🔥 Stoke

Privacy Policy

Effective August 25, 2026

Stoke is a word game. This policy explains what information the app collects, why, and the choices you have. We keep it short because we collect very little.

Who we are

Stoke ("we," "us") is an independent game. You can reach us anytime at cpartenio@gmail.com.

Information we collect

Account information. Stoke lets you sign in with Google or Apple. When you do, we receive your email address and a unique account identifier from that provider. We never see or store your password. You can play as a guest without an account, in which case no account information is collected.
Gameplay data. If you sign in, we store your game progress — scores, words played, streaks, personal bests, and achievements — linked to your account so it syncs across devices.
Club information. If you create or join a Club, you choose a username (not your email) that is visible to other members, and your scores appear on that club's leaderboard.
Daily Challenge score distribution. So the game can tell you how your Daily score compares to other players (for example “#1 in the world today”), signed-in players' Daily scores are recorded once per day in a shared pool. Each entry contains only a score and your account identifier — no name, email, username, or timestamp — and the game reads it back only as anonymous totals, never as a list of players. This pool is separate from the global leaderboards below and is never used to build them. Guests are not included in the pool, though they can still see how they compare. Deleting your account removes your entries from the pool along with everything else.
Global leaderboards. The game has public leaderboards showing the top 100 scores for each mode and time period. Anyone can look at one, including people who are not signed in. The entry shown publicly is your display name and your score — never your email or your real name.
- If you create an account from 25 August 2026 onward, signing in includes taking part in the leaderboards. We tell you this on the sign-in screen before you sign in. Nothing is published until you choose a display name.
- If your account is older than that, you are not on the leaderboards and nothing of yours is published unless you tap “Join the leaderboards”. We ask you once, in the app; if you decline, we do not ask again.
You can leave at any time from Leaderboards & Clubs. Leaving deletes your entries rather than hiding them, and deleting your account does the same. Guests are never on the leaderboards — taking part requires an account.
Display names are visible to other people. Because a leaderboard shows the names players choose, you can report a name you think breaks the rules using the “Report name” control next to it, or by emailing us at the address above. We remove names that are offensive, impersonate someone, or are otherwise objectionable.
Device settings. Your sound, volume, and animation preferences are stored on your device. Some settings may sync to your account if you are signed in.
Usage analytics. We use Google Analytics for Firebase to understand how the game is played (for example, which modes are popular and where players get stuck). This involves a device identifier and in-game events; it does not include your name or contacts.
Advertising data (iOS app). The iOS app shows ads (see Advertising below). Our ad partner may collect device identifiers, general location inferred from IP address, and ad interaction data. No ads are shown in the web version, or after purchasing Remove Ads.

We do not collect your name, contacts, precise location, or photos.

How we use your information

To provide the game: save your progress, sync it across devices, and keep your streak going.
To run Clubs, which you choose to join, and the global leaderboards.
To respond to you if you contact us for support.
To improve the game using aggregated usage analytics.
To show and measure advertising in the iOS app (unless you purchase Remove Ads).

We do not sell your personal information. Data shared with our advertising partner is limited to what is described in the Advertising section below.

Service providers

We use Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Firestore, and Hosting) to run the app's accounts and store gameplay data on our behalf, and Google Analytics for Firebase for usage analytics. Sign-in is handled by Google and Apple as identity providers. Advertising in the iOS app is provided by Google AdMob. In-app purchases are processed by Apple; we never see your payment details. These providers process data under their own privacy policies and only as needed to operate Stoke.

Advertising

The Stoke iOS app displays advertising provided by third-party ad networks, including Google AdMob. To show and measure ads, these partners may collect device identifiers (such as your device's advertising identifier), general location inferred from IP address, and information about how you interact with ads. On Apple devices we ask your permission through the App Tracking Transparency prompt before using your advertising identifier; if you decline, you will still see ads, but they will be non-personalized. You can review or change this anytime in your device's Settings under Privacy & Tracking. Where required by law, we also ask for your consent before serving personalized ads. For details on how our ad partner uses data, see Google's Privacy Policy.

You can permanently remove all advertising with the one-time Remove Ads purchase in the app's Settings. The web version of Stoke shows no ads.

Your choices and rights

Delete your account and data, in-app. Open Settings → Delete account. This permanently removes your account, gameplay history, club memberships, and username from our systems.

Advertising choices. Decline the App Tracking Transparency prompt (or change it later in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking) to keep ads non-personalized, or remove ads entirely with the one-time Remove Ads purchase in Settings.

You may also request access to, or deletion of, your data by emailing cpartenio@gmail.com. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under laws such as the GDPR or CCPA, including the right to access, correct, or delete your information; we honor these requests for all users.

Data retention

We keep your account and gameplay data for as long as your account exists. When you delete your account, the associated data is removed. Guest data lives only on your device until you clear it.

Children

Stoke is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

Security

Data is transmitted over encrypted HTTPS connections and stored using Google Firebase's secured infrastructure. Access to your gameplay data is restricted to your own account.

International users

Stoke is operated from the United States, and your information is processed there. By using the app you consent to this transfer and processing.

Changes to this policy

If we make material changes, we will update the date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email cpartenio@gmail.com.