This notice explains cookies and similar storage used by LonelyNo, operated by Wizard Software Ltd (company number 16914068), 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ. For questions, email mark@wizardsoftware.co.uk. Read it alongside our Privacy notice.
Cookies are small values stored by your browser. Local storage, session storage and the offline cache are different browser features with similar privacy implications.
Free conversations
ln_uid keeps a random visitor identifier so the site can find your conversation, saved notes and choices before you sign up. It lasts up to 13 months and may be renewed as you use the service.
This identifier grants access to your unsigned-in conversation; keep browser access private. The cookie is not a copy of the conversation. It is sent to the server to look up the relevant information, is not available to page scripts, and uses a secure connection on the live site.
Blocking or deleting it can stop us recognising a free chat. Clearing it does not delete the conversation from our database. Use Delete my data first if you want the server-side conversation removed.
Age confirmation
ln_adult records that you ticked the confirmation that you are 18 or over. It stores a confirmation value, not a date of birth, and lasts up to one year. It avoids repeating the same question in that browser. Clearing it means you may be asked again.
Signing in
Supabase sign-in cookies, with names beginning sb-, maintain your authenticated session and support the email-link sign-in process. Their lifetime is managed by the authentication service; a session can be refreshed while you use it and ends when it expires or you sign out.
These cookies are necessary when you request sign-in. Blocking them may prevent you from opening your account or returning to its conversations. Do not share sign-in links or cookie values.
Privacy lock
If you protect your conversations with a four-digit PIN, entering it sets ln_privacy_unlock: a random unlock value that lets this browser show your conversations until you lock the app or the browser session ends. The cookie never holds your PIN, we keep only a scrambled copy of the value, and page scripts cannot read it. Locking the app sets ln_privacy_pending, which holds only the value 1 and hides your conversations straight away, before our server has confirmed the lock. It is removed when you unlock or the browser session ends.
Preferences and temporary state
The emoji picker saves ln_emoji_frequency in local storage when you use it, so frequently used emoji are easy to find. This holds emoji-use counts on that device, not your message text, and remains until you clear site data.
If you turn on reading replies aloud, lonelyno:chat-tts in local storage remembers that choice on that device. It holds only on or off.
If you choose a larger text size, ln_text_size remembers it so every page opens at that size in this browser. It holds only Large or Larger, lasts up to one year, and is removed when you choose Standard.
The chat list saves ln_chat_seen:v1 in local storage: when each of your chats was last open on that device, so a chat with something new since can be marked. It holds chat references and times, never message text, is never sent to us, and remains until you clear site data.
While a conversation is open, session storage holds ln_chat_binding_v1 so a reloaded tab reconnects to the same conversation. It holds a scrambled owner reference and the companion and session identifiers, never messages, and is removed when the browser session ends.
When you approve a new group, session storage can briefly hold a random group-start request marker. It allows the site to recognise a repeated request without starting the same introduction twice. It is removed when used or when the browser session ends. It does not hold a conversation transcript.
Public pages available offline
The service worker can cache public pages, icons and static files so an installed LonelyNo app can open an offline page. The cache is replaced as the app updates or when you clear site data.
The offline cache is not intended to store your private conversations, memory page, account pages or API responses. A live connection is still needed to chat.
Payments and other services
When you open Stripe checkout, Stripe may use its own cookies or similar tools to complete payment, protect against fraud and secure the transaction. Its privacy information is available on the checkout service. Sign-in and hosting suppliers can also process connection and security information as described in our Privacy notice.
Videos from YouTube
Our public story pages embed videos using YouTube privacy-enhanced mode. Opening a story loads the player from YouTube; playing a video sends information to YouTube and may use storage needed for playback. You can also follow the link to watch on YouTube. See Google's privacy policy for how YouTube handles this information. Our story search stays in your browser and is not sent to our analytics.
Optional website and advertising measurement
Google Analytics and Google Ads measurement is off until you choose Allow measurement. It records a small set of public-page visits and actions: opening the demo from a public story, a successful first chat reply, verified demo registration, opening checkout and a confirmed membership purchase. We do not send your message text, saved memories, conversation topics, companion or group identifiers, email address or account identifier to Google. We do not build advertising audiences from conversations.
With permission, Google receives a browser identifier, limited campaign and click identifiers, technical connection information and these events. Purchase events contain the amount, currency and a scrambled transaction identifier, not your card details. Private conversation and memory pages do not generate page-view events. Google may process measurement data outside the UK.
The ga and ga* cookies identify consented visits for up to six months. Google may also use gcl* cookies for advertising attribution. The lnmeasurementchoice local-storage entry records your choice for six months. Session-only markers prevent duplicate first-reply and verified-demo-registration reporting. With measurement permission, the **lnstorydemoentry** session-only timestamp attributes these actions to a story invitation for up to 30 minutes; it does not record which story you read. Local purchase markers prevent duplicate reporting; purchase markers contain only scrambled identifiers and remain until you clear site storage.
Use Cookie choices at the bottom of any page to change your decision. Refusing or withdrawing permission leaves the chat and membership service available. Withdrawal stops future measurement and removes the measurement cookies we can access; it does not erase events previously received by Google.
Managing storage
You can view, block or clear cookies and site storage in your browser settings. This can sign you out, reset the age confirmation, emoji and text-size choices, and remove access to an unsigned-in conversation. Settings apply to that browser or device.
Clearing storage is different from asking us to delete data. What they remember controls saved notes. Delete my data controls account data, and your account controls subscription cancellation.
For assistance with privacy choices or a copy of your information, email mark@wizardsoftware.co.uk. We will update this notice when the storage we use changes.