Pop Word privacy policy
Effective 4 November 2026.
The short version
Pop Word has no sign-up, no ads and no tracking, in the app or in your browser. The iPhone and Android apps also send anonymous usage stats and crash reports, which you can turn off at any time. The web version sends none. To run the daily standings and the vote, it signs in with an anonymous ID and sends your finished score and your vote. It never asks for your name, email, contacts, location or photos.
What the app sends, and why
An anonymous ID. When you first open the app it gets a random ID from Firebase Authentication (Google). It is not linked to your name, email, Apple ID or phone number. We use it so each player has one result and one vote per day.
Your result when you finish a puzzle: the day, the puzzle, your level, your score and your time. This makes the daily standings.
Your vote for tomorrow's puzzle, counted in the vote totals.
A device check. The apps use Firebase App Check (Apple's App Attest on iPhone, Google Play Integrity on Android) to prove requests come from the real app, which stops fake scores. This shares no personal information with us.
The app also downloads each day's puzzle. Like any internet service, Google's servers see your IP address when the app connects. We do not store it with your results or use it to identify you.
Usage stats and crash reports (iPhone and Android apps)
The iPhone and Android apps send anonymous usage stats and crash reports so we can see which parts of the game work, fix crashes and improve Pop Word. This is on by default, and you can turn it off (see below).
What is collected. Which puzzle you started and at which level, and whether it was a new game or one you resumed; how each word was solved (typed, from a bonus question or from calling it); whether you got a bonus question or wheel spin right, wrong or bust; whether you called it and how many squares were right; when you finish, your level, score, time and whether you called it; when you vote or tap share; and which hints you dismiss. We never record your guesses, your name, your email or anything you type. If the app crashes, we get a crash report with the technical state of the app at that moment, and basic technical details about your device: model, operating system version, app version, language, memory and battery level. We also get random install IDs that Google creates for the app (on Android, this includes Google's app set ID), and Google works out your approximate location (for example, your country or region) from your IP address.
Not linked to you, and no tracking. None of this is linked to your name or identity, or to the anonymous ID used for your scores and votes. The apps do not use or collect your advertising ID (on iPhone, Pop Word does not use the Advertising Identifier; on Android, the advertising ID permission is removed and advertising ID collection is switched off). We do not use this data to track you across other companies' apps and websites, and we do not use it for advertising or share it with anyone else.
Who handles it. The stats and crash reports are collected with Google Firebase (Firebase Analytics and Firebase Crashlytics). Google acts as our processor, and the Firebase project is hosted in Google Cloud.
How long we keep it. Usage stats and crash reports are kept for up to 14 months.
How to turn it off. Open Pop Word, go to How it works, and switch off "Share anonymous usage and crash reports". Collection stops straight away, stays off the next time you open the app, and any crash reports that have not been sent yet are deleted from your phone. Turning it off does not change how the game works. Stats and crash reports are never collected in our development builds.
On the web. The web version of Pop Word sends no usage stats or crash reports, and sets no analytics cookies.
Game Center
If you are signed in to Game Center, your score is also posted to the Pop Word daily leaderboard. Game Center is run by Apple under Apple's privacy policy. You can turn it off in Settings > Game Center.
On your phone
Your game in progress and your settings are saved on your phone so you can carry on where you left off. They are deleted when you delete the app.
Playing in your browser
You can also play Pop Word in your browser at popword.brasslanternstudios.com. It works like the app: it gets an anonymous ID from Firebase Authentication in the same way, sends your result when you finish and your vote, and downloads each day's puzzle.
In your browser. Your browser keeps your game in progress, which tips you have seen, recently downloaded puzzles and any result that has not been sent yet in its local storage, and Firebase keeps your anonymous ID in the browser's IndexedDB storage (or local storage if IndexedDB is not available). This is so you can carry on where you left off and keep the same anonymous ID. It all stays in that browser until you clear its data for this site.
A browser check. In place of App Attest, the web version uses Google reCAPTCHA, part of Firebase App Check, to check the browser is genuine so that scores and votes can be accepted. reCAPTCHA runs the whole time the game page is open, not only when a score or vote is sent. It collects information about your browser, your device and how you use the page and sends it to Google, and it may set its own cookies. Your use of reCAPTCHA is subject to Google's privacy policy and terms.
The web version uses no cookies for tracking, and has no ads and no analytics.
Where it is stored
Results and votes are stored in Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore and Cloud Functions) in a Google Cloud data centre in the UK. Google acts as our processor. We do not sell or share data with anyone else, and we do not use it for advertising.
How long we keep it
Results and votes are kept while Pop Word runs so the standings and vote counts stay correct. They are tied only to the anonymous ID, not to you. Usage stats and crash reports are covered above.
Children
Pop Word is a general audience game. It does not knowingly collect personal information from children, and it has no chat, no sharing with strangers and no in-app purchases.
Your rights
Under UK GDPR you can ask what we hold, and ask us to delete it. Because we do not know who you are, email us and we will help you find and remove your records. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
Contact and who is responsible
The data controller is Brass Lantern Studios Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 17208101. If you have a question about this policy, email hello@brasslanternstudios.com. If this policy changes, we will update this page and the date at the top.