Privacy policy

Updated October 12, 2026

Pairwords is an independent word game operated by boothcheck LLC. This policy covers the Pairwords website and Android app.

Information we use

You can play as a guest without providing an email address. Guest progress is associated with an anonymous player ID and this browser’s session. Google sign-in optionally provides a verified email address, name and profile image. On Android, Google Play Games can authenticate your gamer profile automatically if you have enabled that behavior with Google. We verify and store its player ID and display name to restore your account and connect your gaming identity; you can also continue as a guest. Connecting Google to your account lets you restore it on the web. We store a player ID, profile, preferences, game boards, moves, ratings, friends, chat, reports, and login sessions. If you choose a photo, we resize it and re-encode it without its original metadata. We store device push subscriptions only when you enable notifications. Hosting services process IP addresses and technical request information to operate and protect the service.

Visibility and purpose

Players can search for profiles by name, player ID or exact email. Your email is not displayed to other players. Your display name, photo, rating and aggregate statistics are visible to other players; game boards and chat are restricted to the participants. Share images only when you want the included names, scores and board to be public. Reports and related evidence are accessible to administrators for safety review.

We save your rack before each turn so you can privately review your own decisions after a game. Review calculations run on our server without sending racks or boards to an external AI provider. Your private turn snapshots and analysis are removed when you delete your account; opponents may retain anonymized public moves and final results. Session storage remembers review progress and unsent practice attempts on this device.

Support purchases

Stripe processes web payments and Google Play processes Android purchases. They handle payment details; Pairwords does not store full card numbers. We retain transaction identifiers, product tier, purchase time, account association, purchase verification tokens and refund status to deliver and restore benefits and prevent duplicate grants or fraud. The optional coffee emblem is visible to other players only when enabled. Account deletion removes the profile association; limited transaction and verification records may be retained as needed for refunds, fraud prevention and accounting obligations. Payment providers retain their records under their own policies.

Service providers

Fly.io hosts the service and encrypted storage and backups. Google authenticates connected Google and Play Games accounts. The Android Play Games SDK also collects analytics and diagnostics to improve its stability and services. You can manage or delete Google’s Play Games data through your Play Games profile or Google account settings. When you enable email reminders, Resend processes your email and reminder content. Browser/OS push services deliver notifications you request; notifications may appear on your lock screen. When you tap a played word for its definition, our server sends that word and its language to Wikimedia; it does not send your account, rack, board or chat. Opening the source link connects your browser to Wiktionary. Data may be processed in the United States and other locations used by these providers.

Your choices

We do not sell your data, show advertising, or use advertising trackers. Essential session cookies keep you signed in. Local storage holds appearance preferences and unfinished tile placements. Notifications and email reminders are optional. You can edit your profile, remove your photo, mute/block players and delete your account in Settings. Contact support for access or correction requests.

Retention and deletion

We keep account and game information while your account is active. Sessions renew during regular use and can expire after about 90 days without use. Reports are kept for up to 180 days for review. Deleting your account removes your profile, photo, messages, friends, reports involving you, subscriptions and sessions. Active games end as resignations; opponents keep boards and move history with your identity replaced by “Deleted player.” Backups expire within 30 days. Restores must reapply deletions before the service resumes.

Age and contact

Pairwords is not intended for children under 13. Do not create an account if you are under 13. Contact support@boothcheck.com with privacy questions or deletion requests.