Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Your player profile

• Username: The App gives you a guest name (like "Player12345") when you first open it. You can pick your own name later. Your username is stored on your device and on our servers, so no one else can take it. Other players see it in games, on leaderboards and in friend search.
• Avatar emoji and status line: The emoji you pick and the short status line you write (up to 60 characters) are stored on our servers so other players can see them.
• Online status: While the App is open on your screen, it tells our servers you are online about every 90 seconds. It stops when you leave the App. Other players can see if you are online, or when you were last online.

Your game progress

• Level progress: Your unlocked level, stars and points (normal and Easy mode) are sent to our servers when you open the App and after each level. We use them for leaderboards and to help restore your progress.
• Device ID: The App makes a random ID for your device. It is created by the App. It is not your advertising ID and is not taken from your phone. We store your level progress under this ID, together with your username if you have one.
• Daily Challenge scores: Your username, score, time and number of correct answers for each day you play. These power the daily leaderboards.
• 1v1 and 2v2 matches: Your 1v1 and 2v2 ratings, your wins and losses, and your match history, including the answers you played. The other players in a match see your answers and score.
• Multiplayer rooms: Your username, avatar emoji and answers are shared with the other players in the room. Public rooms show the host's username and emoji in the room list. Chat inside a multiplayer game is sent live to the players in the room and is not saved on our servers.
• Answers the game did not accept: When the App rejects an answer, we save the word, its category, the letter and the level. We do not save your username or any ID with it. We use these to add missing words, and an automated AI service (Google Gemini or Anthropic Claude) may check them. Words you send with "Suggest a Word" are saved the same way.

Friends and chat

• Friends, friend requests and blocks: Who you are friends with, the requests you send and receive, and the players you block. Friend requests that no one answers expire after 30 days.
• Chat messages: Messages you send to a friend are stored on our servers, so your friend gets them even when they are offline. They stay if you remove the friend, so the chat comes back if you add them again. Messages are not end-to-end encrypted.
• Reports: If you report a player, we save your username, their username, the reason you give and the message you reported, so we can review it.

Notifications

• Push notification token: If you allow notifications, the App saves your device's push token with your username. We use it to tell you about friend requests, accepted requests, game invites and 2v2 results. These are sent through Expo's push service. The daily reminder is set up on your phone and does not use our servers.

Feedback and crash reports

• Feedback form: Your message, its type (bug, idea or other), the app version and your platform (iOS or Android). The email field is optional. If you fill it in, we store your email address so we can reply. The form does not send your username.
• Crash reports: If the App hits an error, it sends us a report. It includes the error message and technical details, the screen you were on, your platform and system version, the app version and your username. We use these only to find and fix bugs. A short note of the error is also sent to Firebase Analytics, without your username.

Optional backup with Apple or Google

• What it stores: If you choose to back up in Your profile, you sign in with Apple (iPhone) or Google (Android). We then store your sign-in account ID, the email address Apple or Google shares with us, your username, and a snapshot of your progress (levels, stars, points and your avatar emoji). With Apple you can choose Hide My Email. We never ask Apple for your name. With Google, our sign-in provider may also keep the name and profile photo link that Google sends with the sign-in. Our sign-in provider (Supabase) also keeps standard sign-in records, such as the time and IP address of each sign-in.
• What it is for: Only to bring back your name and progress after a reinstall or on a new phone.
• Deleting it: You can delete the backup at any time in the App: open Your profile and tap Delete backup. This deletes the sign-in account and the backup. It does not delete your username, game records or friends. See section 8 for those.

Stored only on your device

• Game data on your phone: Your settings, full level details, lives and whether you bought Remove Ads are stored on your device.
• iPhone Keychain: On iPhone, the App keeps a small copy of your own player identity (your username, the App's device ID and your avatar emoji) in the iPhone Keychain, so you keep your name if you delete and reinstall the App on the same iPhone. It is stored only on your iPhone. The App never sends it to us or to anyone else.
• Android backup: On Android, your phone's own backup (if it is turned on) may save the App's data to your Google account. Google runs this under your phone settings. It brings your name back after a reinstall.

Advertising and analytics

• Google AdMob or AppLovin MAX, and their ad partners: Ads are shown through Google AdMob or AppLovin MAX, with ad partners Google, AppLovin and Liftoff (Vungle). These companies may collect your device's advertising ID (the IDFA on iOS or the Advertising ID on Android), your IP address and the rough location it gives, device information, and how you interact with ads. They use this to show and measure ads and to prevent fraud. This data may be shared with third-party advertising partners for advertising purposes. In the EU and UK, Google asks for your consent first. You can change your choice later with "Ad privacy options" on the Feedback screen.
• Firebase Analytics (Google): Gives us usage stats, such as app opens, sessions, device model, system version and country. It uses an ID for this install of the App and, if you allow tracking on iPhone, your advertising ID. It does not receive your username.
• Meta (Facebook) SDK: Tells Meta when the App is installed and opened, and about a few game events: finishing the tutorial, picking a username, clearing a level (with the level and score) and finishing a Daily Challenge (with the score). This helps us measure our ads on Facebook and Instagram. On Android it may use your Advertising ID. On iPhone it uses your advertising ID only if you allow tracking. It does not receive your username.

In-app purchases

• Remove Ads: Sold through the App Store or Google Play. Apple or Google handle the payment. The App never sees your card or payment details. It only learns whether you bought Remove Ads. Firebase Analytics and the Meta SDK may also record that a purchase happened, and its price, to measure our ads.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To run the game: keep your name, progress, scores, ratings and match history
• To show leaderboards, friends, chat and who is online
• To send the notifications you allow
• To restore your name and progress if you turn on the backup
• To answer your feedback and fix crashes
• To improve the word lists
• To serve advertisements via Google AdMob or AppLovin MAX and their partners, and to measure our own ads

3. Data Storage

• Game data (your profile, progress, scores, matches, friends, chat, push token, backup, feedback and crash reports) is stored on secure servers (Supabase, hosted in the EU).
• Our game server runs on Railway. It receives crash reports, which also appear in its server logs, and it sends push notifications.
• Push notifications are delivered by Expo, and app updates are downloaded from Expo.
• Like any online service, our servers and providers see your IP address when the App connects.
• We do not store passwords or payment information. We only store an email address if you add one in the Feedback form or turn on the backup.

4. Third-Party Services

The App uses the following third-party services which have their own privacy policies:

• Google AdMob: for displaying advertisements, either as the ad system or as an ad partner inside AppLovin MAX. See Google's Privacy Policy.
• AppLovin: for displaying advertisements, either through its AppLovin MAX ad system or as an ad partner inside AdMob. See AppLovin's Privacy Policy.
• Liftoff (Vungle): ad partner inside AdMob or AppLovin MAX. See Liftoff's Privacy Policy.
• Firebase Analytics (Google): for usage stats. See Firebase's privacy page.
• Meta (Facebook) SDK: for measuring our ads. See Meta's Privacy Policy.
• Supabase: for game data storage and the optional backup sign-in. See Supabase's Privacy Policy.
• Railway: hosts our game server. See Railway's Privacy Policy.
• Expo: for push notifications and app updates. See Expo's Privacy Policy.
• Apple and Google: for Sign in with Apple, Google sign-in and in-app purchases. See Apple's Privacy Policy and Google's Privacy Policy.
• Google Gemini or Anthropic Claude: check words the game did not accept. They receive only the words, never player information. See Google's Privacy Policy and Anthropic's Privacy Policy.

5. Tracking and Ad Choices

On iOS, the App will request permission to track your device's advertising identifier (IDFA) for personalised ads and ad measurement. You can deny this permission and the App will continue to function normally with non-personalised ads. You can change your choice at any time in your iPhone's Settings, under Privacy & Security, then Tracking.

On Android, you can reset or delete your Advertising ID in your phone's settings. In the EU and UK, you can change your ad consent with "Ad privacy options" on the Feedback screen.

6. Children's Privacy

The App is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you think a child under 13 has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.

7. Data Retention

• Leaderboard scores are retained indefinitely to maintain historical rankings.
• Your profile, progress, ratings, match history, friends and chat messages are kept so the game keeps working. We do not delete them on a schedule. You can ask us to delete them at any time (see section 8).
• Friend requests that no one answers expire after 30 days.
• Your push token is replaced when it changes, and removed once Expo tells us the App was uninstalled.
• Your backup is kept until you delete it in the App.
• Feedback and crash reports are kept so we can reply and fix bugs. We do not delete them on a schedule.

8. Your Rights and Deleting Your Data

• In the App: Delete your backup in Your profile with Delete backup. You can also remove friends and block players at any time.
• Everything else: Email us at [email protected] to delete the data linked to your username: your profile, progress, scores, ratings, match history, friends, chat messages, push token and crash reports. Most of this data is linked to your username, not an account, so tell us your username. If you used the Feedback form, tell us the email you gave. We may ask for details to check the name is yours.
• On your device: Deleting the App removes the data stored on your phone. On iPhone, the Keychain copy of your identity can stay after you delete the App. That is how a reinstall keeps your name.
• Ad and analytics partners: Google, Meta, AppLovin and Liftoff hold their own data. Use their privacy tools, or reset your advertising ID in your phone's settings.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated policy at this URL with a revised "Last updated" date.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
Haque Games
[email protected]