Privacy Policy

Effective 17 June 2026 · Last updated 20 June 2026

Wordugtong is a word game made by Henyo Games in the Philippines. We collect as little as possible: a randomly-generated username and your scores so the leaderboard works. No emails, no real names, no contacts, no location beyond what every web server sees. This page explains the details.

1. Who we are

"Wordugtong" (the "Game") is operated by Henyo Games ("we," "us," "our"). You can reach us at privacy@henyo.games for privacy questions or developer@henyo.games for general support.

2. What we collect

Automatically generated username

When you first open the Game, a random username (e.g. IndigoEagleInKraigLakes62) is generated on your device and sent to our server so your scores can be attributed to a stable identity. You can change this username at any time. We never ask for your real name.

Gameplay data

The Game sends the following to our server so leaderboards and daily challenges work:

Round scores, totals, and the dictionary / dialect you played in.
Daily-board completions.
When you play 2-player, a short-lived multiplayer session ID and basic connection state so the realtime relay can pair you with your opponent.

Technical data (server logs)

Like every web server, ours records the request method, path, response code, timestamp, your IP address, and your User-Agent. These logs are kept briefly for abuse prevention and debugging, then rotated out.

Advertising (Google AdMob)

The Game shows ads through Google AdMob. To serve and measure ads, Google's ad SDK collects your device's advertising identifier (the Google Advertising ID on Android; on iOS the IDFA, only if you allow it at the App Tracking Transparency prompt) together with coarse device and ad-interaction data. You can reset or limit this identifier in your device settings, and on iOS you can decline tracking when asked. Google's use of this data is governed by its own Privacy Policy.

Analytics (Google Analytics for Firebase)

The Game uses Google Analytics for Firebase to understand how the Game is used so we can improve it. It collects app-usage events (such as screens viewed, sessions, and features used), an app-instance identifier, device and OS details, and an approximate, city-level location derived from your IP address. It does not collect your name, email, or precise (GPS) location.

Push notifications (Firebase Cloud Messaging)

If you allow notifications, the Game registers a device push token with Firebase Cloud Messaging so we can alert you about things like your turn in a 2-player match. You can turn notifications off any time in device settings.

What we do not collect

Email address, phone number, or real name.
Contact list, photos, microphone, or precise (GPS) location.
Special-category data (health, financial, or biometric information).

3. How we use the data

Run the leaderboard. Show your scores next to others' scores.
Detect cheating. Flag impossible scores, stuffed usernames, and known bot patterns so the leaderboard stays fair.
Improve the Game. Look at aggregate completion times and difficulty to tune word lists and timers.
Keep the service up. Use server logs to investigate outages and slow requests.
Show ads. Google AdMob uses the advertising identifier to serve and measure ads, which keeps the Game free to play.
Understand usage. Google Analytics for Firebase shows us, in aggregate, which features are used and where players get stuck.

We do not sell or rent your data, and we don't build our own advertising profiles. Any ad personalization is handled by Google AdMob under its own policies and your device's ad settings.

4. Where the data lives

Wordugtong runs on a server we operate. Gameplay data is stored in a PostgreSQL database on that same server. The server is hosted in a commercial data center; backups stay encrypted within the same hosting account.

5. Sharing

We don't sell your data. We rely on a small set of Google services — AdMob (ads), Google Analytics for Firebase (analytics), and Firebase Cloud Messaging (notifications) — which receive the data described in section 2 in order to provide those features; their use of it is governed by Google's Privacy Policy. Apart from these providers, we don't share your data with third parties. If a Filipino court or law-enforcement authority lawfully requires us to disclose data we have (e.g. a server log relating to abuse), we'll comply with the minimum disclosure required by that order.

6. Cookies and local storage

The Wordugtong website uses local storage on your device to remember your username and game preferences. It does not set tracking cookies. The mobile app uses the device's normal app storage for the same purpose.

7. Children

The Game is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. Because it shows ads that rely on an advertising identifier, it is distributed for users aged 18 and over on Google Play. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13; if you believe a child has provided us data, contact privacy@henyo.games and we'll remove it.

8. Your rights

You can ask us to:

Tell you what data we have associated with your username.
Delete your username and the scores attached to it.
Correct anything you believe is wrong.

Email privacy@henyo.games with your username and the request. We aim to respond within 30 days.

9. Security

Traffic between the app and our server is encrypted in transit (HTTPS). The database is reachable only from our server's internal network. We don't store passwords because we don't ask for any.

10. Changes to this policy

If we update this policy, we'll change the "Last updated" date at the top and, for material changes, post a notice in the Game or on this page before the change takes effect.

11. Contact

Privacy: privacy@henyo.games
General support: developer@henyo.games