Wordscotch privacy policy

Wordscotch privacy policy · last updated: 9 November 2026

Who we are. Wordscotch is made by Nixcape. Privacy questions: support@hidesnipe.com.

What the game itself keeps. Your progress (ribbons, coins, cards, tins), your settings (such as your language), which words you have already had (as short codes, so a word only comes back once you have had the rest) and a list of in-game events (for example "race won") are stored only on your own device. The game does not send them to us. There is no chat. "Start over" in Settings, or uninstalling the app, deletes everything on the device.

Playing online (only if you choose to). Only the first time you tap "Online" does the game create a guest account on our server. It holds: a random number, a secret key (on the server only as an unreadable hash; the key itself is only on your device), your name as a code (two words you pick from our lists, never free text), if you switch it on your country (your device's region setting, never worked out from your internet address; you can switch it off), your rating per language with the number of races won and lost, your friend code and the friends you add, and your scores on the daily leaderboards of the Day Word and the challenge (your moves in that round, so the server can check your score itself). No e-mail address, no phone number, no advertising ID, no list of your words. Your opponent sees your name, your country (if you show it), your rating, your title and your in-game looks. Your IP address is used by the server only in its working memory to limit abuse (how many connections and requests per address); it is not stored and is forgotten after an hour without traffic. The web server keeps no access log for this site; its error log may hold an address with an error and is deleted after 14 days. Legal basis: performing what you ask for (playing online) and the legitimate interest of keeping it fair and safe.

Your language. The first time, the game suggests your phone's language. For that it only reads the device's language setting; nothing is sent.

Opponents. Offline every opponent is a computer player (AI), marked with an AI tag. Online you only race real people (LIVE); a computer player is never presented as a person there.

Ads. The app shows ads from Google AdMob (Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland): a video you choose to watch for a reward, and now and then an ad between two races (never during a race, never in the first, guided race and never the first time you open the app). For this, Google's software on your device collects, among other things:

• your device's advertising ID and an app set ID;
• your IP address (from which a rough location follows, such as your country or city);
• information about your device (model, Android or iOS version, language) and about the app;
• how you interact with ads (views, taps) and diagnostic data (such as crashes of the ad software).

Google uses this to show and measure ads, to prevent fraud and, only with your consent, to personalise ads. How Google does this: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites and https://policies.google.com/privacy.

Your consent. In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, the app first asks for your consent, with Google's form. You can say no; you then get ads that are not personalised. You can change or withdraw your choice at any time in the app: Settings > Privacy & ads. You can delete or reset your advertising ID in Android's settings (Privacy > Ads). On an iPhone the app also asks Apple's question whether it may track you (App Tracking Transparency), never if you said you are under 16; without a yes, ads are shown without your device's advertising identifier (IDFA). You can change that any time in iOS Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.

Legal basis. For personalised ads and for storing or reading information on your device: your consent. For non-personalised ads, measuring them and fraud prevention: the legitimate interest of funding the free game with ads, as explained in the consent form.

Children. Wordscotch is a friendly word game that children may enjoy too, but the app is meant for players aged 13 and over and is not directed at children. Ads are limited to content suitable with parental guidance (PG). If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child uses the app, you can uninstall it (which deletes everything on the device) or e-mail us.

How long. What is on your device stays there until you delete it. An online account unused for 12 months is deleted automatically; daily leaderboards are kept for 8 days. You can delete your online account at any time in the app: Settings > Online account > Delete online account; that deletes everything about you on the server at once (also your scores and your place in other players' friend lists). What Google collects, Google keeps under its own policy.

Your rights. You have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to and port your data. We hold only your online account, if you play online (above; delete it in the app, or e-mail us); everything else is on your device. For ads this goes through Google (https://myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy) or the settings above. You can also complain to your data protection authority (in the Netherlands: the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl).

Changes. If anything changes, for example when online play or real purchases are added, we update this policy and the date at the top.