The short version
Playing on your own sends nothing anywhere. If you play a multiplayer or duel match, the game sends the name you typed, an anonymous ID your device made up, and the moves you play, so that the other players can see them. That is all.
Playing on your own
Classic, Daily, Zen and Timed make no network requests that involve you. Your statistics, streak, history and settings are stored on your device and are never uploaded. If you delete the app, they are gone.
Playing with other people
When, and only when, you host or join a multiplayer session or duel, the game sends:
- An anonymous installation ID. Your device generates a random identifier the first time the app runs. It is not your advertising ID or a hardware identifier, and it cannot be linked to you or to any other app. It lets a session tell players apart.
- The display name you type, if you type one. It is shown to the other players in that session and is screened automatically for offensive words. Please use a first name or nickname, not your full name.
- The moves you make in that session — the words played, the score and the timings — so everyone sees the same board.
Nothing else is transmitted. There is no chat.
Updates
The app periodically downloads two public files over HTTPS: an optional word-list update and a file describing the latest available version. These are ordinary downloads and send no information about you.
What we never collect
- Your name, email address, phone number or postal address
- Your location
- Your contacts, photos, camera, microphone, calendar or health data
- Any advertising identifier (IDFA or Google Advertising ID)
- Behavioural or analytics data — the app contains no analytics software of any kind
Who processes the data
Multiplayer data is stored by our backend provider, Supabase Inc., on our behalf and for no other purpose (supabase.com/privacy). We do not sell your data, share it for advertising, or transfer it to anyone else.
How long we keep it
Multiplayer session records — the anonymous ID, the display name and the moves — are kept only as long as we need them to run multiplayer, and we delete them on request at any time. Data stored on your device stays there until you clear it (Settings → Reset progress) or delete the app.
Your choices
- Play offline: do not open a multiplayer session and nothing is ever sent.
- Use any name you like — the field is free text and is not verified.
- Clear everything on your device with Settings → Reset progress.
- Ask us to delete your server data: email us and tell us the session code you played, and we will delete the relevant records.
Children
Word Ladder is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect data from them. The game asks for no personal information; if a child types their real name as a display name, it is visible to the other players in that session, which is why we recommend a nickname. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us and we will remove it.
Security
All data is sent over encrypted HTTPS connections. Server access is restricted by row-level security rules that prevent one session from reading another’s data.
Contact us
Questions about this policy, or a request about your data? We usually reply within two business days.
WeMoDe Technologies
Noida, India
If this policy changes, we will update the date at the top of this page before the change takes effect.