Privacy Policy & Cookie Policy

Pomodo is a small, independent site run by one person. There are no user accounts, no logins, and no payments. The data picture is correspondingly simple.

Website (pomodo.io)

Through Google Analytics 4, I collect anonymous usage data when you browse the site:

• Pages you view and how long you spend on them
• The link or CTA you click (for example, a click through to the timer)
• Approximate location, device, browser, and operating system, as provided by Google Analytics
• The site or search that referred you
• Aggregated age, gender, and interest categories, for visitors who are signed in to a Google account with ad personalization turned on (through the Google Signals feature, described below)

Google Analytics 4 does not log or store full IP addresses. This data is not tied to your name or identity.

If you email me directly, I receive your name, email address, and whatever you write. That is the only personal information the site involves, and it lives in my inbox, not in a database on the site.

Timer (pomodo.io/timer/)

The timer is a simple productivity tool with no accounts and no paid features.

Stored only in your browser (I cannot see this):

• Your settings, such as theme, timer durations, and display preferences
• The timer’s current state, so it can keep working if you reload

A random device ID: the timer creates a random identifier (a UUID) and stores it in your browser’s local storage. It is used to tag analytics events so that repeated use from the same browser can be recognised. It contains no name, email, or account details, and you can remove it at any time by clearing the site’s data in your browser.

Usage events sent to Google Analytics: to understand how the timer is used, it sends events such as opening the app, starting, pausing, resetting, or skipping a timer, and completing or abandoning pomodoros, breaks, and sessions, along with a general sense of where you arrived from (for example, the blog, the science section, or an external site). Each event carries the random device ID described above, but no personal information.

Third-party services

Google Analytics 4 processes the website and timer analytics described above on my behalf. Google’s own handling of that data is governed by Google’s Privacy Policy .

Google Signals is enabled on this property. This lets Google Analytics report aggregated age, gender, and interest categories, and recognise the same visitor across devices, for people who are signed in to a Google account with ad personalization turned on. It is only ever shown to me as aggregated statistics and never identifies you individually. You can control or switch this off from your own Google account ad settings .

I use the limited data above for a small number of straightforward purposes:

• Running the site and timer: serving pages, keeping the timer working, and fixing technical problems.
• Understanding usage: seeing which articles and features people actually use, and how the timer is used, so I can improve them. This is the purpose of the analytics events and the device ID.
• Responding to you: if you email me, I use your message and address to reply.
• Legal and safety basics: complying with the law if I am ever required to, and protecting the site against abuse.

I do not use your data for advertising, profiling, automated decision-making, or any kind of sale.

I do not sell, rent, or trade your data.

The only routine sharing is with the providers that make the site work:

• Google Analytics 4, which processes the usage analytics described above.
• My hosting provider, which serves the website and is technically able to see standard server request logs.

I may also disclose information if I am legally required to do so, or where it is necessary to protect the site and its users from abuse.

If I publish anything based on usage data, for example a note about how the timer is used, it will only ever be in aggregate form that cannot identify an individual.

The strongest protection here is how little data exists in the first place. There are no accounts, no passwords, and no personal database to breach.

• The site is served over HTTPS.
• Your timer settings stay in your own browser, not on my servers.
• The analytics data held in Google Analytics is governed by Google’s own security controls and is retained for 14 months, after which it is automatically deleted.
• Any email you send me is held in my email account and is not added to the site.

You have direct, practical control over everything described in this policy:

• Block analytics: use your browser’s privacy settings, a content blocker, or Google’s Analytics opt-out tool to stop analytics from loading. The timer detects when analytics is blocked and simply carries on without it.
• Control demographics data: turn off ad personalization in your Google account ad settings to stop Google providing the aggregated age, gender, and interest categories described above.
• Clear the device ID and your settings: clearing the site’s data (or your browser’s local storage) for pomodo.io removes the random device ID and your saved timer settings.
• Manage cookies: all modern browsers let you block or delete cookies. The site still works without them.
• Ask me directly: if you have emailed me and want to know what I hold or want it deleted from my inbox, just ask. If you are in the UK or EU, this covers your rights of access and erasure for any contact email you have sent.

Cookies

The site uses Google Analytics, which sets a small number of analytics cookies, typically _ga and _ga_1RXQG9VBQT. They let Google Analytics recognise returning browsers and measure usage. They do not contain personal information and are not used for advertising.

Local storage

The timer uses your browser’s local storage rather than cookies for two things:

• Your timer settings and current state, which never leave your device.
• The random device ID used to tag analytics events.

Local storage stays on your device until you clear your browser’s site data.

Managing it all

• Block or delete cookies through your browser settings.
• Clear site data for pomodo.io to remove local storage, including the device ID and your settings.
• Use the Google Analytics opt-out linked in the section above to stop analytics entirely.

There are no advertising or tracking cookies from ad networks on this site.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you can reach me at:

• Email: hello [at] pomodo [dot] io
• Website: https://pomodo.io