1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored by your browser when you visit a website. They help websites remember your preferences, keep you logged in, and understand how you use the site. BalanceBoard uses a minimal set of cookies — we do not use advertising cookies, and the student app itself (your dashboard, tasks, check-ins, and AI conversations) contains no third-party analytics or tracking. We use Google Analytics on our public marketing and informational pages only, as described in Section 2.

2. Cookies We Use

Cookie Name	Type	Purpose	Duration
next-auth.session-token	Essential	Maintains your login session securely	30 days
next-auth.csrf-token	Essential	Prevents cross-site request forgery attacks	Session
next-auth.callback-url	Essential	Remembers where to redirect after login	Session
__Secure-next-auth.session-token	Essential	HTTPS-only secure session cookie	30 days
bb-theme	Functional	Remembers your dark/light theme preference	1 year
bb-color	Functional	Remembers your primary color preference	1 year
_ga / _ga_*	Analytics	Google Analytics — measures visits to our PUBLIC marketing pages only (homepage, blog, legal pages). Never set or read inside the student app: dashboards, tasks, wellness check-ins, and AI conversations send nothing to Google Analytics.	2 years

3. Local Storage

In addition to cookies, BalanceBoard uses your browser's localStorage to provide an offline-capable experience and instant UI performance:

Guest-mode data — if you use BalanceBoard without an account, your tasks and sliced steps live only in your browser's localStorage (they are migrated to your account if you later sign in)
Test prep goals and deadlines (SAT, ACT, AP exam dates) — stored locally for fast access
Target college lists — Dream/Target/Safety schools stored locally
Notification preferences — quiet-hours settings, which deadline alerts were already shown (so you aren't re-notified), and whether you dismissed the enable-alerts offer
UI state preferences — dashboard layout, aesthetic mode and accent color, collapsed sidebars, active tabs, etc.

localStorage data stays on your device and is not sent to our servers unless you explicitly sync it. You can clear it at any time via your browser's privacy settings.

4. Cookies We Do NOT Use

Our Cookie Commitment

No advertising or marketing cookies
No cross-site tracking cookies
No analytics of any kind inside the student app — your dashboard, tasks, wellness check-ins, and AI conversations are never sent to Google Analytics or any other third-party analytics service (Google Analytics runs only on our public marketing pages; see Section 2)
No advertising pixels (Facebook Pixel, TikTok Pixel, etc.) anywhere
No behavioral profiling or retargeting
No selling of cookie data to data brokers

5. Third-Party Cookies

Some third-party services we use may set their own cookies:

Fonts: Application fonts are bundled through Next.js and served with the site; the app does not intentionally contact Google Fonts from the browser for them.
Google OAuth: When you sign in with Google, Google's authentication flow sets cookies on Google's domain (not ours) to manage your Google session.
Google Analytics (only if enabled): The script may load on public marketing and legal pages and set _ga cookies. It is not used on authenticated app, onboarding, wellness, tools, or admin pages.

We do not have control over third-party cookies on their domains. Refer to Google's Privacy Policy for their cookie practices.

6. Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings:

Block all cookies: You can configure your browser to block all cookies, but this will prevent BalanceBoard from functioning (you won't be able to stay logged in).
Clear cookies: You can delete all stored cookies at any time. This will log you out of BalanceBoard.
Essential cookies: Session cookies (next-auth tokens) are necessary for the app to work. They cannot be opted out of while using the service.

Browser-specific instructions for managing cookies:

Chrome: Settings → Privacy and Security → Cookies
Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
Firefox: Options → Privacy & Security → Cookies
Edge: Settings → Privacy, Search and Services → Cookies

7. Contact

Questions about our cookie practices? Email support@balanceboard.app with subject "Cookie Policy Question."