How we handle your data

1What data we process

1. Player profile and progress. When you first use the app, you are automatically given an anonymous player ID, which is a random string containing no name or email address. We use it to store your game progress, including solved puzzles, levels, streaks, playing statistics such as words found in each language, stamps earned, your chosen home language, and your chosen mascot and frame. This information is stored on your device and in our cloud database, so you can take your progress with you when you switch to a new device.

2. Optional account. You can link your profile to an Olympheon account using "Sign in with Apple" or "Sign in with Google". If you do, we also process your email address, the name provided by Apple or Google, and the username you choose. Friend features process the connection between your account and your friends' accounts.

3. Purchases. Payments are handled entirely by Apple (App Store) or Google (Google Play). We never see or store payment card or bank account details. To link your purchases, such as passes and puzzle books, to your profile, our systems process the product purchased, the status and end date of a subscription, the store used (Apple or Google), and a pseudonymous linking ID (your player ID). We use RevenueCat as a processor for this purpose (see below).

4. Technical data. When you use the app, our systems process a limited amount of technical data needed to keep it working, including the app version, operating system and version, device language and time zone, and technical logs of server requests. These logs include your IP address, which is retained briefly for security and fraud prevention.

5. Usage statistics and error reporting. To improve the app, we measure how it is used, including which screens you view, which levels and daily challenges you start and complete, which language you choose, and whether you visit a shop page. We also collect technical details such as the app version, device type and operating system, as well as error reports for crashes. We also make session recordings, which are a series of screenshots showing what happens on your screen as you play, so we can see where players get stuck. Fields containing personal data, such as your username, are obscured in these recordings. This data is linked to your pseudonymous player ID, not your name or email address, and is stored within the EU. You can turn this measurement off at any time in the app (Settings > Usage statistics). The game will continue to work as normal.

6. Stored only on your device. Preferences such as board style, colour-blind assistance and sound settings remain on your device and are not sent to us. Reminders (notifications) are scheduled locally on your device. Our servers do not send push notifications.

2Advertising

The free version of the app displays adverts through Google AdMob. These include short adverts between levels and optional adverts you can choose to watch in exchange for a hint or a second chance.

Even without your consent, Google processes certain technical data for this purpose: your IP address (used to determine a country or region), device and app characteristics, and limited identifiers needed to display an advert, apply frequency caps and prevent fraud. That is why we cannot say that no data is processed without consent: the adverts are not personalised, but they are not entirely data-free.

Only if you expressly consent to this (on iOS through Apple's tracking permission prompt, and in the EU through our consent screen) will Google use your device's advertising identifier to personalise and measure adverts. You can withdraw your consent at any time: in the app via Settings > Privacy > Ad privacy choices, and on iOS also via Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.

With a Home Pass or World Pass, or in a booklet you have purchased, the app does not show interstitial adverts. The adverts you choose to watch yourself (for a hint or a second chance) remain available, including to subscribers.

3Our purposes and legal bases

• Providing the game (saving progress, syncing between devices, unlocking purchases): necessary to perform the contract.
• Security and preventing misuse (technical logs, purchase validation): legitimate interests.
• Improving the app (usage statistics, session recordings, error reporting): legitimate interests. You can turn this off at any time via Settings > Usage statistics, without affecting the game.
• Optional features (account, friends): performance of the contract, at your request.
• Showing adverts in the free version: necessary to perform the contract, as adverts fund the free app.
• Personalised adverts: only with your consent, which you can withdraw at any time without affecting the game.

We do not use your data for automated decision-making that has legal effects, and we do not sell it.

4Who else is involved

• Google Firebase (Google Ireland Ltd / Google LLC): database, sign-in and server functions. Google Privacy Policy
• RevenueCat, Inc. (US): subscription and purchase management, linked to your pseudonymous player ID. RevenueCat Privacy Policy
• PostHog, Inc. (US, with storage on servers in the EU): usage statistics, session recordings and error reporting. PostHog Privacy Policy
• Apple and Google Play: payments and app distribution, subject to their own terms and privacy policies.
• Google AdMob (Google Ireland Ltd / Google LLC): displaying and measuring adverts, and preventing fraud. For personalised adverts, Google acts not as a processor but as an independent controller. How Google uses advertising data
• AppsFlyer Ltd. (Israel and other countries where AppsFlyer or its subprocessors operate): attribution and campaign measurement. With your consent, AppsFlyer may process the IDFA or GAID and link it to your pseudonymous player ID, along with installs, sessions, progress milestones, ad revenue and purchase events. AppsFlyer Privacy Policy

We enter into data processing agreements with our processors. Some processors (including AppsFlyer, RevenueCat, PostHog and Google LLC) process data in or from the United States. These transfers are based on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and/or the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).

5How long we keep your data

• Game progress and profile: for as long as you use the game. If you delete your account or request deletion, we will erase the data from our active systems within 30 days.
• Purchase records: for as long as statutory tax record-keeping requirements apply, after which they are deleted.
• Technical logs: no more than 12 months, with security logs kept for as short a time as reasonably possible.
• Usage statistics and error reports: linked to your player ID for no more than 24 months, with session recordings kept for no more than 3 months.
• Advertising data: we do not store this ourselves. We only see aggregated reports showing totals, not individuals. The retention policy for the underlying data is determined by Google.
• Attribution data at AppsFlyer: user-level data is retained for a limited period based on the integration type and the relevant advertising network's rules. AppsFlyer retains aggregated reports for up to 25 months. We also pass erasure requests on to AppsFlyer.

6Your rights

Under the GDPR, you have the right to access, correct or delete your data, restrict its processing, receive it in a portable format and object to processing based on legitimate interests. You can withdraw your consent at any time, for example for personalised advertising. To do so, email [email protected]. We will respond within one month. You can also lodge a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl).

You can delete your account and data directly in the app via Settings > Delete account, or by emailing [email protected].

7Children

Words with Mia is intended for players aged 13 and over and is not a children's app. If you live in the Netherlands and are under 16, only use the optional account features with permission from a parent or guardian. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If we discover that this has happened, we will delete that data.

8Changes

We will let you know in the app if we make significant changes to this policy. The latest version is always available on this page.