Privacy Policy
Last updated: July 2, 2026 · Effective: June 23, 2026
Contents
1. Summary
FOREWORD is a daily word puzzle game. We do not run a backend that stores your data. Game scores, streaks, and play history live entirely on your device or in your own private iCloud account.
FOREWORD does integrate Google AdMob to show ads to non-paying users. AdMob collects a small amount of advertising-related data described below. If you subscribe to FOREWORD+, the AdMob SDK is never even initialized on your device — no ad-related data collection happens at all.
2. What we collect
We (or our advertising partner, Google AdMob) collect the following categories of data from free-tier users:
| Category | What it is | Linked to you? | Used for tracking? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Device ID | The IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) on your iPhone or iPad — only if you grant App Tracking Transparency permission | Yes | Yes |
| Product Interaction | Ad impressions, taps, fill rate. Used by AdMob for ad-performance analytics | No | No |
| Coarse Location | Your country/region, derived from your IP address by AdMob to serve legally-permissible ad inventory | No | No |
3. What we do not collect
- Your name, email address, or any contact information
- Your photos, contacts, calendar, microphone, or camera
- Precise location (GPS)
- Health, fitness, financial, or sensitive personal information
- User-generated content — there is none in FOREWORD
- Search or browsing history
- Game scores, streaks, or play history (these live on your device only)
4. Purposes and legal bases (GDPR)
Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases under Article 6(1) for each processing activity:
| Activity | Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Personalized ads (Google AdMob) | Serving ads tied to your Device ID (IDFA) to fund the free version | Consent — Art. 6(1)(a). We ask via Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt, and you can withdraw at any time in iOS Settings. |
| Non-personalized (contextual) ads | Showing ads that are not linked to your identity when you decline tracking | Consent — Art. 6(1)(a), and our legitimate interest in funding the free app — Art. 6(1)(f). |
| FOREWORD+ subscription | Providing and renewing your auto-renewable subscription via Apple StoreKit | Contract — Art. 6(1)(b). Processing necessary to deliver the subscription you purchased. |
| Game Center leaderboard / achievements | Submitting your daily score and achievements when you opt in | Contract / your request — Art. 6(1)(b). Handled by your Apple account. |
| iCloud "Heartbeat" (CloudKit) | Obtaining a server-trusted UTC time so the daily puzzle can't be advanced by changing your clock | Contract — Art. 6(1)(b). Stored in your own private iCloud account under your Apple ID. |
| Website analytics (Google Analytics 4) | Understanding aggregate traffic to forewordgame.com | Consent — Art. 6(1)(a), where required. |
Providing personal data is entirely optional. There is no statutory or contractual obligation to provide it; the only consequence of declining is that you will not receive the associated optional feature (for example, personalized ads or Game Center rankings).
5. Third-party services
Google AdMob (Google Mobile Ads SDK)
FOREWORD shows interstitial ads to free-tier users after puzzle completion, and an optional rewarded ad in exchange for one extra hint when the player has used all three free hints. AdMob handles all ad serving and the data collection described in section 2. See Google's privacy policy for full details on Google's data practices.
Apple Game Center
If you opt into Game Center, your daily score is submitted to Apple's Game Center service so it can appear on the FOREWORD leaderboard and be compared with your friends. Apple operates and stores this data under its own privacy terms. We do not see or store Game Center data on our servers — we have no servers.
Apple iCloud (CloudKit)
FOREWORD stores a single small record in your private iCloud database called a "Heartbeat." It contains a single timestamp and is used solely to obtain a server-trusted UTC time, so the daily puzzle index can't be advanced by changing your device clock. We cannot read this record — it lives in your iCloud account, not ours.
Apple StoreKit
FOREWORD+ auto-renewable subscriptions are processed by Apple via StoreKit. We never see your payment information. Apple's privacy terms govern subscription transactions.
6. Tracking and App Tracking Transparency (ATT)
iOS requires apps to ask for explicit permission before tracking you across other apps and websites. FOREWORD presents the standard ATT prompt before the first ad request — never at cold launch. Your choice is fully respected:
- If you allow tracking: AdMob may use your Device ID (IDFA) to personalize the ads you see. This is what makes the ads relevant to you.
- If you ask the app not to track you: AdMob serves contextual (non-personalized) ads instead. You will still see ads (this is what funds the free version), but they won't be tied to your identity.
- You can change your mind any time in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking → Allow Apps to Request to Track.
7. FOREWORD+: zero data collection
If you subscribe to FOREWORD+, the Google Mobile Ads SDK is
never initialized on your device. We never request the ATT
prompt. No ad-related data is collected from your device by
anyone. This is enforced in code (see
StoreKitService.shared.isPro short-circuit in
AdManager.bootstrapIfNeeded) and verified by an
automated regression test
(IAPSecurityTests.testProDisablesAdSDKLoad).
8. This website
The FOREWORD website at forewordgame.com uses Google Analytics 4 (measurement ID G-586H9GQ58Q) to understand aggregate visitor traffic. Google Analytics sets cookies and processes limited data such as a randomized client identifier, pages viewed, approximate location derived from IP address, and device/browser type. We use this only in aggregate and do not use it to identify individual visitors. Where consent is required, we rely on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a)). See Google's privacy policy. The website does not run its own backend account system and does not collect your name, email, or contact details.
9. International data transfers
The processors we use — Apple, Google (AdMob and Analytics) — are based in the United States and may process personal data in the US and in other countries. Where personal data of EU/EEA or UK users is transferred outside the EEA/UK, these providers rely on their own safeguards, including the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and/or the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (and the UK International Data Transfer Addendum), as described in their respective privacy policies.
10. Data retention
We do not operate our own servers and retain no personal data ourselves. Retention is determined by the processors and by you:
- Advertising data (AdMob): retained by Google per its own policies and retention schedules.
- Website analytics (Google Analytics 4): retained per the data-retention period configured on our Analytics property and Google's own limits.
- On-device and iCloud data (scores, streaks, the Heartbeat record): persists until you delete the app or remove it from your iCloud account.
- Game Center and subscription data: held within your Apple account under Apple's retention terms.
11. Your GDPR / UK GDPR rights
If you are in the EU/EEA or the UK, you have the following rights over your personal data:
- Access — obtain confirmation of, and a copy of, the personal data we process about you.
- Rectification — have inaccurate data corrected.
- Erasure — request deletion of your personal data.
- Restriction — ask us to restrict processing in certain circumstances.
- Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interests.
- Portability — receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
- Withdraw consent — where we rely on consent (ads/tracking, website analytics), withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing carried out before withdrawal. For ads, use the ATT control in iOS Settings; for the website, decline or clear analytics cookies.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@forewordgame.com. Because we hold no account records that identify you, most requests are satisfied by the on-device / iOS controls described in "Your choices" below; we will assist with anything held by our processors.
Right to lodge a complaint. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. In the EU/EEA, you can contact your local data protection authority (see the list of members at edpb.europa.eu). In the UK, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
No automated decision-making. We do not carry out automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR.
Source of data. We obtain personal data only directly from you (and from your interaction with the app and its ad partner). We do not acquire personal data about you from third-party sources.
12. Children
FOREWORD is rated 4+ and contains no content unsuitable for children, but it is not designed or marketed specifically for children under 13. The app does not knowingly collect personal information from children. We do not partner with any analytics or advertising networks that target children.
13. Your choices
- Don't allow ad tracking: Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking → toggle FOREWORD off.
- Subscribe to FOREWORD+: removes ads entirely, and the AdMob SDK is never initialized.
- Reset the IDFA: Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking → "Allow Apps to Request to Track" off clears the existing IDFA across all apps.
- Disable Game Center: Settings → Game Center → toggle off. Your scores stay on your device only.
- Delete the app: deleting FOREWORD removes all locally-stored data. The Heartbeat record in iCloud can be removed via Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage → FOREWORD.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the app evolves (for example, to disclose new third-party SDKs). When we do, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Material changes will also be announced in the app's "What's New" notes when you update to the relevant version.
15. Contact
FOREWORD is published by Embay, LLC, a limited liability company registered in Florida, USA. For the purposes of the EU GDPR and the UK GDPR, Embay, LLC is the data controller responsible for the personal data described in this policy. We have not appointed a Data Protection Officer, and given the scale and nature of our processing we are not required to.
For any privacy question, to exercise your data-protection rights, or to request data deletion, contact the data controller directly:
Embay, LLC
7901 4th St N, Ste 300
St. Petersburg, FL 33702
United States
Email: support@forewordgame.com
You can also reach us via the App Store as an additional channel: leave a review on the FOREWORD app page, or use the "Report a Problem" link in your purchase history.