Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Thank you for using Word Adventures. This Privacy Policy explains what information the Word Adventures app ("the App", "we", "us", or "our") collects, how it is used, and the rights you have in connection with that information.

Word Adventures is designed for children ages 1–6 who have speech and language delays. Protecting the privacy and safety of the children who use this App is our highest priority. We have designed the App specifically to collect as little information as possible.

2. About the App

Word Adventures is a scene-based language learning app. Children tap on objects in illustrated scenes (such as a farm, kitchen, or park) and hear modeled language phrases. The App is intended to be used by a child together with a parent, caregiver, or speech-language pathologist.

The App is directed to children under 13 and is designed to be used without any account creation, login, or registration.

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Information we do NOT collect

We do not collect:

• Names, email addresses, or any other personal identifiers
• Photos, videos, or audio recordings from your device
• Location data (GPS or approximate location)
• Device contacts, calendar, or other personal data
• Voice recordings or speech input from the child
• Behavioural or interest-based advertising data
• Usage analytics or detailed behavioural tracking
• Device identifiers used for cross-app tracking

3.2 Local device storage (SharedPreferences)

The App stores one item of data locally on your device only: the child's current language stage setting (for example, "single words" or "short phrases"). This setting is saved using Android SharedPreferences or iOS UserDefaults so it persists between app sessions. This data:

• Never leaves your device
• Is not transmitted to us or to any server
• Is not associated with any personal identifier
• Can be cleared by uninstalling the App

3.3 App content loaded from Firebase Firestore

The App loads its content (scene definitions, object labels, and language phrases) from Google Firebase Firestore, a cloud database service provided by Google LLC. This is a read-only operation: we fetch content from the database, but we do not upload or store any user information in Firestore.

When the App fetches content, a network connection is made to Google's servers. As a result, Google may receive your device's IP address as part of the normal operation of network requests. This is an inherent aspect of how internet connections work. We do not control or store this network metadata ourselves.

Google's handling of information through Firebase is governed by the Google Firebase Privacy and Security documentation and Google's own Privacy Policy.

4. Children's Privacy (COPPA)

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires that online services directed to children under 13 obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children. Word Adventures does not collect personal information from children, and therefore verifiable parental consent is not required for the App's core functionality.

Specifically, we confirm that:

• We do not ask children to provide any personal information
• We do not use persistent identifiers to track children across apps or websites
• We do not serve behavioural advertising of any kind
• We do not allow children to make purchases within the App
• We do not share children's information with third parties for commercial purposes
• We do not enable children to make their information publicly available

If you believe that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child, please contact us immediately at wordadventuresapp@gmail.com. We will take prompt steps to delete that information.

5. How We Use Information

Because we collect no personal information, there is very little to describe here. The only processing we perform is:

• Loading app content: Fetching scene data from Firebase Firestore so the App can display scenes and language phrases to the user.
• Storing language stage: Saving the selected language stage setting locally on your device so it is remembered the next time you open the App.

We do not use any information for advertising, profiling, analytics, or any purpose other than making the App work.

6. Third-Party Services

The App uses the following third-party service:

• Google Firebase Firestore — used to store and deliver the App's content (scenes, object labels, and language phrases). Firebase is operated by Google LLC. As described above, content is fetched read-only. We do not store personal data in Firestore. Firebase data processing is governed by Google's Privacy Policy .

The App does not include:

• Advertising SDKs (no ads of any kind)
• Analytics SDKs (no usage tracking)
• Social media integrations
• Third-party payment processors

7. Data Storage and Security

Since we collect no personal data, there is minimal data to protect. The only data associated with the App is the language stage preference stored locally on your device, which is protected by your device's standard operating system security (iOS Keychain / Android app sandboxing).

App content hosted in Firebase Firestore is protected by Google's standard Firebase security rules and infrastructure. We use read-only security rules to prevent any data from being written to Firestore by the App.

While we take reasonable measures to protect information, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. We encourage you to keep your device software up to date.

8. International Users & GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and related laws give individuals in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland enhanced rights over their personal data.

Because Word Adventures does not collect personal data, the GDPR's data subject rights (such as the right to access, rectify, or erase personal data) have limited practical application. However, you may still contact us to:

• Ask questions about what data (if any) relates to you or your child
• Request confirmation that no personal data is held about you or your child
• Raise any concerns about how data is handled

8.1 Legal basis for processing

To the extent any processing of personal data occurs (for example, an IP address being processed by Google's servers when loading content), the legal basis is legitimate interests — specifically, the interest in delivering app content over the internet, which necessarily involves network connections.

8.2 Data transfers

Firebase Firestore is operated by Google LLC and data may be processed in the United States or other countries where Google operates data centres. Google participates in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and uses Standard Contractual Clauses for international data transfers. For more information, see Firebase Privacy documentation .

8.3 GDPR-K (children's data)

The App is designed for children. Under GDPR Article 8 and national implementations (GDPR-K), processing the personal data of children requires specific protections. Word Adventures is built to avoid collecting children's personal data entirely, which is the most protective approach available.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights including the right to:

• Access — request a copy of any personal data we hold about you
• Correction — request that inaccurate data is corrected
• Erasure — request deletion of personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Portability — receive your data in a portable format
• Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Restriction — request that processing is restricted
• Complaint — lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

Because we collect no personal data, many of these rights will confirm that we hold nothing. To exercise any right, contact us at wordadventuresapp@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

You may also clear the locally stored language stage preference at any time by uninstalling the App from your device.

10. Data Retention

We do not retain personal data because we do not collect it. The language stage preference stored locally on your device is retained until you uninstall the App or clear the App's data through your device settings. No data is retained on our servers or in our databases.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as the App evolves. The Effective Date at the top of this page will be updated when changes are made. If we make material changes — especially any changes that involve collecting new categories of personal information — we will provide prominent notice within the App and, where required by law, obtain appropriate consent.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or the privacy practices of Word Adventures, please contact us: