Esspresso

Privacy policy

Effective October 28, 2026

The short version

• Esspresso has no ads, and we don’t sell your information.
• You can play without an account. Your progress then stays in your browser. If you sign in, it’s also saved to your account, the words you’ve found included, so you can play on any device.
• We record a few moments of play, like starting a puzzle or reaching Superstar, to learn whether people enjoy the game. These records never include the words you type or find, or your email address.
• If you sign in with Google, we use only your email address, to run your account.

What we collect, and why

Playing

Your progress and settings are saved in your browser, on your device. If you don’t sign in, they never reach us.

Usage data

To learn whether people enjoy Esspresso and come back to it, the game records these moments:

• opening the game;
• starting a puzzle, and finding a third word in it;
• the first word you find each day;
• opening Clues;
• reaching Superstar or Savant;
• opening the share screen for a result, and finishing your phone’s share sheet (not what you share, where, or who with).

Each record says when it happened, which puzzle, which version of the game, and whether you’re on a phone, tablet or computer. If you’re signed in, it’s linked to your account. If you’re not signed in, usage data is associated with a randomly generated browser identifier rather than an account. It never includes the words you type or find, your email address, or your location.

Usage data is always on. Clearing your browser’s data for this site deletes the random ID.

Accounts (optional)

To keep your progress on all your devices, you can sign in with Google, or with an email address and password.

• Email and password. We keep your email address. Your password is stored by our sign-in provider in scrambled (hashed) form that no one can read, including us.
• Google. When you sign in with Google, Google shares your name, email address and profile picture with us. We use only your email address, to identify your account and show which account you’re signed in with. We don’t access anything else in your Google account.
• Saved progress. With an account, we store your progress on each puzzle: the words you found, when you first and last played it, and when you first opened Clues and reached Superstar.
• Emails. We email you only to confirm your address and to reset your password.

Feedback

When you send feedback, we receive what you write, the word you report (if any), and an email address if you choose to give one. The report also says which puzzle you were on, the version of the game, your browser and system (for example, Safari on iOS), and whether you’re on a phone, tablet or computer. A bug report also records the version numbers of your browser and system, the size of the game’s window, and whether it’s in the light or dark theme, so we can recreate the problem. If you’re signed in, it’s linked to your account, but your account’s email address is not added to it. A copy of each report is emailed to us so we see it quickly. We use a reply address only to answer your report.

Preventing abuse

To limit spam, the network (IP) address that feedback and usage data come from is turned into a scrambled code that can’t be turned back into the address. The code is deleted after two days, and we don’t store the address itself. Our hosting and service providers keep their own short-lived server logs, which include network addresses.

Information from Google

Esspresso’s use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. We use your Google account’s email address only to sign you in and run your Esspresso account. We don’t sell it, use it for advertising, share it except with the providers below, or use it to train AI models.

Who else handles it

These providers handle information only to run Esspresso for us:

• Vercel hosts the website.
• Supabase runs sign-in, and stores accounts, saved progress, feedback and usage data.
• Google provides Sign in with Google, if you choose it, and hosts the email account feedback reports are sent to. Google Fonts also serves the game’s typeface, so Google sees your network address when the page loads.
• Resend delivers our account emails, and emails each feedback report to us.

We don’t share your information with anyone else, unless the law requires it.

How long we keep it

• Your account and saved progress: until you delete your account.
• Usage data: 180 days.
• Feedback: until we’ve dealt with it, and then for one year. If you delete your account, your reports are kept without the link to it.
• The scrambled network codes: two days.

Your choices

• Play without an account, and sign out at any time.
• Clear your browser’s data for this site to remove the progress saved there and the random usage ID.
• To delete your account, sign in, choose Send Feedback at the bottom of the game, and ask us to delete it. Because you’re signed in, we know the request is yours. We delete the account, its saved progress and its usage data within 30 days. You can ask what we hold about you the same way.

Children

Esspresso isn’t directed to children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has given us information, tell us through Send Feedback and we’ll delete it.

Changes

If this policy changes, we’ll update this page and the date at the top.

Contact

Use Send Feedback at the bottom of the game.