Cookie Policy
Last updated: 21 October 2026
This policy explains the cookies and similar browser-storage technologies Squishly uses, what each one is for, and how you can control them.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files a website saves in your browser. Similar technologies — local storage, session storage and IndexedDB — work in much the same way. On this page we call all of them “cookies”.
Your files are never stored in cookies
The files you open in our tools are never stored in cookies or browser storage. On-device tools process your files in your browser’s memory and they never leave your device. Tools that need our server send the file only to do the job you asked for, and it is deleted after processing — see our Privacy Policy.
1. Strictly necessary
These make the site work. They can’t be switched off in our settings, because the features you ask for (signing in, paying) would stop working without them.
Firebase sign-in session (firebaseLocalStorageDb)
- Type
- Browser storage (IndexedDB)
- Provided by
- Squishly, via Google Firebase
- Purpose
- Keeps you signed in to your account between visits. Only set if you create an account or sign in.
- Kept for
- Until you sign out or clear site data
Paddle checkout
- Type
- Cookies set by Paddle
- Provided by
- Paddle (our payment provider and Merchant of Record)
- Purpose
- Paddle’s checkout script runs the secure payment window. Paddle may set its own cookies, mainly when you open checkout, to complete the payment and prevent fraud. We never see your card details.
- Kept for
- Set by Paddle — see Paddle’s privacy policy
2. Preferences
These remember small choices so we don’t ask you the same thing twice. None of them identify you.
NEXT_LOCALE
- Type
- Cookie (first-party)
- Provided by
- Squishly
- Purpose
- Remembers whether you chose English or Arabic.
- Kept for
- Until you close the browser
sq-pwa-dismissed
- Type
- Local storage
- Provided by
- Squishly
- Purpose
- Remembers that you closed the “Add to Home Screen” prompt, so it isn’t shown again.
- Kept for
- Until you clear site data
sq-launch-dismissed-…
- Type
- Local storage
- Provided by
- Squishly
- Purpose
- Remembers that you closed the launch-offer banner at the top of the page.
- Kept for
- Until you clear site data
sq_mkt_prompt, sq_mkt_prompt_session
- Type
- Local storage, session storage
- Provided by
- Squishly
- Purpose
- Limits how often signed-in users are asked whether they’d like product news by email.
- Kept for
- Until you clear site data / until you close the tab
3. Analytics
These help us understand which tools people use and where pages break, so we can improve them. They count visits and pages — never the contents of your files. In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland they are only set if you agree in Google’s consent message.
_ga, _ga_<ID>
- Type
- Cookies (first-party)
- Provided by
- Google Analytics 4
- Purpose
- Distinguish visitors and sessions so we can count page views and tool usage in aggregate.
- Kept for
- Up to 2 years
sq_no_track
- Type
- Local storage
- Provided by
- Squishly
- Purpose
- When set, analytics and conversion measurement are not loaded in this browser at all (used for our own team’s visits).
- Kept for
- Until you clear site data
4. Advertising
Ads keep the free tools free. Ads appear on some free pages only — Pro members don’t see ads.
Google AdSense (for example __gads, __gpi, and cookies on doubleclick.net)
- Type
- Cookies (first- and third-party)
- Provided by
- Purpose
- Serve ads, limit how often you see the same ad, measure ad performance and — only where you have agreed or where consent isn’t required — personalise ads based on your interests. If you refuse consent, Google can still show non-personalised ads, which use cookies only for things like frequency capping, fraud prevention and aggregated reporting.
- Kept for
- Set by Google — typically up to 13 months
Google consent message (for example FCCDCF, FCNEC)
- Type
- Cookies (first-party)
- Provided by
- Purpose
- For visitors in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, records the choice you made in Google’s consent message (shown on any page of the site) about advertising and analytics cookies, so it isn’t shown on every page.
- Kept for
- Set by Google — typically up to 13 months
gclid, _gcl_au
- Type
- Cookies (first-party)
- Provided by
- Squishly / Google Ads
- Purpose
- If you arrive by clicking one of our own Google ads, we store that ad-click ID so we can tell whether the ad led to a sign-up or purchase. This measures our ads; it isn’t used to show you ads. In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland it is only stored if you agree in Google’s consent message.
- Kept for
- 90 days
sq-ad-seed
- Type
- Session storage
- Provided by
- Squishly
- Purpose
- A random value that varies which ad or tool suggestion appears, so you don’t see the same one on every page. It isn’t linked to you.
- Kept for
- Until you close the tab
5. How to control cookies
- Consent message — if you’re in the EEA, the UK or Switzerland, Google’s consent message asks for your permission on your first visit, before analytics cookies or any personalised advertising are used, and you can refuse and get non-personalised ads instead. To change your choice later:
- Personalised ads — you can turn off personalised ads from Google at any time in Google Ads Settings. Learn more in How Google uses information from sites that use its services and How Google uses cookies.
- Google Analytics — you can stop Google Analytics on every website by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
- Browser settings — every browser lets you block or delete cookies and clear the data for a single site. Blocking strictly necessary cookies will stop sign-in and checkout from working; the free on-device tools still work.
- Paddle — see Paddle’s privacy policy for the cookies it uses during checkout.
6. Changes to this policy
We’ll update this page whenever we add a cookie or change what one is used for, and change the “last updated” date above.
7. Contact
Questions about cookies? Email support@squishlyapp.com or use our contact page.