Our Privacy policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Nerd Games ("Nerd Games", "we", "our", or "us"). Nerd Games is the game development wing of Nerd Lab Technologies Ltd, a company registered in Nigeria, which is the data controller for the information described in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect information when you access or use any mobile application, game, website, online service, or other product operated by Nerd Games (collectively, the "Services").

This Privacy Policy applies to all current and future games published by Nerd Games, including Play+Learn and Word Battle, whether played in our mobile applications or on our websites.

By downloading, accessing, or using any of our Services, you agree to the collection and use of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on the Services you use.

A. Account Information

When you create an account or sign in using a supported authentication provider (such as Google or Apple), we may collect:

• Display name
• Email address
• Profile picture
• Unique account identifier

If you sign in with Apple and choose to hide your email address, we receive a private relay address provided by Apple.

B. Guest Play

Our games can be played as a guest without signing in. Guest progress is linked to an identifier created for your device or browser.

When you later sign in, your guest progress is moved into your account. If you sign in to an account that already exists and has been used in a different Nerd Games game, the guest's progress for this game may be merged into that account. A guest's progress is not merged into an account that has already played the same game.

C. Gameplay Information

Depending on the game, we may collect gameplay information including:

• Selected game modes
• Categories or levels played
• Answers, words, or responses submitted
• Scores and achievements
• Match history
• Daily challenge results and streaks
• Leaderboard rankings
• Koin balances and Koin spending
• Virtual item and power-up usage
• Session duration
• Progress within a game
• Statistics related to gameplay

Different games may collect different gameplay information based on their features.

D. Friends and Social Information

Some Services let you add friends and play with them. When you use these features, we collect:

• Your friend code and any invite links you share
• Your friends list and pending friend requests
• Players you have blocked
• Game invitations you send or receive
• Whether you are currently online
• Your friend privacy settings

E. Purchase Information

If you purchase Koins, subscriptions, or other digital content, purchases are processed by the applicable app store (the Apple App Store or Google Play) or, on our websites, by our payment provider Flutterwave.

We do not receive or store your complete payment card information.

We may receive information necessary to:

• Confirm purchases
• Deliver purchased content
• Prevent fraud
• Process refunds where applicable

F. Device Information

We may automatically collect:

• Device model
• Device manufacturer
• Operating system
• Operating system version
• App version
• Browser type and version
• Language settings
• Time zone
• IP address
• Device identifiers
• Push notification tokens
• Crash logs
• Diagnostic information

G. Advertising Information

Some Services display advertisements, including rewarded advertisements.

Advertising partners may collect information necessary to:

• Deliver advertisements
• Measure advertising performance
• Prevent advertising fraud
• Confirm rewarded advertisement completion

Advertising providers maintain their own privacy policies governing their data practices.

H. Analytics Information

We may collect information regarding how users interact with our Services, including:

• Features used
• Pages and screens viewed
• Session frequency
• Performance metrics
• Error reports
• Gameplay trends
• Aggregate usage statistics

This information helps us improve our Services.

I. Information You Send Us

When you send feedback, report a problem, or contact our support team, we collect the information you provide, such as your message, your email address, and any details about your account or device that you include.

3. How We Use Information

We use collected information to:

• Provide and maintain our Services
• Authenticate users
• Create and manage user accounts
• Save gameplay progress and keep it in step across your devices
• Match players in multiplayer games
• Connect you with friends and deliver game invitations
• Maintain rankings and leaderboards
• Deliver Koins, virtual items, and rewards
• Process purchases
• Send notifications you have chosen to receive
• Detect cheating and abuse
• Improve gameplay experiences
• Develop new games and features
• Respond to customer support requests
• Analyze Service performance
• Protect users and Services
• Comply with legal obligations

We do not use your information to make decisions about you that have legal or similarly significant effects.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Where required by applicable law, including the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation, we process personal information based on one or more of the following legal grounds:

• Your consent
• Performance of a contract
• Compliance with legal obligations
• Legitimate business interests, including improving and securing our Services

Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing of Information

We do not sell your personal information.

We may share information with the following categories of recipients.

Service Providers

We work with trusted third parties that help operate our Services, including:

• Cloud hosting providers
• Authentication providers (Google and Apple)
• Analytics and crash reporting providers (Google Analytics and Firebase)
• Notification providers (Firebase Cloud Messaging)
• Advertising partners (Google AdMob and Google AdSense)
• Payment processors (Flutterwave, the Apple App Store, and Google Play)
• Email delivery and customer support providers

These providers may process information solely for purposes related to providing our Services.

Other Players

Certain information may be visible to other players depending on the game, including:

• Display name
• Profile picture
• Friend code
• Rankings
• Scores
• Achievements
• Gameplay statistics
• Whether you are online, if you allow it

Only information necessary for gameplay or community features will be shared with other players.

Within Nerd Lab Technologies Ltd

Your Nerd Games account works across all of our games, so information may be shared between our games to keep your account, Koins, and friends in one place.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose information where required to:

• Comply with applicable laws
• Respond to lawful governmental requests
• Enforce our agreements
• Protect our rights
• Prevent fraud or abuse
• Protect users or the public

Business Transfers

If Nerd Lab Technologies Ltd is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Privacy Policy.

6. Friends and Privacy Controls

Where a game supports friends, you can choose in the game's settings:

• Whether your friends can see when you are online
• Whether friends can send you game invitations

You can remove a friend or block a player at any time. Blocked players cannot send you friend requests or invitations.

Anyone you share your friend code or invite link with can use it to send you a friend request.

7. Notifications

With your permission, our mobile applications send push notifications. To do this we store a notification token for your device.

Notifications may include:

• Messages and rewards in your inbox
• Reminders to play the daily challenge
• Warnings before a streak ends
• Friend requests and game invitations
• Announcements about our Services

You can turn each kind of notification off in the game's notification settings, or turn off notifications for the app in your device settings.

8. Koins and Purchases

Our games use a shared virtual currency called Koins, and may include virtual items, subscriptions, or other digital purchases.

We use account and purchase information to:

• Verify purchases
• Deliver purchased content
• Maintain balances
• Prevent fraud
• Resolve purchase issues

Specific rules governing Koins and virtual items are described within the applicable game's rules and our Terms of Service.

9. Advertising

Some Services display advertisements, including rewarded advertisements.

Viewing rewarded advertisements may allow users to earn virtual rewards within certain games.

Reward eligibility is subject to successful confirmation by our advertising partners.

Advertising partners may use device identifiers or cookies to show personalized advertisements. Where required by law, we ask for your consent first. You can limit personalized advertising in your device settings, or for Google ads at adssettings.google.com.

Advertising providers may process information in accordance with their own privacy policies.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our websites use cookies, local storage, or similar technologies to:

• Keep you signed in
• Remember preferences such as your light or dark theme
• Improve performance
• Measure website usage through Google Analytics
• Show advertisements through Google AdSense
• Enhance security

Cookies needed to sign you in are required for the website to work. You may block or delete other cookies through your browser settings.

11. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• Provide Services
• Maintain accounts
• Preserve gameplay records
• Resolve disputes
• Detect fraud
• Enforce agreements
• Comply with legal obligations

Retention periods vary depending on the type of information collected and applicable legal requirements. Purchase records may be kept for as long as tax and accounting laws require.

12. Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Children's Privacy

Our Services are not intended for children under the minimum age required by applicable law.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without appropriate legal consent.

If we become aware that personal information has been collected in violation of applicable law, we will take reasonable steps to delete such information. Parents or guardians who believe their child has given us information can contact us using the details below.

14. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own.

Where required by law, we implement appropriate safeguards for international data transfers.

By using our Services, you acknowledge that such transfers may occur.

15. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, applicable law may provide rights including:

• Access your personal information
• Correct inaccurate information
• Delete personal information
• Restrict processing
• Object to certain processing
• Withdraw consent where applicable
• Request data portability

To exercise these rights, contact us using the information provided below.

You also have the right to complain to a data protection authority, such as the Nigeria Data Protection Commission or the authority in your country.

16. Account Deletion

You can delete your Nerd Games account in either of these ways:

• In the app, by going to Profile → Settings → Delete Account
• On our website, using the deletion page for Play+Learn or Word Battle

You may be asked to confirm a code sent to your email address before deletion is completed.

Your account is kept for 30 days after you request deletion, and is then permanently deleted. Signing back in during those 30 days cancels the deletion and keeps your account.

Because one account is used across all Nerd Games games, deleting it removes your account from every game.

Effect of Deletion

Deleting an account results in the permanent deletion or anonymization of:

• Profile information
• Email address
• Gameplay history
• Rankings
• Leaderboard entries
• Achievements
• Friends and friend requests
• Koins
• Virtual items
• Saved progress

Deleted accounts cannot be restored.

We may retain limited information where required to:

• Comply with legal obligations
• Prevent fraud
• Resolve disputes
• Maintain security records
• Enforce our agreements

17. Third-Party Services

Our Services may integrate with third-party platforms and providers, including:

• Authentication providers
• Mobile application stores
• Payment providers
• Advertising networks
• Analytics providers
• Cloud infrastructure providers

These third parties maintain their own privacy policies governing their services.

18. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our Services, legal requirements, or business practices.

When significant changes are made, we will revise the "Last Revised" date and, where appropriate, provide additional notice within our Services.

Continued use of our Services after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

19. Contact us

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us.

Nerd Games, a division of Nerd Lab Technologies Ltd

• Email: support@nerdgames.xyz