support > Email us opens your email app with your game details filled in, which helps us a lot.

1. How do I link my account?
2. I lost my progress. Can I get it back?
3. I paid, but did not get my purchase
4. How do I delete my account?
5. What do the analytics and crash report settings do?
6. How do I turn notifications on or off?
7. What is my Player ID, and where do I find it?
8. The game says an update is required, or that it is down for maintenance

1. How do I link my account?

When you first play you are a guest: your progress is saved to the cloud, but only this phone's guest login can reach it. Linking ties your progress to an account that you can sign in to from any phone.

1. Tap the menu button at the top right and open the Account tab.
2. Tap Link and choose Google Play Games, Google or email.
3. Follow the sign-in. Your progress now belongs to that account.

If the account you pick already has a game of its own, the Game asks whether to switch to it or stay as you are. Switching leaves the guest progress behind on this phone as a backup.

2. I lost my progress. Can I get it back?

It depends on how you played:

• You had linked an account. Install the game, open Sign in on the start page and choose the same Google Play Games, Google or email account. Your progress comes back.
• You were a guest, and you have the same phone. Open the game as a guest again. If the guest login is still on the phone, your game is waiting.
• You were a guest, and you cleared the app's data, reinstalled or changed phone. A guest login cannot be recovered from another phone or after a reinstall, so that game cannot be restored. This is why we suggest linking an account early.

If you think your progress should be there and is not, email us with your Player ID if you still know it (see below) and a short description of what you had.

3. I paid, but did not get my purchase

1. Close the Game and open it again. Purchases are delivered after the store has confirmed them to our server, which can take a moment.
2. Open the Shop and tap Restore purchases. It asks the store for what you have bought and delivers anything that is missing.
3. Check that you are signed in to the same account you bought with.
4. Check your Google Play order history. If the payment is shown as pending, it is delivered when the store completes it.

Still nothing? Email us your Player ID and the order number from the Google Play receipt email (it starts with GPA). We will look into it and deliver it. Refunds for purchases are handled by Google Play; see the Terms of use for details.

4. How do I delete my account?

In the Game: Menu > Account > Delete account, then follow the two steps. Deleting is permanent: your progress, Cogs and purchased items are gone, and they cannot be restored. It does not cancel a Factory Membership, so cancel that in Google Play first. If you cannot open the Game any more, the steps and the email route are on the Delete your account page.

5. What do the analytics and crash report settings do?

The Game can send anonymous usage statistics (which screens are used, where players get stuck) and crash reports to help us fix problems and balance the game. You choose when you first start the Game, and you can change your mind at any time in Menu > Settings > Privacy choices. Switching them off stops them. In the EU, the UK and Switzerland nothing is sent until you say yes. The Privacy choices screen also has the ad choices where they apply and a way to delete your data. The full details are in the Privacy Policy.

6. How do I turn notifications on or off?

Open Menu > Settings and use the Notifications switch. We send a reminder when something you started is done, and now and then a note if you have been away. We never send them between 22:00 and 08:00. If you said no to the phone's permission question, you can also allow or block them for Factory 73 in your phone's Settings under Apps > Factory 73 > Notifications.

7. What is my Player ID, and where do I find it?

The Player ID is a code that names your game. It contains no personal details. Find it in Menu > Account or Menu > Settings > Help & support, and tap Copy to put it on your clipboard. Quote it when you write to us: it lets us find your game quickly.

8. The game says an update is required, or that it is down for maintenance

Update required: we sometimes have to retire an old version, for example after a fix to something important. Tap Update to open Google Play, update the Game and open it again. Your progress is safe and waiting.

Down for maintenance: we are working on the servers. The screen may show when we expect to be back. Tap Retry to check again, or come back a little later. Nothing is lost.