Privacy Policy

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Last updated: 19 August 2026

Herd Game (“we”, “us”) operates herdgamesonline.com and the Herd Games Android app. This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, and the choices you have. It is written to be read rather than skimmed, because most of the answer is short: you do not need an account to play anything here, and we do not ask you for personal details in order to play.

1. The short version

  • No signup, no account and no password is required to play any game, on the site or in the app.
  • Your high scores and streaks are saved on your own device, not on our servers.
  • We record anonymous “a game was finished” events so we know which games people enjoy.
  • We use analytics and advertising partners, described in section 5. Our advertising partner sets cookies; our analytics partner uses local storage rather than cookies.
  • The Android app shows no advertising and runs no Google Analytics. It does use PostHog for product analytics, including session replay when you create or join a multiplayer room — section 6.
  • If you create or join a multiplayer room, we record that visit — the pages, clicks and scrolling — so we can see where people get stuck starting a game. Text you type is masked. We do not record general browsing. Section 5.
  • You can clear everything we store on your device at any time by clearing your browser data, or by clearing the app’s storage.

2. Information you give us directly

  • A display name. To join a multiplayer room you type a name. It is shown to the other players in that room and is not required to be your real name. It is kept only for the life of the game room.
  • Answers you type during a game. In games like Say Anything or Scattergories, what you write is shown to the other players in your room, which is the point of the game. Please do not type anything private.
  • Your email address, only if you choose to give it. If you join a waiting list or email us, we keep your address to reply to you or to contact you about that specific thing. We do not sell it, and we do not add you to unrelated mailing lists.

3. Information collected automatically

  • An anonymous device identifier. A random string (for example a_k3f9x2) is generated in your browser and stored on your device. It is not linked to your name, email or any account, and it exists so a daily puzzle knows you have already played today and so we can count players rather than page loads.
  • Game completion events. When you finish a game we send the game’s name, your score, whether you won, and that anonymous identifier to our server. Our server also records the IP address the request came from, and the time.
  • Error reports. If something breaks, your browser sends us the error message and a technical stack trace so we can fix it. These do not contain your personal details.
  • Standard technical data. IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, language, referring page and the pages you view — the usual information any web server and analytics tool receives.
  • A notification token, in the app only, and only if you ask for notifications. If a future version of the app offers notifications that we send (rather than reminders your own phone schedules), turning them on creates an anonymous token issued by Google that lets us deliver a message to that installation. It is not linked to your name or email, and it stops working if you turn notifications off or uninstall the app.

4. Information stored on your device (not sent to us)

Your best scores, streaks and daily progress are kept in your browser’s local storage — for example your best typing speed, your Minesweeper time or your daily streak. This data never leaves your device, we cannot read it, and it is the reason your scores are lost if you clear your browser data or switch to another device or browser.

5. Advertising, analytics and other third parties

Advertising applies to the website only. The Android app serves no advertising and does not run Google Analytics. It does run PostHog, described below. See section 6.

We work with the following third parties. Each has its own privacy policy, linked below.

  • Journey by Mediavine (advertising and audience measurement). We use Mediavine’s Grow software, and Mediavine manages advertising on this site. Mediavine and its advertising partners may use cookies and similar technologies to collect data about your browsing in order to measure audiences and to select and deliver advertising, including personalised advertising where you have consented or where it is otherwise permitted. See the Mediavine Privacy Policy.
  • Google Analytics. We use Google Analytics 4 to understand which pages and games people use, in aggregate. See Google’s Privacy Policy and Google’s opt-out browser add-on.
  • PostHog (product analytics and session replay). We use PostHog to understand how games are actually used — which are played, whether people come back, and where they get stuck. It stores a random identifier in your browser’s local storage; it sets no cookies, and that identifier is not linked to your name or email.
    Session replay: if you create or join a multiplayer room, PostHog records a reconstruction of that visit — the pages, clicks and scrolling — so we can see where people get stuck trying to start a game. We turn recording on only for that flow, not for general browsing. Text you type into input boxes is masked and is not captured. Recordings are deleted automatically after a short retention period. This runs in the Android app as well as on the website. See the PostHog Privacy Policy.
  • Hosting and infrastructure providers, who process requests to the site and necessarily see IP addresses in order to deliver it.

We do not use Google AdSense. It was previously used on this site and was removed in July 2026. We do not sell your personal information for money.

6. The Herd Games Android app

The app is the same games, packaged for Android and distributed through Google Play. Everything above about display names, answers you type, anonymous completion events and error reports applies in the app too. The differences are all reductions:

  • No advertising. The app contains no ad code at all. Our advertising partner’s software runs only on herdgamesonline.com and is switched off everywhere else.
  • No Google Analytics. For the same reason, Google Analytics does not run in the app.
  • PostHog does run in the app. This is the one item in this section that is not a reduction, so it is stated plainly rather than left to be inferred. The app uses PostHog for the same purpose as the website — understanding which games are played and where people get stuck — including session replay when you create or join a multiplayer room. Text you type is masked. See section 5.
  • Daily reminders are scheduled by your own phone. If you turn on the daily reminder, Android schedules it locally on your device. No reminder is sent from our servers, we are not told when it fires, and it works with no internet connection. Turning it off, or denying the notification permission, stops it completely.
  • Permissions. The app asks only for notification permission, and only at the moment you switch reminders on. You can refuse, and every game still works. It does not request contacts, location, camera, microphone, photos or files.
  • Your scores stay on the device, in the app’s own storage. Clearing the app’s data or uninstalling it removes them, and they are not synced to us or to another device.

Google Play also collects its own data about installs and crashes under Google’s Privacy Policy, which we do not control.

7. Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small files stored by your browser. We and the partners above use them, and comparable technologies such as local storage, to remember your progress, to measure how the site is used, and to deliver and measure advertising. You can refuse or delete cookies in your browser settings; games will still work, though your streaks and scores will not be remembered. Where required by law, we ask for your consent before non-essential cookies are set, and you can change or withdraw that consent at any time using the privacy controls provided on the site by our advertising partner.

8. Your rights in the EEA and UK (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to our use of your personal data, the right to data portability, and the right to withdraw consent at any time. Where we rely on consent — principally for non-essential cookies and personalised advertising — you may withdraw it without affecting anything done beforehand. Our lawful bases are your consent, and our legitimate interest in running, securing and improving a free website. You also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.

9. Your rights in California and other US states (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information is collected and how it is used, to request deletion, to correct inaccurate information, and to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising. We do not sell personal information for money. However, the use of advertising cookies described in section 5 may be treated as “sharing” under California law.

To exercise the right to opt out — “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” — use the privacy settings link provided on this site by our advertising partner, or email us at hello@herdgamesonline.com with the subject “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information”. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights. Residents of other US states with similar laws have comparable rights and may use the same contact.

10. Children’s privacy

The site and the app are intended for a general audience and are not directed at children under 13. The app is rated and distributed accordingly on Google Play, and is not part of the Google Play Families programme. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, email us and we will delete it.

11. How long we keep things

Multiplayer game rooms and the names in them are deleted shortly after the game ends. Anonymous completion events and error reports are kept while they remain useful for understanding and fixing the site. Email addresses you have given us are kept until you ask us to remove them. Scores held on your own device stay there until you clear your browser data.

12. Security

The site and the app communicate with our servers over HTTPS, and we take reasonable measures to protect the limited data we hold. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. Because we deliberately collect very little, there is very little to lose.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. Material changes will be reflected here with a new “last updated” date above. Continued use of the site or the app after a change means you accept the updated policy.

14. Contact

Questions, requests or complaints about privacy — including any request to access or delete your data — can be sent to hello@herdgamesonline.com. We aim to reply within a few days. See also our Terms of Service and About page.