1. What cookies are
A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store on your device. Similar technologies include local storage, session storage, web beacons and pixel tags. We use the word "cookies" in this policy to cover all of these.
Cookies can be set by the website you are visiting ("first-party") or by other domains that the site pulls resources from ("third-party"). They can last only for the current browsing session ("session cookies") or for a longer period ("persistent cookies").
2. How we use cookies
We use cookies to make the Service work, to keep it secure, to understand what is broken so we can fix it, and to measure whether our advertising leads to sign-ups. We do not sell the data collected through cookies.
Our own optional analytics are off until you turn them on in Cookie settings, and we remember your choice. The Google Ads measurement tag described in sections 3 and 4 is not controlled by that setting; section 6 explains how you can block it.
3. Categories of cookies we use
- Strictly necessary:required to deliver the Service you have asked for. Examples: keeping you signed in, remembering your cookie preferences, protecting against cross-site request forgery, routing traffic to a healthy server. These do not require consent under Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive because they fall within the "strictly necessary" exemption.
- Functional: remember choices you make, such as language preference or interface settings. We rely on your consent for these, which we may imply from clear affirmative action (for example, choosing a language from the menu).
- Security and anti-abuse: detect sign-in anomalies, block brute-force attempts, and keep payment flows safe. Where these are necessary to provide a secure service you have asked for, they fall under the strictly necessary exemption.
- Advertising measurement: the Google Ads tag records whether a visit came from one of our ads and whether it led to a sign-up or a subscription, so that we can measure our advertising.
- Analytics (when active): measure aggregate use of the Service so we can improve it. Any such cookie is set only after you consent and is configured to respect user privacy (for example, IP truncation and first-party storage).
4. Detailed list of cookies and storage keys
The table below lists the cookies and storage items that the Service may set. Specific names and providers may change when we update the Service. The category column tells you whether the item requires consent.
| Name / key | Provider | Purpose | Category | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| endlessness-acquisition-v2 | The Endlessness (first-party session storage) | With analytics enabled, connects a random browser ID and public campaign tags to signup. Does not contain email, story text, or invitation tokens. | Optional analytics | Browser session |
| landing_acquisition_v2 | The Endlessness (app preference storage) | Preserves opted-in landing attribution through account creation and a reload. Related server funnel records are retained for up to 90 days. | Optional analytics | Used for up to 24 hours |
| te_cookie_consent | The Endlessness (first-party) | Stores your cookie consent choices so that we do not have to ask again on every visit. | Strictly necessary | 12 months |
| Web app local storage (keys beginning with "flutter.") | The Endlessness (first-party local storage) | Remembers your app settings, such as theme and narration options, and keeps a pending copy of your sign-up age and Terms confirmation until our server has recorded it. | Strictly necessary and functional | Until you clear the site's data |
| Firebase authentication tokens (including __Host- prefixed cookies and IndexedDB entries set on app.theendlessness.com) | Google Ireland Limited | Sign-in, token refresh, session management, and abuse protection provided by the authentication platform. | Strictly necessary | Up to 1 hour (refresh tokens) and up to 30 days (device) |
| Stripe cookies (m, __stripe_mid, __stripe_sid and related keys) | Stripe Payments Europe, Limited | Fraud prevention, checkout session continuity, and payment processing when you open a billing page. | Strictly necessary for payments | Session to 12 months, depending on cookie |
| _gcl_au, and the _gl link parameter between theendlessness.com and app.theendlessness.com | Google Ireland Limited (Google Ads) | Connects a visit from one of our ads to a later sign-up or subscription, including across our two domains. | Advertising measurement | 90 days |
| Google advertising cookies on Google's own domains | Google Ireland Limited (Google Ads) | Set by Google when the tag loads, to attribute ad clicks to sign-ups and subscriptions. Google describes them at policies.google.com/technologies/cookies. | Advertising measurement | Set by Google, up to 13 months |
You can inspect the cookies set on your device at any time by using your browser's developer tools, usually under a "Storage" or "Application" tab.
5. Third-party cookies
Some cookies above are set by third parties that help us run the Service. Those providers act as our data processors for the cookies they set on our behalf, and their own processing is described in the Privacy Policy. Both the landing site https://theendlessness.com and the web app load the Google Ads tag described above. Embedded media (if any) is loaded only after you consent.
6. How to control cookies
You can accept, refuse or withdraw consent at any time:
- Use the "Cookie settings" control in the website footer to enable or disable optional usage analytics. It is off until you enable it. This choice is shared with the web application. It does not control the Google Ads tag.
- To stop Google Ads measurement, block third-party and advertising cookies in your browser or use a content blocker. You can also manage how Google uses advertising data at myadcenter.google.com.
- Change your browser settings to block or delete cookies. Every major browser has help pages with step-by-step instructions: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, Brave, and others.
- Use private browsing or incognito mode to browse without saving cookies between sessions.
If you block strictly necessary cookies, parts of the Service may not work. In particular, you will not be able to stay signed in or complete a checkout.
7. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
Browser signals such as "Do Not Track" and "Global Privacy Control" are not standardised in a way that binds website operators under Portuguese or EU law. We still respect them where we can: our own optional analytics stay off when your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal. The Google Ads tag does not currently read this signal.
8. Changes to this policy
If we change the cookies we use, we will update this policy and the effective date at the top. Where the change adds a new category of cookie that requires consent, we will ask for fresh consent before the new cookie is set. Questions about cookies can be sent to info@theendlessness.com.
Questions about this document
Write to info@theendlessness.com or by post to The Endlessness, Rua Visconde Seabra nº27, 1600-766 Lisbon, Portugal. We answer in English or Portuguese.