Word Rangers – Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 25th February 2026

James Trigg ("we", "us", "our") built Word Rangers as a freemium app. This page informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information when you use our app.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Data You Provide

• Custom Categories: If you create custom word-search categories, the category name, words, and clues are stored on your device and synced to your private iCloud account via Apple CloudKit.
• Shared Categories (Link Sharing): If you choose to share a custom category via a link, its content is stored in our CloudKit public database so other users can access it via the link you distribute.
• Category Shop Listings: If you submit a category to the Category Shop, its name, description, language, questions, and question count are stored in our CloudKit public database. Before appearing in the shop, all submissions are reviewed by a human moderator. See the Category Shop Policy for full details.
• Display Name (Optional – Category Shop): When submitting a category to the Category Shop, you are given the choice to share it anonymously or with your Game Center display name. If you choose to share with your Game Center display name, that name will be publicly visible alongside your listing in the shop. You may change this preference each time you share. We never display your underlying Game Center player ID; only the display name you explicitly authorise.
• Star Ratings: If you rate a Category Shop listing (1–5 stars), your rating is stored in our CloudKit public database. Your identity is embedded only within an internal record identifier and is never stored as a queryable field — no other user can discover who gave a particular rating. Ratings are used solely to rank listings in search results and are never displayed to other users.
• Support Messages: If you contact support through the app, your message text is stored in CloudKit so our team can respond.

1.2 Data Collected Automatically

• iCloud User Identifier: Apple provides an opaque CloudKit user record ID when you use iCloud features. We cannot use this to identify you personally. This identifier is used to route coin earnings from the Category Shop to the correct creator.
• Game Progress: High scores, achievements, coin balance, and daily reward status are stored locally and synced via CloudKit to your private iCloud account.
• Game Center: If you sign in to Game Center, Apple collects your Game Center player ID and gameplay data under Apple's own privacy policy. Your Game Center display name is only shared with us if you explicitly choose the "Share as [Name]" option when submitting to the Category Shop.
• Advertising Data: We use Google AdMob to display rewarded ads. AdMob may collect device identifiers, IP address, and interaction data. See Google's Privacy Policy for details.
• App Preferences: Settings such as sound preferences, daily reward timestamps, purchase status, your last sharing identity choice, and your list of favourited Category Shop contributors are stored locally on your device using UserDefaults. Favourited contributor data consists of opaque CloudKit record identifiers and is not transmitted to us.

1.3 Data We Do Not Collect

• We do not collect your name, email address, phone number, or physical address.
• We do not require account creation. All user identification is handled through Apple's anonymous iCloud and Game Center services.
• We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
• We do not display average or aggregate star ratings to any user. Ratings are used only for internal search ranking.
• Your Game Center display name is only made public if you explicitly choose to share it when listing a category in the shop. The default option is always anonymous.

1.4 Our Approach to Personal Data

We have designed Word Rangers to keep any personal information to the absolute minimum. The only information we store that could directly identify you is your Game Center display name — and only if you explicitly choose to attach it to a Category Shop listing. We encourage you not to include any information in your categories that might identify you or anyone else. See Section 4 of our Category Sharing Policy for more detail.

2. How We Use Your Information

• App Functionality: To sync your game progress, custom categories, and coin balance across your devices.
• Content Sharing: To enable you to share custom categories with other users via link or via the Category Shop.
• Category Shop: To publish your approved category listings, attribute them to you (anonymously or by display name, per your choice), process coin payments to buyers, and credit coin earnings to creators.
• Search Ranking: To use your private star ratings to sort Category Shop listings. Ratings influence ordering only; they are never aggregated into visible scores.
• Content Moderation: Shared categories and Category Shop submissions may be checked by automated systems and human reviewers to ensure compliance with our Category Sharing Policy and Category Shop Policy.
• Advertising: To display rewarded ads (optional, user-initiated). Ad partners may use device information for ad delivery.
• Support: To respond to your support messages.
• Enforcement: To enforce our sharing policies, including temporary sharing suspensions for policy violations.

3. Data Storage and Security

• Local Storage: Game preferences, favourited contributors, and your identity preference for sharing are stored on your device and are not transmitted to us.
• Apple CloudKit (Private): Your custom categories and coin balance are stored in your personal iCloud container, accessible only to you.
• Apple CloudKit (Public): Approved Category Shop listings, star ratings, link-shared categories, moderation records, and support messages are stored in our shared CloudKit public database. Apple manages the security and infrastructure of CloudKit.
• No External Servers: Apart from Apple CloudKit and Google AdMob, we do not transmit your data to any other external servers. Content moderation requests are processed through our secure proxy and are not stored beyond the moderation check.

4. Third-Party Services

Word Rangers uses the following third-party services:

• Apple CloudKit: For data sync and storage. Governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.
• Apple Game Center: For leaderboards, achievements, and (optionally) contributor display names in the Category Shop. Governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.
• Google AdMob: For displaying rewarded video ads. Governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
• Apple StoreKit: For in-app purchases. Purchase transactions are handled entirely by Apple.

5. Your Rights and Data Deletion

You have the right to delete your data at any time:

• In-App Deletion: Go to the Settings menu in Word Rangers and tap "Delete My Data". This will permanently delete your private data including custom categories, coin balance, support messages, reports, star ratings, and all local preferences. Categories you have shared with other users (via link or the Category Shop) will be anonymised rather than deleted — your Game Center display name will be removed so the listing appears as "by Anonymous", but the category content will remain available to users who have already imported it. This ensures other players are not affected by your deletion request.
• iCloud Data: You can also delete Word Rangers data from your iCloud account via Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage on your device.

Data deletion is fully automated within the app. No manual steps or support requests are required.

6. Children's Privacy

Word Rangers is an educational word-search game suitable for all ages. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. The app does not require account creation, and all user identification is handled through Apple's anonymous services. The Category Shop's identity sharing feature defaults to anonymous; if a child is using the app, we recommend keeping this default. If you believe a child has shared personal information through a custom category or Category Shop listing, please contact us and we will take steps to remove it.

7. Diagnostic Logs

The App may record diagnostic logs on your device to assist with troubleshooting. These logs contain technical information such as error messages, timestamps, and app state. They do not contain personal messages, passwords, or financial data.

• Local Storage Only: Logs are stored locally on your device and are never transmitted without your explicit action.
• Voluntary Sharing: If you contact support and choose to attach logs, they are uploaded to our server (jamestrigg.co.uk) over an encrypted HTTPS connection.
• Retention: Uploaded logs are retained for up to 90 days and then automatically deleted.
• Opt-Out: You can always choose not to attach logs when contacting support. You can also delete local logs via the Settings screen.

8. Advertising and Tracking

Word Rangers displays optional rewarded video ads through Google AdMob. These ads are user-initiated (you choose to watch an ad to earn coins). We request your permission via Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework before allowing any cross-app tracking for ad personalisation. If you decline, ads will still be shown but will not be personalised based on your activity in other apps.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the effective date. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or your data, please contact us:

• Email: support@jamestrigg.co.uk
• Website: https://jamestrigg.co.uk/support.html