What we store, and why
Cookie Policy
Every cookie and storage key PlatePrep sets, which category it belongs to, who provides it, and how long it lasts.
Effective
September 11, 2026
Last updated
September 11, 2026
Applies to
plateprep.com and the PlatePrep platform
At a glance
Four categories, your choice
Only the necessary ones are set automatically. Functional, analytics and marketing are each off until you turn them on.
One analytics provider
Google Analytics 4, and nothing else. No advertising pixels, no session recording, no heatmaps, no data brokers.
Change your mind anytime
Cookie Settings sits in the site footer and in your account menu. Withdrawing is exactly as easy as accepting.
Nothing sold or shared
We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising.
This summary is for orientation only. The full text below is the binding version.
01
What This Policy Covers
This policy covers cookies and the technologies that behave like them — browser localStorage and sessionStorage in particular, which PlatePrep relies on more heavily than cookies. They are listed together here because the distinction matters to engineers and not to you: both store data on your device, and both are covered by the same choice.
It sits alongside our Privacy Policy, which explains what we do with personal information once we hold it.
02
The Four Categories
Everything we store falls into one of four groups. Only the first is set without asking, because without it the product cannot function.
Necessary — always on
Keeping you signed in and your session secure
Remembering the cookie choice you made on this page
Holding work in progress so a dropped connection does not lose it
Functional — your choice
Remembering preferences such as your chosen interface language
Loading Google Fonts, and Google Maps on pages with an address field
Analytics — your choice
Google Analytics 4, to see which parts of PlatePrep are used and where they get in the way
Page performance measurements, so a slow screen can be found and fixed
Marketing — your choice, and off by default
Measuring whether an advertisement led you to PlatePrep
Showing PlatePrep advertisements on other sites
03
What We Actually Store
The complete list. Expiry is how long the value survives if you do nothing; clearing your browser's site data removes all of it immediately.
| Name | Category | Purpose | Provider | Type | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plateprep-auth | Necessary | Keeps you signed in between visits. | PlatePrep | First-party · localStorage | Until you sign out |
| pp_cookie_consent | Necessary | Remembers the choice you made here, so you are not asked again. | PlatePrep | First-party · localStorage | Until cleared |
| plateprep_offline_queue | Necessary | Holds changes made while your connection dropped, and sends them when it returns. | PlatePrep | First-party · localStorage | Until sent |
| invitation_gate | Necessary | Remembers that you have entered a valid invitation code. | PlatePrep | First-party · localStorage | Until cleared |
| pp-theme | Functional | Remembers whether you chose light or dark mode. | PlatePrep | First-party · localStorage | Until cleared |
| googtrans | Functional | Remembers the language you selected for on-page translation. | First-party cookie | 1 year | |
| _ga, _ga_* | Analytics | Distinguishes one visitor from another so visits can be counted. Not used to identify you. | Google Analytics 4 | Third-party cookie | 2 years |
If you decline analytics, the Google Analytics tag still loads but is placed in a consent-denied state: it writes no cookies and no identifier to your device. This is Google Consent Mode, and it is how measurement stays lawful without tracking anyone who said no.
04
Third Parties We Load
These services receive a request from your browser when a page that uses them loads, which necessarily discloses your IP address to them. Each links to its own policy.
Stripe is listed for completeness: card details are entered on Stripe's own checkout pages, never on PlatePrep, and Stripe sets no cookies on this site.
Google Analytics 4 — analytics
policies.google.com/privacyGoogle Fonts — typefaces
policies.google.com/privacyGoogle Translate — on-page translation
policies.google.com/privacyGoogle Maps — address lookup
policies.google.com/privacyGoogle Tag Manager — tag delivery
policies.google.com/privacyStripe — subscription payments
stripe.com/privacy05
Changing Your Mind
Open Cookie Settings — in the footer of any public page, or in your account menu once signed in — to change any category at any time. Withdrawing consent is as easy as giving it, and takes effect immediately.
Your browser can also block or delete cookies for this site entirely. Doing so will sign you out and will clear any work held for offline sending, because those are the necessary category.
06
Questions
If anything here is unclear, or you want to know more about a specific entry, contact us.
Want to change your choices?
Cookie Settings is in the footer of every page, and in your account menu.