Privacy Policy

CrosswordIQ — Last updated February 23, 2026

CrosswordIQ is a personal statistics tracker for NYT Crossword solvers. This policy explains what data the app uses and how it is handled.

What Data the App Accesses

NYT Authentication Cookie

To fetch your solve history, CrosswordIQ requires you to log in with your New York Times account. During login, the app captures your NYT-S session cookie from the NYT website. This cookie is stored securely in the iOS Keychain on your device and is used solely to make requests to the NYT Crossword API on your behalf.

Crossword Solve Data

CrosswordIQ retrieves the following information from the NYT Crossword API:

Puzzle date and type (Daily or Mini)
Solve time in seconds
Whether the puzzle was completed
Whether checks or reveals were used
Constructor (author) name

This data is stored locally on your device and is never transmitted to any server operated by CrosswordIQ.

What the App Does NOT Do

No account creation. CrosswordIQ does not create or manage any accounts. Authentication is handled entirely through the NYT website.
No data collection. CrosswordIQ does not collect, transmit, or store any of your data on external servers.
No analytics or tracking. The app contains no analytics SDKs, crash reporters, or advertising frameworks.
No data sharing. Your solve data is never shared with third parties.
No location, camera, microphone, or contacts access.

Data Storage

All data is stored locally on your device:

The NYT-S session cookie is stored in the iOS Keychain with kSecAttrAccessibleAfterFirstUnlock protection.
Solve history is stored in a local SwiftData database on your device.

You can delete all stored data at any time by logging out in Settings, which clears the Keychain, or by deleting the app entirely.

CSV Export

CrosswordIQ allows you to export your solve history as a CSV file. This file is written to a temporary location on your device and shared via the iOS share sheet. CrosswordIQ does not transmit this file anywhere — you control where it is sent.

Third-Party Services

CrosswordIQ communicates exclusively with the New York Times Crossword API (nytimes.com) to retrieve your solve data. CrosswordIQ is not affiliated with or endorsed by The New York Times Company. Your use of your NYT account is governed by the NYT Terms of Service and NYT Privacy Policy.

Children's Privacy

CrosswordIQ is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect any information from children.

Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes materially, the updated version will be posted at this URL with a revised date.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, please contact crosswordiq@icloud.com.