Privacy Policy

Word Master

This policy applies to users in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom and Switzerland. The rights described below apply as provided by the laws relevant to you.

Effective date: September 17, 2026
Last updated: September 17, 2026

1. Who we are and the scope of this policy

TimeShift Games (“we”, “us” or “our”) operates Word Master. We are responsible for the personal data processing that we determine in providing the game. You can contact us about privacy at chutz@foxmail.com.

This policy explains how personal information is handled when you use Word Master, including gameplay, sign-in, cloud saves, achievements, leaderboards, rewarded advertising, in-app purchases and support.

This policy explains our practices. Reading it or continuing to play does not, by itself, constitute consent to personalised advertising or other processing that requires separate consent.

2. Information processed and why

Game progress and settings

The game stores progress, save slots, player display names, game and word records, statistics, unlocked content, preferences and relevant purchase-entitlement status on your device. It also keeps technical state needed for features such as synchronisation and privacy choices. This enables gameplay, remembers your settings and allows you to resume a game.

If you use cloud saves, the saved-game bundle is sent to Google Play Games. It includes game progress and records contained in your saves, player profiles, settings, a player identifier, app version and synchronisation timestamps. Cloud saving can run automatically after sign-in while you play or when the game is paused. Therefore, data included in a cloud save does not remain only on your device.

Google Play Games sign-in, achievements and leaderboards

When this integration is available, Google Play Games handles authentication. Depending on your Google Play Games settings, sign-in may occur automatically. The game receives your sign-in status, game-specific player ID and display name. We do not ask you to give the game your Google password, phone number or email address for this sign-in.

The game submits achievement progress and numeric leaderboard scores associated with your player identity. The leaderboard submission does not include the text of words you spell. Your gamer profile and scores may be visible to other players according to Google's profile and visibility controls. This is separate from the contents of your cloud saves.

Google Play Games also processes service analytics and diagnostic information for stability and product improvement. Its handling of your Google account and gamer profile is described in the Google Privacy Policy.

Rewarded advertising and privacy choices

We use Google AdMob through the Google Mobile Ads SDK to offer rewarded video ads. You choose whether to watch an available ad to receive the reward described in the game. The game processes the ad result to determine whether to grant that reward.

Google's advertising services may collect and share your IP address and approximate location inferred from it; device, advertising, app-set and applicable account-related identifiers; app and ad interactions such as launches, taps and video views; and performance or diagnostic data. These support ad delivery, measurement, service operation and fraud prevention. Ad selection may be personalised when permitted by your choices and applicable requirements.

Google's User Messaging Platform (UMP) manages the applicable privacy message and choices. We check whether it permits ad requests before initialising the advertising SDK through the consent flow. When permitted, ads may be loaded in advance, before you press a watch-ad button. Choosing not to watch a video is therefore different from managing advertising data permissions.

For users in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, the privacy message explains the applicable advertising purposes and partners, and requests consent where required, including for relevant storage or access on your device and personalised advertising. You can revisit the message using Ad privacy options in the game's Settings when that option is available. You can withdraw consent or change the choices offered there; withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of earlier processing.

Rejecting personalised advertising does not necessarily prevent all advertising-related processing. Non-personalised or limited ads may still involve data processing, subject to applicable rules and your choices. If an ad cannot be provided, an ad-dependent reward may be unavailable. Watching a rewarded ad is not itself consent to personalised advertising.

See How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services for Google's explanation of processing and controls. Any additional advertising partners and their applicable purposes are identified in the advertising privacy message.

In-app purchases and restoring purchases

Google Play Billing processes purchases of upgrades offered in the game. The game checks the product, purchase state, purchase token and acknowledgement status as needed to recognise and acknowledge purchases, grant access and restore eligible purchases. It may check existing purchases when billing connects, as well as when you request a restoration, and stores entitlement status locally.

Google processes payment and transaction information through its payment services. We do not receive your full payment-card details. Cloud-save contents alone are not treated as proof of purchase; restoring an upgrade depends on the purchase records available through Google Play.

Word pronunciation and device services

If you use word pronunciation, the selected text is passed to your device's text-to-speech engine. Depending on the engine and voice installed on your device, speech synthesis may use local or online processing under that provider's terms. This feature does not record your voice or require microphone access.

The game uses network access for online features and vibration for haptic feedback. It does not request camera, microphone or precise-location access for these features. Advertising services may still infer a general location from an IP address. Android backup and device-transfer features may also retain or restore app data according to your device settings.

Support communications

If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever information you choose to include, such as a description of a problem or a screenshot. We use this to respond, investigate the issue and handle privacy requests. Please do not send passwords, full payment details or information that is unnecessary for your request.

3. Legal grounds for processing

Where the EU or UK GDPR applies, we rely on the following grounds, as appropriate to the activity:

You do not have to use optional online features or make a purchase to use the basic game. If information needed for a particular feature is not available, that feature may not work. Google explains the legal grounds for processing it determines independently in its own privacy notices. Swiss users also benefit from applicable Swiss data-protection rights.

4. Who receives information

Information is processed by the relevant Google services for Play Games, advertising, consent management and billing. Advertising partners may receive information as explained in the privacy message. Google and other providers may act as independent controllers for processing they determine themselves; their own notices apply to that processing.

Your chosen text-to-speech provider processes pronunciation requests, and email providers process support correspondence. Other players may see the leaderboard or profile information described above. We may disclose information when legally required or when necessary and lawful to protect rights, prevent fraud or address security incidents. We do not sell your personal information.

5. International processing

Google and other service providers may process information in countries outside your country of residence, including outside the EEA, UK or Switzerland. Those countries may have different data-protection laws. Google's applicable transfer mechanisms are explained in its data transfer frameworks notice.

For transfers for which we are responsible, we must use safeguards or another lawful transfer basis required by applicable law, such as an adequacy decision or appropriate contractual safeguards. Contact us for information about the countries and safeguards relevant to your information and, where applicable, a copy of those safeguards.

6. Retention and security

Local game data is retained until it is replaced, reset or removed from app storage. Cloud saves and Google-held profile, achievement and leaderboard data are retained under the relevant service's settings and retention rules until replaced or deleted as applicable. Clearing local storage does not automatically delete copies held by Google, device backups or data on another device.

Purchase records may be retained by Google for payment administration, fraud prevention and legal obligations. Deleting game progress does not cancel a purchase, issue a refund or necessarily remove Google's transaction records. Google describes its broader retention practices in How Google retains data.

We retain support correspondence only as long as needed to resolve the request and address related follow-up, disputes or applicable legal duties. Records of privacy requests or consent may be kept as needed to demonstrate compliance. Retention depends on the type of request, whether it remains unresolved and any relevant legal requirement; unnecessary information should be deleted.

We use reasonable safeguards appropriate to the information and processing involved. Google Play Games and Google Mobile Ads document encryption of transmitted data. No storage or transmission method is completely secure; protect your device and Google account against unauthorised access.

7. Your choices and rights

Subject to applicable law and its exceptions, you may request access to your personal data, correction, deletion, restriction of processing, or a portable copy of data. You may object to processing based on legitimate interests and withdraw consent where processing relies on consent. We do not use your information to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on you.

Send requests to chutz@foxmail.com. Please identify the game and the type of request. We may ask for proportionate information to verify that the request concerns your data. We will respond without undue delay and, for GDPR requests, normally within one month. If an extension is legally permitted, we will explain the reason and timing. If a request concerns information independently controlled by Google, we will explain the relevant Google route rather than promise deletion of records we cannot control.

You may complain to your local data-protection supervisory authority, including an EEA authority, the UK's Information Commissioner's Office or Switzerland's Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner, as applicable. You do not have to contact us first.

8. Children and young users

Children's personal data requires particular protection. Applicable age and parental-authorisation requirements depend on the user's country and the feature involved. Where consent is the legal basis and parental authorisation is required by law, a child's agreement alone is insufficient. A general acceptance of this policy is not a substitute for any required parental authorisation.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal information through the game without required authorisation, contact us at chutz@foxmail.com so that we can investigate and take appropriate action, including deletion where required. Google's account, purchase and family controls also apply to use of its services.

9. Updates

We may update this policy to reflect changes to the game, service providers or legal requirements. We will update the date above and provide additional notice of material changes where required. If a change requires new consent, we will request it before carrying out that processing.