Cookie Policy

Last updated: February 2025

1. Who we are

This Cookie Policy explains how we use cookies and similar technologies on the CalQuant website.

• Service name: CalQuant (the “Service”)
• Website: https://calquant.app
• Operator / data controller: Harry Dransfield trading as “CalQuant”, a sole trader established in England
• Main audience: Users in the UK, and also in the EU and US
• Contact for privacy/cookie matters: contact@calquant.app

This Cookie Policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle personal data more generally.

2. What are cookies and similar technologies?

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, mobile phone, tablet) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work, to make them work more efficiently, and to provide information to the website owner.

We also use similar technologies, such as:

• Local storage / session storage – saved in your browser, similar to cookies but with different technical properties.
• Authentication tokens and identifiers – used to keep you securely logged in and operate our backend services.

In this policy, we use “cookies” to cover both traditional cookies and these similar technologies, unless we need to distinguish them.

Some cookies are strictly necessary for the site to function. Others are optional and are used for things like remembering your preferences, understanding how the site is used (analytics), or showing more relevant ads (marketing).

Under UK GDPR, EU GDPR and the ePrivacy rules (including PECR / the ePrivacy Directive), non-essential cookies require your consent before we set them.

3. How we use cookies and our legal basis

We use cookies on CalQuant for the following main purposes:

• To make the website and core features work (e.g. login, calculators, security).
• To remember your settings and preferences (e.g. theme, cookie choices).
• To understand how visitors use CalQuant so we can improve it (analytics).
• To enable personalised advertising via Google Ads (marketing), where applicable.

Legal basis:

• Strictly necessary cookies: we use these to provide the service you request and to keep the site secure and functional. The legal basis is necessity for performance of a contract (providing the Service you use) and/or our legitimate interests in running a secure and functional website. Consent is not required for these cookies, but we still describe them.
• Functional, analytics and marketing cookies: we only use these with your consent, which you can give or refuse via our cookie banner and settings. You can withdraw consent at any time (see section 6).

4. Types of cookies we use

Overview of categories

• Strictly necessary – needed for the site and Service to function.
• Functional – improve your experience but are not essential.
• Analytics – help us understand how the Service is used.
• Marketing – enable personalised advertising (e.g. personalised Google Ads).

Only “Strictly necessary” cookies are used by default. Functional, Analytics and Marketing cookies are optional and only used if you opt in.

A. Strictly necessary cookies / technologies

These cookies and technologies are essential for CalQuant to work properly. They enable core functions such as navigation, saving calculator inputs, and secure login. You cannot switch these off in our cookie settings, although you can block them in your browser (which may break the site).

1. calcDraft (or similar local storage key)
Provider: CalQuant (first party, stored in your browser as local or session storage)
Purpose: To temporarily save your calculator inputs so you don’t lose your work if you navigate around, refresh the page, or briefly leave the site.
Why it’s necessary: Without this storage, your inputs would be lost more easily, and core calculator functionality would not work as intended.
Category: Strictly necessary
Typical duration: Session or short-term persistent (until you clear your browser storage or we remove/update the key).

2. Firebase Authentication (Firebase Auth) cookies/tokens
Provider: Google Firebase (on behalf of CalQuant)
Purpose: To enable secure login and account sessions, including email/password login and Google sign-in. These cookies/tokens identify your logged-in session and are required to keep you signed in as you move between pages and to protect your account from unauthorised access.
Why it’s necessary: Without these, we cannot keep you logged in, deliver your account-based features, or ensure security of the Service.
Category: Strictly necessary
Typical duration: Session cookies and short-to-medium-term persistent tokens (e.g. several hours or days) if you choose to remain logged in.

3. Firebase heartbeat / operational cookies and tokens
Provider: Google Firebase (on behalf of CalQuant)
Purpose: To support the secure and reliable operation of our backend, including managing sessions and connections, maintaining service availability and performance, and applying security features such as abuse detection and fraud prevention. These may include heartbeat or status cookies/tokens used by Firebase services.
Why it’s necessary: If these are blocked, key parts of the Service may not work correctly or may become unreliable.
Category: Strictly necessary
Typical duration: Typically session-based or short-term persistent, depending on Firebase’s technical configuration.

B. Functional cookies

Functional cookies make your experience smoother and more convenient but are not strictly essential. We only use them if you consent.

4. Theme / colour scheme preference
Provider: CalQuant
Purpose: To remember your chosen site theme (for example, light or dark mode) so that the website looks the same on return visits and across pages.
Effect of disabling: If you disable functional cookies, you may need to re-select your theme each time, and you might always see the default theme.
Category: Functional
Typical duration: Persistent (e.g. several months to 1 year, or until you clear your browser storage).

5. Saved cookie settings (cookie consent preference)
Provider: CalQuant
Purpose: To store your cookie consent choices (for example, whether you allow analytics or marketing cookies). This prevents the cookie banner from appearing on every visit and ensures we respect your preferences in future sessions.
Effect of disabling: If this is disabled or deleted, we may need to ask you about cookies again, and you may see the banner more often.
Category: Functional
Typical duration: Persistent (e.g. 6 to 12 months) so that we can remember your choices over time.

C. Analytics cookies

We use analytics cookies to understand how visitors use CalQuant so we can improve the Service. These cookies are optional and only set if you consent.

6. Google Analytics cookies (e.g. _ga, _ga_*)
Provider: Google LLC (Google Analytics)
Purpose: To collect information about how you use CalQuant, such as which pages you visit and in what order, time spent on pages, buttons and features used, and general information about your device and browser. We use this data (mostly in aggregated form) to understand which parts of CalQuant are working well, identify problems or areas for improvement, and help make decisions on new features and usability.
Personal data and identifiers: Google Analytics may collect online identifiers, including cookie identifiers and IP address, which may be considered personal data under UK/EU law. We configure Google Analytics to focus on usage patterns rather than identifying you personally.
Relationship with Google: Depending on configuration, Google may act as our processor or as a separate controller. For more detailed information on how Google uses data, please see Google’s own privacy and cookie documentation.
Category: Analytics
Typical duration: Persistent cookies, often lasting up to around 2 years (for example, _ga), although exact durations are set by Google and may change.
Important: Analytics cookies are not set until you opt in via the cookie banner or settings. You can disable analytics cookies at any time (see section 6).

D. Marketing cookies

We may use marketing cookies to support personalised advertising, particularly via Google Ads or similar services. These cookies are optional and require your explicit consent.

7. Google Ads / advertising cookies (e.g. _gcl_*)
Provider: Google LLC (Google Ads and related advertising services)
Purpose: To enable personalised Google Ads, which may include tracking how you interact with CalQuant, linking your activity on our site with advertising campaigns, and building a profile of your interests based on browsing behaviour. This helps show you more relevant ads (where ads are displayed), rather than generic advertising.
Cross-site tracking: Some of these cookies may track your behaviour across sessions and potentially across different websites that use Google Ads, contributing to your advertising profile.
Effect of disabling: If you decline marketing cookies, you may still see ads (where relevant), but they are likely to be less personalised or based on more general information.
Category: Marketing
Typical duration: Persistent cookies, often lasting several months (e.g. around 90 days or longer), depending on Google’s configuration.
Important: Marketing cookies are not set until you opt in (for example, by enabling “Marketing / personalised Google Ads” in our cookie preferences). You can turn them off at any time (see section 6).

5. Summary of cookies and technologies

The table below summarises the main cookies and technologies we use. Names and durations may change as we update our services or third parties change theirs.

Note: This is a representative list and may not be exhaustive. Specific cookie names and durations may vary over time. Third-party providers (such as Google) may also update their cookies independently of us.

6. How we obtain your consent and how you can manage cookies

When and how we ask for consent

When you first visit calquant.app, you will see a cookie banner or consent interface that:

• Explains that we use cookies and similar technologies.
• Allows you to: accept all optional cookies, configure your choices by category (e.g. Functional, Analytics, Marketing), or reject non-essential cookies.

We do not set analytics or marketing cookies until you have given your consent. Strictly necessary cookies are set automatically because they are required for the site to function.

Cookie categories and toggles

Our cookie settings interface may include categories such as:

• Necessary – pre-checked and cannot be turned off via the interface (but can be blocked in your browser). These are required for the site to work.
• Functional – optional cookies for preferences (e.g. theme, saved cookie choices).
• Analytics – optional cookies allowing us to use tools like Google Analytics.
• Marketing – optional cookies for personalised advertising (e.g. “Personalised Google Ads”).

You can turn Functional, Analytics, and Marketing cookies on or off at any time.

Changing or withdrawing your consent

You can change or withdraw your cookie choices in the following ways:

• Via our cookie settings: Use the “Cookie settings”, “Privacy settings”, or similar link (typically available in the footer or within the site settings) to open the cookie preferences and update your selections.
• Via your browser settings: Most browsers allow you to view existing cookies, block cookies for specific sites, and delete cookies when you close your browser. If you block all cookies, some parts of the Service may not function properly (especially login and calculators).
• Third-party opt-outs: For services such as Google Analytics and Google Ads, you may have additional control via Google’s own tools (for example, ads settings or browser add-ons). See Google’s documentation for details.

7. Retention, third parties and international transfers

Retention periods

• Strictly necessary cookies are generally kept only for as long as needed to provide the Service (e.g. for the duration of your browsing session or a short period thereafter).
• Functional cookies (like theme and cookie preferences) are usually kept for several months up to about one year, so we can remember your settings.
• Analytics and marketing cookies set by Google and other third parties may last from a few minutes to several years, depending on their purpose and configuration.

You can remove cookies and local storage entries at any time by clearing cookies and site data in your browser.

Third-party providers

We use third-party providers, notably Google (including Firebase, Google Analytics, Google Ads). Google may process data collected via cookies as a processor acting on our instructions, and/or as a separate controller, for its own purposes. For more information about how Google uses data from sites that use its services, please refer to Google’s own privacy and cookie documentation.

International data transfers

Because providers like Google are global companies, data collected via their cookies may be processed or stored outside the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA) (for example, in the United States). Where such transfers occur, we rely on appropriate safeguards under UK and EU data protection law, such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission / UK authorities, or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms.

8. Changes to this Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time, for example if we add or remove cookies or technologies, change our providers or how we use analytics/advertising tools, or if the law or regulatory guidance changes. When we make significant changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and may show you an updated cookie banner or notice where appropriate.

9. Contact us

If you have any questions or concerns about our use of cookies or how we process your personal data, you can contact us at: contact@calquant.app.

We will do our best to respond and help you understand how we use cookies and how you can control them.