Privacy Policy – Daily Word Puzzle

Effective date: 2026-10-26
Contact: devbycody@gmail.com

This policy explains, in plain language, what happens to your information when you play Daily Word Puzzle (“the app”), also listed as The Word Files, made by devbycody&team (“we”).

The short version

• You don’t need an account. The game is fully playable as a guest, and that progress stays on your device.
• If you choose Sign in with Apple, Sign in with Google, or an email sign-in link, we store the email address from that sign-in and a copy of your progress so a reinstall or another device can restore it. Apple may give us a private relay address instead of your real email.
• Signed-in players can put a nickname and an all-time score on a world list that other players can read.
• The app is free because it shows ads from Google AdMob. Google may collect some device data to show and measure ads, as described below.
• You choose whether ads can be personalised, and you can change your mind at any time in Settings → Privacy & Ad Choices.
• Signed-in players can delete the cloud account in the app: Settings → Account → Delete account.

Information stored on your device

The app saves your puzzle progress, scores, streaks, stars, unfinished boards, and settings (such as difficulty, high contrast, haptics, sounds, accessibility, and the reminder time) in the app’s local storage on your device. A guest can also save a nickname on the device. Guest progress does not leave the device. The phone’s notification permission stays on the device and is not uploaded. Deleting the app deletes that local copy.

Signing out, or deleting a cloud account, leaves the copy already on the device in place. Uninstalling the app removes it.

Optional account

Sign-in is optional and lives in Settings → Account. Supabase hosts the account. The connection uses HTTPS.

• Apple (iPhone, iPad, or the browser): if you tap Sign in with Apple, Apple shares a stable account identifier and, only if you allow it, an email address and your name. You can choose Hide My Email. Apple then gives us a private relay address ending in @privaterelay.appleid.com, and messages we send there are forwarded by Apple. We never receive your Apple ID password. Sign in with Apple is not offered on Android.
• Google: if you tap Sign in with Google, Google shares the email address and basic profile picture on that Google account with Supabase. We use them only to recognize your save. We don’t ask you to upload a photo.
• Email link: if you ask for a sign-in link, we send it to the email address you type, through Supabase. We don’t ask for a password.
• What is synced: night-run streak, per-game stats, level progress and stars, the win count used for the optional rating prompt, settings you chose (difficulty, accessibility, haptics, sounds, and the reminder time), unfinished puzzle boards, timed scores, and your all-time point total. Signing out leaves the copy on the device. You can play offline; the device copy syncs the next time you are signed in and online.
• Nickname and world list: if you are signed in, you can claim a nickname. The app posts that nickname and your all-time total so other players can see a ranking. The nickname is not your email. Two accounts cannot claim the same nickname, even if the letters differ only by case. Until you claim one, the list shows “Player”. Guest scores stay on the device and are not added to that list. Anyone can read the ranking when cloud sync is configured; only you can change your row.
• Where it lives: one save row, one nickname row, and one world-list row, each tied to the Supabase user id for that sign-in.

How to delete an account

Guests do not have a cloud account. Uninstalling the app deletes the on-device copy. There is no separate guest account to delete.

If you are signed in, delete the cloud account in the app. You do not have to email us first.

1. Open Settings → Account.
2. Tap Delete account.
3. Type DELETE and confirm.

That removes the Supabase sign-in (including the email on the account), the cloud save, the nickname, and the world-list score. On iPhone and iPad, if you used Sign in with Apple, the app asks Apple to confirm and then revokes that app’s Sign in with Apple token before the account is removed. In a browser, or on Android, the same button still deletes the cloud account. Sign in with Apple from the browser can also be removed under your Apple ID settings (Sign-In & Security → Apps Using Apple ID).

The puzzles already stored on the device stay until you uninstall the app or keep playing on that device. Sign out alone does not delete the cloud account.

If you cannot open the app, email devbycody@gmail.com and we will delete the cloud account. The in-app button is the way to do it yourself.

If you turn on the evening reminder, the app schedules a local notification on your device at the time you pick. That reminder is not sent to us, and the app asks for notification permission only when you switch it on.

Advertising (Google AdMob)

We use Google AdMob to show banner, rewarded (“watch an ad for a hint”) and occasional interstitial ads. To do this, Google’s software in the app may collect and use:

• device and advertising identifiers (Android Advertising ID, Apple IDFA if you allow tracking),
• IP address and approximate location derived from it,
• device information (model, operating system, language),
• ad interactions (views, taps) and app diagnostics such as crashes related to ads.

Google uses this to deliver ads, measure them, prevent fraud and, if you allow it, personalise ads. Learn more: Google partner sites and Google’s Privacy Policy.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not receive personal data from Google that identifies you.

Your choices

• Consent (EEA, UK, Switzerland and other regions where required): when you first open the app, a Google consent form asks whether ads may use your data. If you decline, you will see non-personalised ads only. Change this any time in Settings → Privacy & Ad Choices.
• US state privacy rights: where applicable, you can opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of data for targeted ads using the same Settings option.
• iPhone/iPad: the app asks permission before using your device’s advertising identifier for tracking (App Tracking Transparency). You can change this in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
• Android: you can reset or delete your advertising ID in Settings → Google → Ads (or Settings → Privacy → Ads).
• Account: sign-in is optional. Settings → Account → Delete account removes the cloud account, as described above.

Children

The app is a general-audience word game for all ages. It is not directed at children, and we don’t knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country). The optional account is not offered as a children’s service. Ads are limited to family-friendly content ratings. If you think a child has provided personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

Sharing

Sharing your result copies a short text (e.g. “Daily Word Puzzle #297 3/6” with coloured squares) that you send yourself; it contains no personal data.

Security and retention

Guest game data stays on your device until you delete the app. If you sign in, the cloud copy, nickname, and world-list score stay until you delete the account in the app or ask us to delete them. Data collected by Google for ads is retained according to Google’s policies. Supabase retains the account data until that deletion.

Changes

If we update this policy we will change the effective date above and, for significant changes, mention it in the app’s update notes.

Contact

Questions or requests: devbycody@gmail.com