Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 13, 2026

1. Who We Are

• Word Gust ("the app", "the game") is operated by Caretta 7 Studios Inc. ("Caretta 7 Studios", "we", "our", "us"), a corporation incorporated in the State of Texas, United States.
• Privacy contact: support@caretta7studios.com
• Website: caretta7studios.com
• For the purposes of the EU/UK GDPR, Caretta 7 Studios Inc. is the data controller for the personal data described below.
• Caretta 7 Studios will designate a representative in the EU and in the UK under Article 27 of the GDPR / UK GDPR before the app is made available to users in those regions, and their contact details will be added to this policy upon designation.

2. What This Policy Covers

• This policy explains what data Word Gust and its service providers process when you use the app on Android (Google Play) and iOS (Apple App Store).
• The single-player game runs offline on your device. Personal data is involved when (a) ads are shown, (b) you make an in-app purchase, (c) you use the optional "Play vs Friend" multiplayer mode, or (d) you sign in to join the optional global leaderboard.
• In addition, we use Google Analytics for Firebase to measure overall app usage (see Section 7).
• You can play the game fully without signing in. Signing in and joining the leaderboard are optional.

3. Data Stored Only On Your Device (Not Collected By Us)

• The following is saved only in local storage on your device: high scores, game settings and on-device UI-state flags (such as onboarding and prompt-seen markers), theme choice, sound and haptic preferences, language choice, daily word history, experience points, badges, streaks, energy state, reward credits, ad-frequency counters, your "Remove Ads" purchase status, your acceptance of these terms, an emoji avatar you choose, and an automatically generated guest label (for example "Guest-1234") used to identify you if you play without signing in.
• This on-device data is not transmitted to Caretta 7 Studios while you play as a guest. If you choose to sign in (optional), two things are then sent to our backend: (a) a public leaderboard entry — your name (your Google Play Games / Apple Game Center alias, or a "Guest-####" label), your chosen emoji avatar, and your scores; and (b) a private cloud save — a copy of your on-device game data listed above, tied to your account and readable only by you, so you can restore your progress on another device. See Section 7.
• If you clear the app's data or uninstall the app, on-device data is deleted.

4. Advertising (Google AdMob)

• Word Gust shows third-party advertising (banner, interstitial, and rewarded ads) using Google AdMob (the Google Mobile Ads SDK).
• To deliver, cap, measure, analyze, and protect ads from fraud (including analytics and measurement performed by Google), Google and its ad partners may process: your device advertising identifier (Android Advertising ID "AAID" / Apple "IDFA"), ad-interaction data, approximate location estimated from your IP address, and diagnostics/crash data.
• This data is collected and processed by Google as a third party. We do not receive your advertising identifier or build advertising profiles ourselves.
• To learn how Google uses this data, see Google's Privacy Policy (policies.google.com/privacy) and "How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services" (policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites).
• Ad data is encrypted in transit (TLS).

5. Personalized Ads, Consent, and Tracking

• Personalized (interest-based) ads are shown only where you have consented or permitted them; otherwise you see non-personalized (contextual) ads, and the game remains fully playable either way.
• In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, we present a consent choice using Google's User Messaging Platform (UMP) before personalized ads are served. You can change or withdraw this choice at any time from the in-app privacy/ad-consent option.
• On iOS, we present Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt before your advertising identifier (IDFA) is used for personalized ads. If you decline, the identifier is not used for cross-app tracking and you continue to see non-personalized ads. You can change this later in iOS Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.
• We set the maximum ad content rating to "Teen" and do not enable child-directed or under-age-of-consent treatment, because the app is intended for users 13 and older.

6. Multiplayer ("Play vs Friend")

• The optional "Play vs Friend" mode connects two devices directly using PeerJS / WebRTC. It is only active when you choose to create or join a lobby.
• To set up the connection, your device's IP address and network information are shared with: the public PeerJS signaling broker operated by peerjs.com (0.peerjs.com), Google's public STUN server (stun.l.google.com), and, if a direct connection cannot be made, PeerJS's TURN relay servers (eu-0.turn.peerjs.com / us-0.turn.peerjs.com).
• Because a direct peer-to-peer (WebRTC) connection links the two devices, the other player's device may also be able to observe your device's public IP address. This is inherent to direct multiplayer connections.
• Once connected, the following is exchanged between the two players' devices: your player name (your Google Play Games / Apple Game Center alias, or a "Guest-####" label — the app has no free-text name field) and the emoji avatar you chose, the game category and a random seed, the words played each round, points, time remaining, total scores, and emoji reactions.
• There is no chat, no voice, no photos, no public profiles, and no free-form messaging other than the optional display name you set.

7. Accounts, Sign-In, Leaderboard, and Analytics (Firebase)

• Word Gust offers an optional global leaderboard that ranks players across Android and iOS together. It is powered by Google Firebase (Firebase Authentication, Cloud Firestore, Firebase App Check, and Google Analytics for Firebase) acting as our service provider/processor.
• To join the leaderboard and keep your rank across devices, you sign in with Google Play Games on Android and Apple Game Center on iOS. Sign-in is optional — you can play the whole game without it.
• When you sign in, we receive a player identifier and the gamer alias from Google Play Games (Android) or Apple Game Center (iOS). These services do not share your email address with us.
• When you join the leaderboard, your public name (your Google Play Games / Apple Game Center alias, or a "Guest-####" label — the app has no free-text name field), your chosen emoji avatar, and your game scores are stored on Google/Firebase servers and are shown publicly in the ranked leaderboard to other players. Your alias comes from your platform gaming account; you can change it in your Google Play Games or Apple Game Center profile.
• If you are signed in, your game progress and settings (the on-device "wordgust_" data described in Section 3 — for example experience points, levels, badges, streaks, statistics, high scores, energy state, and preferences) are also saved to a private cloud profile tied to your account in Cloud Firestore. This cloud save is readable only by you (enforced by our security rules) and lets you restore your data on another device; it is separate from, and is not shown in, the public leaderboard.
• Firebase App Check verifies that requests come from the genuine, unmodified app on a genuine device (using Play Integrity on Android, App Attest on iOS, and reCAPTCHA on web) to prevent fake or tampered scores. This processes device-integrity signals, not the contents of your device.
• The leaderboard data is stored in a Firebase data region we select; Google acts as a data processor under the Firebase Data Processing and Security Terms.
• We use Google Analytics for Firebase to measure how the game is used (for example sessions, game modes played, and feature engagement) so we can improve it. For all users this processes a pseudonymous app-instance identifier, device and usage/event data, and approximate location derived from your IP address — for analytics, not to build advertising profiles. In the EEA/UK, analytics collection is subject to your consent choice.

8. In-App Purchases

• Word Gust offers in-app purchases: a one-time, non-consumable "Remove Ads" upgrade, and consumable "energy" packs (small, medium, and large) that add in-game energy used to play.
• Payment is processed by the platform store: Google Play Billing on Android, and the Apple App Store (StoreKit) on iOS. We never receive your payment card number.
• The store may process purchase status, order identifiers, and related transaction data to deliver the purchase, support restore/refunds, and prevent fraud. On your device we store only your "Remove Ads" status, your current energy balance, and a short list of recently processed transaction identifiers (so a purchase is never granted twice).

9. How We Use Information

• To run gameplay and remember your settings and progress on your device.
• To show ads (personalized only where permitted, otherwise non-personalized) and to grant rewarded-ad benefits.
• To establish a peer-to-peer multiplayer connection when you start a match.
• To sign you in, place you on the global leaderboard, save your rank across devices, and protect the leaderboard from fake or tampered scores.
• To deliver and restore the "Remove Ads" purchase.
• To measure app usage and improve the game (analytics).
• To maintain security, prevent ad fraud and abuse, and comply with law.

10. Legal Bases (EEA / UK)

• Consent: for personalized advertising and any non-essential access to information on your device, obtained via the UMP consent flow. On iOS, the advertising identifier (IDFA) is additionally gated by Apple's App Tracking Transparency permission, which is a platform permission rather than itself a GDPR legal basis.
• Performance of a contract: to sign you in, place you on the leaderboard you chose to join, connect a multiplayer session you initiate, and deliver the "Remove Ads" purchase.
• Legitimate interests: for non-personalized/contextual ads, ad frequency capping, leaderboard integrity / anti-cheat (App Check), and fraud prevention.
• Legal obligation: for record-keeping and responding to lawful requests.

11. Third Parties We Share With

• Google (AdMob / Google Mobile Ads) — advertising. See policies.google.com/privacy.
• Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Firestore, App Check) — sign-in and the global leaderboard.
• Google Play Games Services (Android) and Apple Game Center (iOS) — optional account sign-in for the leaderboard.
• Google Play Billing (Android) and Apple App Store / StoreKit (iOS) — purchase processing.
• Google STUN and PeerJS (broker + TURN relay, operated by peerjs.com) — multiplayer connectivity (IP address).
• We do not sell your personal information.

12. International Data Transfers

• Caretta 7 Studios Inc. is based in the United States, and the service providers above process data in the United States and other countries.
• For users in the EEA/UK, transfers rely on appropriate safeguards (such as the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and/or Standard Contractual Clauses / the UK IDTA) used by Google and Apple for the data they process, and by us where we act as controller. Firebase data is processed under Google's Data Processing and Security Terms, which incorporate Standard Contractual Clauses.
• EEA/UK users may request information about the safeguards in place by contacting us.

13. Data Retention

• On-device game data stays on your device until you clear app data or uninstall the app.
• Leaderboard data (account identifier, name, avatar, scores) and your private cloud save are kept while your account remains active and are removed when you delete your account/entry (see Section 14). Inactive anonymous identifiers may be removed automatically after a period of inactivity.
• IP address used for multiplayer is used only to establish the session and is not stored by the app.
• Advertising and purchase data are retained by the named processors (Google, Apple) according to their own published retention policies; because Caretta 7 Studios does not receive this data, we hold no copy of it to retain.
• If you email us for support, we keep the message only as long as reasonably needed to respond and to keep business records.

14. Account and Data Deletion

• You can request deletion of your account and your leaderboard data at any time, both from within the app (an in-app "Delete account / leaderboard data" option) and by emailing support@caretta7studios.com.
• A web-based deletion request page is also available at caretta7studios.com/games/wordgust/delete-account.
• Deleting your account removes your sign-in identifier, your public leaderboard entry (name, avatar, scores), and your private cloud save from our backend. On-device data is removed separately when you clear app data or uninstall.

15. Your Privacy Rights

• Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to processing of your personal data, to data portability, and to withdraw consent at any time.
• You can change or withdraw ad consent through the in-app privacy/ad-consent option; manage tracking on iOS in Settings; reset or limit your advertising identifier in your device settings; and delete your leaderboard account as described in Section 14.
• EEA/UK users may lodge a complaint with their data protection authority (for the UK, the ICO).
• To make a request, contact support@caretta7studios.com.

16. California Privacy Rights (CCPA / CPRA)

• We do not sell personal information for money. However, serving personalized ads through Google AdMob may be considered "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising under California law.
• California residents have the right to know, delete, and correct personal information, the right to opt out of sale/sharing, and the right to non-discrimination.
• You can opt out of personalized ads through the in-app ad-consent option and on iOS by declining the App Tracking Transparency prompt. We honor recognized opt-out preference signals such as Global Privacy Control (GPC).
• The categories of personal information that may be processed are: device/online identifiers (advertising ID, sign-in account ID, app-instance identifier), internet or network activity (IP address, ad-interaction data, app-usage and analytics events), approximate location inferred from IP, user content (display name, scores) shown on the leaderboard, and purchase-related information for "Remove Ads".
• To exercise a California right, contact support@caretta7studios.com.

17. Children

• Word Gust is intended for users who are at least 13 years old (or the higher minimum digital-consent age required in your country) and is not directed to children under 13.
• We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. We do not enable child-directed ad treatment, and our content rating and target audience are set to "Teen" / 13+.
• The leaderboard does not allow free-text names: a player's public name is the alias from their Google Play Games or Apple Game Center account, or an automatically generated "Guest-####" label, and avatars are chosen from a fixed set of emoji. There is therefore no free-text user content (names, messages, or images) created in the app. We may remove any leaderboard entry that is fraudulent or whose platform alias is offensive.
• If we learn that a child under the applicable age has provided personal information, we will delete it. Parents or guardians can contact us at support@caretta7studios.com.

18. Turkey (KVKK)

• For users in Turkey, Caretta 7 Studios Inc. is the data controller (veri sorumlusu) for the data described in this policy.
• Personal data processed (advertising identifier, IP address, sign-in identifier, display name, scores) is handled for the purposes set out above, based on your explicit consent for personalized ads and on legitimate/contractual grounds for other processing.
• The regular transfer of Turkish users' data abroad (for example, to the United States) relies on an appropriate safeguard under the amended Article 9 of Law No. 6698 (KVKK) — such as a standard contract, a written undertaking, or a Board adequacy decision — rather than on consent, consistent with the rules in force since 1 September 2024.
• Under KVKK Article 11 you may request information about, access, correction, or deletion of your personal data by contacting support@caretta7studios.com.

19. Security

• We use reasonable technical and organizational measures for the data we control, and ad, leaderboard, and connection data is encrypted in transit.
• No app, device, or network can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

20. Changes

• We may update this Privacy Policy as the app changes or as legal requirements evolve. The "Last updated" date above shows the latest revision.
• If we make material changes, we may ask you to review or accept the updated policy in the app.

21. Contact

• Caretta 7 Studios Inc. (Texas, United States)
• Email: support@caretta7studios.com
• Website: caretta7studios.com