Not so in the Age of Advertising. The core business model of basically every app on your phone, doubleplus every game, is not to deliver you an enjoyable product. It's to deliver your eyeballs to advertisers. They're Zynga's customers, not you. You're the product. That being the case, deleting the app is easy - that's a necessity, since otherwise the product would get poor reviews for being user-unfriendly - but actually erasing your data takes a bit more work. Fear not - we've explained both.
Delete the WWF App
WordFinder is not affiliated with Zynga. We have no investment in what games you have on your phone. That said, it's usually a better idea to just delete the app, as opposed to erasing your account outright. That way, should you ever decide to reinstall it, all your data will be right where you left it, including your progress on Words With Friends's many cumulative challenges.
To delete the Words With Friends app on Android:
Open the Settings app on your phone, usually symbolized by a gear.
Scroll down to Apps & notifications. Tap on it.
Tap on "See all apps" if needed.
Scroll to Words With Friends and select it.
Choose "Uninstall."
The process is similarly straightforward on iPhone:
Find the Words With Friends app icon.
Touch and hold the app icon.
Tap Delete App.
Tap Delete to confirm you want to delete Words With Friends.
Erase Your Zynga Account
As previously noted, Zynga has every reason to keep you from erasing your account. The process is therefore buried quite deep in the app, behind several less-than-intuitive layers. If you'd like to erase your Zynga account altogether, you'll need to do so from within the app.
The process goes like this:
Open Words With Friends 2.
Tap the profile banner at the top of the screen. It should show your name and level.
The "Profile" screen should be showing. Tap the "Settings" button just below your name.
Scroll down to the "Privacy" section and tap "Personal Data Request."
Tap "Make a personal data request."
On the "Personal Data Request" screen, tap "More Options - Visit Our FAQ"
On the "FAQ" screen, tap "How do I delete my Words With Friends/Words With Friends 2 account, including my game account data?"
It should reveal a link reading, "Go here to request account deletion." Tap on that.
The final screen should be headed "Before Deleting This Game Account, Please Consider the Following."
Tap the checkbox near the bottom, then hit "Continue."
Long and Winding Road
The above steps should suffice, whether you simply want to get rid of Words With Friends for a while or you want all your data destroyed. It's worth noting that making data deletion as difficult and roundabout as Zynga has is rightly considered poor form, not to mention bad design. You have a right to manage the data companies collect from you to make money. Don't hesitate to tell them so.
By way of a cheerier topic, we've also addressed a much less serious but still irritating problem for your convenience. Check out what to do when Words With Friends locks up.
Matt Salter has been a professional writer for over 10 years. He is a gaming and technology expert, and world-class word nerd.
