Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are commonly used to ensure websites function properly and to understand how visitors interact with content.

Cookies may be session-based or persistent and may be set by the website itself or by third-party services integrated into the site.

2. Cookies and Analytics Technologies Used by SnapStepsCalc

SnapStepsCalc uses minimal analytics technologies to understand general website usage and improve performance.

• Google Analytics 4: Sets analytics cookies only when you consent
• Ahrefs Analytics: Cookieless analytics that operates without storing cookies on your device
• Google AdSense: Google may use cookies or similar technologies to serve and measure ads, as described in Google's policies (policies.google.com/technologies/ads)

SnapStepsCalc itself does not set cookies for remarketing, cross-site tracking or personal profiling. Advertising cookies, where used, are set by Google under the advertising consent described in section 5.

3. Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

We use Google Analytics 4 to collect aggregated, anonymized usage statistics, such as:

• Page views
• General device and browser types
• Approximate geographic region (country-level)

Our GA4 configuration is privacy-focused:

• IP anonymization is enabled
• Google Signals are disabled
• Advertising features are disabled
• No personalized advertising or remarketing
• No data is sold or shared for marketing purposes

The data collected cannot be used to directly identify individual users.

4. Ahrefs Analytics (Cookieless)

We use Ahrefs Web Analytics as an additional privacy-focused analytics service. Ahrefs Analytics is cookieless by design and collects only aggregated, anonymized usage information.

• No cookies are placed on your device
• No personal identifiers are collected
• No cross-site tracking or profiling
• Data is processed by Ahrefs under their privacy safeguards

Because Ahrefs Analytics does not use cookies, it is not controlled by the Google Consent Mode banner.

5. Google Consent Mode v2

SnapStepsCalc uses Google Consent Mode v2 to respect your privacy choices. This technology allows us to adjust how Google Analytics behaves based on your consent preferences.

When you visit our site, you will see a cookie consent banner with two options:

• Accept all: Enables analytics cookies to help us understand site usage
• Necessary only: Blocks analytics cookies; only essential functionality is enabled

Consent Mode v2 manages the following consent signals:

• analytics_storage: Controls whether analytics cookies can be set. This is the only signal our banner changes.
• ad_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization: Advertising signals. They default to denied and are never granted by our banner.

If you decline cookies, Google Analytics will not collect any data from your visit.

Advertising consent. Where required by law (for example in the EEA, UK and Switzerland), consent for Google AdSense advertising is collected by Google's own certified consent message, not by our banner. When that message is active, "Manage Cookies" also gives access to Google's advertising choices.

6. Local Storage

SnapStepsCalc uses browser local storage on your own device for three things only: your cookie consent choice, your light/dark display preference, and the daily step goal you set in the walking plan (with today's date, so it resets each day). This information stays in your browser and is never sent to us.

Other calculator inputs (such as steps, weight and stride length) are processed temporarily in your browser and are discarded when you leave the page or refresh. You can clear local storage at any time in your browser settings.

7. Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the "Manage Cookies" link in the footer of any page. This reopens the consent panel; your current choice stays in place until you pick a new option.

You can also control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Disabling analytics cookies will not affect the core functionality of the calculator.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date indicates when changes were last made.

9. Contact

For questions about this Cookie Policy, contact us at:

snapstepscalc@gmail.com