Last updated: October 15, 2026
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Spotdle ("Spotdle," "we," "us") collects, uses, and shares information when you use spotdle.com (the "Site"). By using the Site, you agree to the practices described here.
We've tried to write this in plain language. If anything is unclear, email us at hello@spotdle.com.
TL;DR#
- You can play Spotdle without an account. No name or email required for the daily puzzle.
- Without an account, your streak, picks, and stats stay in this browser.
- If you sign in, we also save your plays to your account, so your streak and results follow you to any device.
- If you subscribe to Spotdle+, billing is handled by PayPal. We do not store your card details.
- Spotdle shows no ads.
- We measure traffic and page speed with Vercel Web Analytics and Vercel Speed Insights. They load for every visitor and set no cookies, and Vercel describes the data they record as anonymous.
- We don't sell your data. Ever.
- If you're in California, the EU, or the UK, you have specific rights described below.
1. Information we collect#
Information stored in your browser (without an account)#
When you play Spotdle, we use your browser's localStorage to remember:
- Your current streak and longest streak
- Which editions you've completed and your scores
- Your picks for the current day's puzzle (so you can leave and come back)
- Display preferences (if any)
Without an account, this stays in this browser. When you submit your picks, they travel to our server so it can work out your score. The server sends the score back. Your picks and your score are not saved on our side. We cannot read your localStorage remotely. If you clear your browser data, this information is permanently lost.
If you sign in, the next section applies as well.
Information saved to your account (signed-in players)#
Signed in, your plays are saved to your account, so your progress follows you to any device. For each puzzle you finish, we save:
- The edition you played
- Your score
- Your picks
- The time the play was saved
- Your local day, meaning the calendar date on your device when you played
Your streak, longest streak, and last played day are worked out from those plays. Accounts that signed in before this change also hold an earlier saved copy of their streak, longest streak, last played day, play list, and picks.
When you sign in, plays already in this browser are added to your account, and your account's plays are copied back to the browser. The same happens on later page loads while you are signed in. When you sign out, your progress is cleared from that browser, and your account keeps it. A play your account could not save yet (for example, because the device clock was running fast) is set aside in that browser's storage so it is not lost. The site does not show it to anyone who uses that browser after you, and it is sent only to your account, the next time you sign in there.
We also keep the account itself:
- Your name and email address
- Your Google profile image, if you sign in with Google
- For each sign-in session, the IP address and the browser details (user agent) it reported, plus a session token and its expiry
- If you use Google, the Google sign-in identifiers and the access, refresh, and ID tokens Google issues for your sign-in
We save this to provide the service you asked for when you made an account: progress that follows you from device to device.
We keep it while your account exists, and it is deleted when your account is deleted. To have your account deleted, email hello@spotdle.com. There is no delete control in the Site yet, so email is the only route.
Information collected automatically#
When you visit the Site, our hosting provider and analytics tools may automatically receive:
- Your IP address
- Browser type and version
- Operating system
- Referring URL (the link that brought you here)
- Pages viewed
- Approximate location derived from your IP address (country, region, and city in Vercel Web Analytics; country only in Vercel Speed Insights)
- Device type
- Page-load performance measurements and network speed (Vercel Speed Insights)
This information is used to understand site performance and improve the product. It is not linked to your identity.
Analytics#
We use Vercel Web Analytics to count page views and Vercel Speed Insights to measure how fast pages load. Both run for every visitor, in every region, and no consent message switches them on or off. Both are cookieless: they set no cookies on spotdle.com.
Our legal basis is legitimate interest: we want to know how the Site is used and to find and fix slow or broken pages. If you would rather not be counted, you can object by emailing hello@spotdle.com.
Vercel identifies Web Analytics visitors with a hash created from the incoming request and says a visitor session is discarded after 24 hours. Page-view records are kept for the reporting window of our Vercel plan, and Vercel says it may store data for longer (Web Analytics limits and pricing). Vercel's Speed Insights page gives no retention period. Vercel also states that Web Analytics collects no personal identifiers that track you across other websites or apps, and that Speed Insights data cannot be used to reconstruct a browsing session or identify a user. Details: Vercel Web Analytics privacy policy and Vercel Speed Insights privacy policy.
Information you voluntarily provide#
If you contact us by email, we receive your email address and the contents of your message. We use this only to respond to you.
If you subscribe to Spotdle+, we collect billing information through PayPal, our payment processor. PayPal handles your payment details (card or bank information) directly and according to its own privacy policy; we do not store full card details on our servers. We receive from PayPal only the information needed to manage your subscription: your PayPal payer ID, subscription status, and transaction references. We use this information solely to provide and administer your Spotdle+ subscription, process refunds, and prevent refund abuse.
2. How we use information#
We use the information described above to:
- Operate, maintain, and improve the Site
- Understand how the Site is used and identify problems
- Respond to your inquiries
- Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents
- Comply with legal obligations
3. Cookies and similar technologies#
Cookies are small text files that websites store on your device. They let sites remember things (like your settings, your streak, or what you've already seen).
This Site also uses similar technologies that work like cookies, including localStorage (which stores data in your browser), sessionStorage, web beacons, and pixels. We use the word "cookies" loosely throughout this section to refer to all of them.
Spotdle shows no ads, so it sets no advertising cookies and shows no consent message. If we add ads, we will update this policy before they appear: visitors in regions that require it (the EU, the UK and similar jurisdictions) will then see a consent message and can accept or reject advertising cookies, which are set only after consent.
Essential cookies and storage#
These store the basic state needed for Spotdle to function. Without them, the game can't work properly.
| Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| localStorage | This browser's copy of your streak, picks, scores, and stats. When you are signed in, your plays are also saved to your account. | Until you clear browser data |
| sessionStorage | Current session state | Until you close the tab |
Cookie __Secure-better-auth.session_token | Keeps you signed in. Set only when you sign in. | 7 days |
Cookie __Secure-better-auth.state | Holds a one-time check while you sign in with Google. Set only during Google sign-in. | 5 minutes |
These do not require your consent because they are strictly necessary for the service.
Analytics tools#
We use two Vercel tools to see how the Site is used and how quickly its pages load, so we can find problems, fix bugs, and improve the experience. Both load for every visitor, in every region. No consent message switches them on or off. Neither sets cookies on spotdle.com.
| Provider | What it records | More info |
|---|---|---|
| Vercel Web Analytics | Page views: when a page was viewed, the page address, the page that referred you, your browser, operating system and device type, and an approximate location (country, region, and city). Vercel identifies visitors with a hash created from the incoming request instead of a cookie, and says a visitor session is discarded after 24 hours. | Vercel Web Analytics privacy policy |
| Vercel Speed Insights | Page-load performance (Core Web Vitals) with the page address, network speed, browser, operating system, device type, and country. | Vercel Speed Insights privacy policy |
Payment cookies (Spotdle+ subscribers)#
When you initiate a Spotdle+ subscription, PayPal's hosted checkout and billing flow sets cookies on your device. These cookies are set and managed by PayPal (not by Spotdle). They are used for:
- Fraud prevention and security checks during checkout
- Session management within the PayPal hosted flow
- Remembering your PayPal login state
| Provider | Purpose | More info |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal | Subscription checkout and billing session | PayPal's cookie policy |
These cookies appear only when you visit the Spotdle+ checkout or your PayPal-managed billing page. If you have not subscribed to Spotdle+ and do not initiate a subscription, PayPal cookies are not set by Spotdle.
Your choices#
You can change your mind at any time. Delete cookies in your browser (see the list below) or email hello@spotdle.com.
You can control cookies directly in your browser:
- Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data
- Safari: Preferences > Privacy
- Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security
- Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions
You can block all cookies, block only third-party cookies, or delete existing cookies. Blocking essential cookies will break parts of the Site.
Do Not Track#
Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" (DNT) signal. The web standard for honoring DNT is unsettled, and most major sites do not respond to DNT signals. We do not currently respond to DNT signals but will revisit if a clear standard emerges.
4. How we share information#
We do not sell or rent your information. We share information only in these limited cases:
- Service providers: companies that help us operate the Site (hosting, analytics). These providers receive only the information necessary to perform their functions.
- Legal requirements: if required by law, court order, or to protect our rights, safety, or property, or that of others.
- Business transfers: if Spotdle is acquired or merged, your information may be transferred to the new entity. You will be notified of any change in ownership or material change in privacy practices.
5. Your rights#
If you are in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland (GDPR)#
You have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate data
- Delete your data ("right to be forgotten")
- Restrict or object to certain processing
- Data portability (receive your data in a machine-readable format)
- Withdraw consent for processing based on consent
- Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority
To exercise any of these rights, email hello@spotdle.com. We respond within 30 days.
If you are a California resident (CCPA / CPRA)#
You have the right to:
- Know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose
- Request deletion of your personal information
- Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information (we do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising in the CCPA's sense, but you may still exercise this right)
- Correct inaccurate personal information
- Limit the use of sensitive personal information
- Be free from retaliation for exercising your rights
To exercise these rights, email hello@spotdle.com.
If you are in another jurisdiction#
Even if your local laws do not specifically grant the rights above, we will make reasonable efforts to honor requests to access or delete your information. Email hello@spotdle.com.
6. Children's privacy#
Spotdle is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at hello@spotdle.com and we will delete it.
For users in the EU/UK, the minimum age may be 16 depending on your country.
7. Data retention#
- Without an account, information in your browser's localStorage remains until you clear it. If you are signed in, signing out clears this browser's copy, and your account keeps its own. A play your account could not save yet stays in this browser's storage, out of view, until you sign in there again (it is then sent to your account) or clear your browser data.
- Account data (your saved plays, account details, and sign-in sessions) is kept while your account exists and is deleted with it. To have your account deleted, email hello@spotdle.com.
- Server logs (IP addresses, request data) are retained for up to 90 days.
- Email correspondence is retained for up to 24 months unless you ask us to delete it sooner.
8. Security#
We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect information collected through the Site, including HTTPS encryption for all traffic. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
If we become aware of a security breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and any required authorities in accordance with applicable law.
9. International data transfers#
Spotdle is operated from Canada and uses service providers located in Canada, the United States, and other countries. By using the Site, you understand that your information may be transferred to and processed in countries with different data protection laws than your own. Where required, we use appropriate safeguards (such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses) for international transfers.
10. Changes to this policy#
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top. If we make material changes, we will provide a more prominent notice (such as a banner on the Site).
11. Contact#
For privacy questions or to exercise your rights, contact:
Email: hello@spotdle.com
Spotdle is operated from Ontario, Canada. Email is our contact channel; we respond to privacy requests within 30 days.