Cookie Policy
Last updated: 3 October 2026
Short version: You can play without accepting third-party cookies. We use a small number of strictly necessary items to keep you signed in, remember your consent choice, and support first-party audience measurement under legitimate interest. First-party audience measurement produces aggregate statistics directly on our servers and stops immediately if you opt out. Third-party analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense) cookies load only after you click “OK” on the consent banner. Signed-in accounts are ad-free. Non logged-in visitors see minimal, non-intrusive advertisements to fund hosting. You can change your choice at any time via Cookie Settings in the footer.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small files a site stores on your device. “Similar storage” (such as localStorage) works the same way. We group everything we use into the categories below.
Strictly necessary
These are required for the site to work and do not need consent. They are never used for advertising or cross-site tracking.
| Item | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
pm_session (httpOnly) | Keeps you signed in or holds an anonymous session for progress saving. | 90 days |
pm_sh | Signals that a session exists (carries no secret). | 90 days |
| Code-verification cookie (httpOnly) | Confirms your one-time sign-in code. | 15 minutes |
pm_consent_v1 (localStorage) | Remembers your analytics consent choice. | Until cleared |
pm_consent_reopen (sessionStorage) | Tells the page to re-open the consent bar after you click Cookie Settings. | Until the tab closes |
pm_user (localStorage) | Holds your account id, or the anonymous id we mint for you. It keeps your progress attached to you. | Until cleared |
pm_rounds_v1_<game> (localStorage) | Saves the last 200 rounds of each game on your device: the “Your Stats” panel reads them. | Until cleared |
pm_fav_games, pm.favs.v1 (localStorage) | Remembers the games you marked as a favourite. | Until cleared |
pm_ads_inbox_v1 (localStorage) | Remembers that you chose “Ads in Inbox”, so the pages stay ad-free before the server answers. | Until cleared |
| Per-game settings (localStorage) | Saves your difficulty, sound, and mode choices on your device. | Until cleared |
First-party audience measurement (opt-out available)
Operates under legitimate interest (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f) and European audience measurement exemptions). These first-party events are stored directly on PlayMemorize servers and are never shared with third parties. You can opt out at any time using the consent banner (“No thanks”), Cookie Settings, or browser privacy controls (GPC/DNT).
| Item | Provider | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| First-party telemetry events | PlayMemorize | Measures page views, reading scroll depth, and interaction clicks without identifying individuals. |
pm_engagement_lang_v1 (localStorage) | PlayMemorize | Records which languages you played in, for the polyglot badges. |
pm_events_pending_v1, pm_events_pending_v2 (localStorage) | PlayMemorize | Holds offline first-party analytics events until your browser reconnects. |
Game round records
When you are signed in, we record the outcome of each game round on our own servers: which game, whether you were correct, the score, the duration, and the difficulty. We use this for your stats, your badges, and the leaderboard, and it is part of the service you asked for. It does not go to an advertising network and it is never used for cross-site tracking. If you are not signed in, these records stay on your device.
Third-party analytics and advertising (consent required)
Third-party cookies load only after you click “OK” on the consent banner. Signed-in accounts are ad-free. You can change or revoke your consent at any time via Cookie Settings in the footer or through Google Ad Settings.
| Item | Provider | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
Google Analytics 4 cookies (_ga, etc.) | Aggregate cross-session usage statistics. | |
| Google AdSense cookies and identifiers | Serves responsive, non-intrusive display advertisements to non logged-in visitors who grant consent. |
How to control cookies
- Consent banner: choose “Accept” or “No thanks” on your first visit.
- Cookie Settings: use the link in the footer to change your choice at any time.
- Browser-level opt-out: we honour Global Privacy Control (GPC) and Do Not Track signals automatically · if your browser sends one, non-essential cookies stay off and the banner is suppressed.
- Browser settings: you can block or delete cookies in your browser; strictly-necessary sign-in cookies can also be cleared, but you will be signed out.
More information
See our Privacy Policy for the full picture of what we collect and why, and the Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information page for your CCPA rights.
Contact
Questions about cookies? Email us at hello@playmemorize.com.