Cookie & Local Storage Policy
Last Updated: 11 August 2026
1. Introduction
This Cookie & Local Storage Policy explains the cookies and browser storage that Heartocast (https://hearto.ixtj.dev) uses, why we use them, and how you can manage or delete them.
Heartocast is operated by the developer of Heartocast, based in New South Wales, Australia. It is an unofficial, fan-made, free web app showing weather forecasts and cooking/crop timers for the game Heartopia. It is not an official Heartopia product. "Heartopia" and all related names and assets belong to their respective owners.
This policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
2. What Are Cookies & Local Storage
Cookies are small text files that a website places on your device through your browser. They allow a website to remember things — such as a preference or setting — between visits.
Web storage (localStorage) is a separate browser feature that lets a website store larger amounts of data on your device. Unlike cookies, data in localStorage is kept only in your browser and is never sent to a server.
Both cookies and local storage are stored on your own device and remain under your control. You can view, block, or delete them at any time through your browser settings (see Section 9).
3. How We Use Them
Heartocast uses cookies and local storage for functional purposes only — to remember your preferences (such as theme, language, and forecast region) and to enable features of the site (such as your saved timers and notification settings).
We do not use advertising cookies, and we do not use tracking cookies to follow you across other websites.
4. Analytics
Heartocast uses a privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics service to understand aggregate usage in a way that respects your privacy.
With our default configuration, our analytics:
- uses no cookies;
- performs no browser fingerprinting;
- does not track users across websites; and
- collects no personally identifiable information.
Our analytics records only aggregated, anonymized usage data, including pages visited, referrer, browser, operating system, device type, and approximate region/country (inferred without storing personal data). It uses this to derive summary statistics such as visitors, sessions, bounce rate, and top pages. No custom event tracking is enabled.
For more detail on how we handle data, see our Privacy Policy.
5. Essential / Functional Cookies
Heartocast sets a small number of first-party cookies — set by Heartocast itself, never by third parties. They are functional and essential: the service cannot remember your preferences without them.
All of these cookies are SameSite=Lax, path=/, set only for Heartocast, and are never used for advertising or cross-site tracking.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Interface theme preference cookie | Remembers your chosen light, dark, or system theme. | 1 year |
| Language preference cookie | Remembers your interface language. | 1 year |
| Forecast region preference cookie | Remembers your selected forecast region, used to localise the forecast. | Persistent (functional preference) |
6. Browser Local Storage
Heartocast stores the following items in your browser's localStorage. This data lives only in your browser, is never sent to any server, and is cleared when you clear your site data or browser storage.
| Item | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Saved timer presets | Your custom cooking & crop timer presets. |
| Alarm volume setting | The volume of the timer-finished alarm. |
| Notification subscriptions | Which weather conditions you opted to be notified about. |
7. Third-Party Cookies
Heartocast does not use third-party cookies. Because our analytics is cookieless and collects no personally identifiable information (see Section 4), no third-party tracking cookies are placed on your device.
8. Consent & Cookie Banners
Because Heartocast uses only functional first-party cookies and cookieless, anonymized analytics, no cookie consent banner is legally required under Australian law, and none is shown.
Australian law does not impose a general cookie-consent requirement, and the EU ePrivacy/GDPR cookie-consent regime does not apply to cookieless tracking of this kind. Should Heartocast ever introduce non-essential cookies, we will revisit this position and provide an appropriate consent mechanism.
9. Managing & Deleting Cookies/Storage
You can control cookies and local storage through your browser settings. Most browsers let you:
- block all cookies, or only third-party cookies;
- delete existing cookies; and
- clear site data, including
localStorage.
Please note that if you disable or delete the functional cookies in Section 5, Heartocast will not be able to remember your preferences — your theme, language, and forecast region settings will reset on each visit. Clearing local storage (see Section 6) will also remove your saved timers, alarm volume, and notification subscriptions.
Your browser's help pages explain how to manage cookies and site data for your specific browser.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cookie & Local Storage Policy from time to time. When we do, the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will reflect the most recent revision. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
11. Contact
If you have any questions about this Cookie & Local Storage Policy, please contact us on Discord: shanefully_done.
For how we handle personal information, see our Privacy Policy. For the terms governing your use of Heartocast, see our Terms of Service.
This policy is governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia.