Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 9, 2026

1. Overview

How You Watch ("we", "our", "the Service") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we access, collect, store, and use, and how we handle it.

This Service uses YouTube API Services. By using this Service, you also agree to the Google Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 YouTube Content (No User Data Collected)

We embed YouTube videos using the official YouTube embedded player in Privacy-Enhanced Mode (youtube-nocookie.com). We do not collect, store, or process any data about which videos you watch. The YouTube embed may set its own cookies — see the Google Privacy Policy for details.

2.2 Google Sign-In (Optional)

You can use the Service without signing in. If you choose to sign in via Google — to comment, vote, favorite a creator, bookmark a video, set your email preference, or send feedback — we access:

  • Your name — displayed next to your comments
  • Your profile picture — displayed next to your comments
  • Your email address — the key under which your account activity (section 2.4) and your email preference (section 2.7) are stored, and used for rate limiting and abuse prevention; never displayed publicly

Your session. When you sign in, your browser sends Google's sign-in token to our backend once. We verify it with Google and issue our own session token in exchange; the Google token is not kept. Our session token carries your name, email address, and profile picture URL, is valid for 30 days, and is renewed automatically when you visit during its last 7 days — so while you keep visiting, you stay signed in. It is stored in your browser's localStorage together with your name, email address, and profile picture URL, and it is sent to our backend with every signed-in action so we know the action is yours. Signing out deletes it from your device.

We do not access your contacts, YouTube channel, or any other Google account data. We do not store your Google password.

2.3 Comments

When you post a comment, we store your display name, profile picture URL, email address (for anti-abuse purposes), comment text, and a timestamp. Comments are stored on our backend. Your name, profile picture, and comment text are publicly visible; your email address is never displayed.

2.4 Votes, Favorites & Bookmarks

When you are signed in and upvote a video, favorite a creator, or bookmark a video, we store that action under your email address with a timestamp. Votes are counted publicly in aggregate (the "Top This Week" ranking shows totals), but never attributed to you by name. Favorites and bookmarks are private: they are shown only to you, when you are signed in. Your browser also keeps a local copy so the buttons paint instantly.

2.5 Feedback

If you use the feedback button, we store your message together with your name, email address, the page you sent it from, the app version, and your browser's user-agent string (the browser and operating system name), so we can reply and reproduce what you saw. Feedback is never published.

2.6 Error Reports

When something breaks in the page — a script error — your browser sends us a technical report so we can fix it: the error message and stack trace, where it occurred, the page address, your browser's user-agent string, the app version, and a random identifier that groups errors from the same page load. Error reports carry no name, email address, or session token: they are sent without signing in, and anything shaped like a sign-in token is removed before sending. They are kept in an operational log that is not linked to your account, used only to diagnose problems, and deleted after 30 days.

2.7 Data on Your Device

To make return visits fast, your browser keeps copies of the video feed, the search index, the "Top This Week" list, and the creator list in localStorage and IndexedDB; it also remembers your filter settings, your cookie-banner choice, and — while you are signed in — your identity and session token (section 2.2) and a copy of your favorites and bookmarks (section 2.4). The cached content and settings are never transmitted to us; the session token is sent only to authenticate your actions. You can clear all of it at any time through your browser's "Clear site data" feature, and signing out removes the identity and session token.

2.8 Usage Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how the Service is used in aggregate — for example, which pages are visited, roughly where visitors come from, and what device and browser they use. Google Analytics is off by default: it only loads, and only sets cookies, after you click Accept on the cookie banner. When enabled, it collects this through cookies and a pseudonymous identifier; it does not receive your name, email address, or comments. We use these statistics only to improve the Service. You can change your choice at any time using the Cookies link in the footer.

2.9 Email Newsletter (Opt-In Only)

When you sign in, we record your name and email address in a private list, together with your answer to the marketing-email question, the time you answered, and where the record came from. We send marketing emails only to people who explicitly chose "Yes, email me" — signing in alone never subscribes you, and no answer is treated as no.

You can change your choice at any time: tap your avatar in the header, then Email preferences. Choosing "No emails" takes effect immediately and is our unsubscribe path; every marketing email we send also tells you how to opt out.

3. How We Use Information

  • Display comments: Your name and picture are shown alongside your comments so other users know who wrote them.
  • Votes, favorites and bookmarks: Votes rank videos in "Top This Week"; favorites and bookmarks give you your own views of the feed.
  • Anti-abuse: Your email address is used to enforce rate limits and to block abusive users, and how long an account has been with us may affect how much weight its votes carry. It is never displayed publicly.
  • Fixing bugs and answering feedback: Error reports and feedback are used to diagnose and fix problems, and to reply to you if you sent feedback.
  • Newsletter (opt-in only): If — and only if — you explicitly said yes to marketing emails, we may send you an occasional email about new watch content. Your consent record (your answer and its timestamp) is kept as required by law.
  • Caching: We keep copies of the feed and related lists on your device to reduce load times on return visits.
  • Aggregate analytics: We use Google Analytics statistics to see how the Service is used and improve it.

We do not use your information for advertising or profiling, and we use it for no purpose other than providing, securing, and improving the Service.

4. Information Sharing

We do not sell your personal information or share it with third parties, with two exceptions: when you sign in, your Google sign-in token is sent to Google once so we can verify it (section 2.2); and, with your consent, Google Analytics collects usage data on our behalf (section 2.8). Comments you post are publicly visible on the Service. Our backend and data are hosted on Google's infrastructure (Google Apps Script and Google Sheets).

5. Third-Party Services

This Service uses the following third-party services:

6. Cookies & Tracking

With your consent, How You Watch sets Google Analytics cookies (such as _ga) to measure usage in aggregate. We ask on your first visit; if you reject, or don't answer, no analytics cookies are set and nothing is sent to Google Analytics. Your choice is remembered in localStorage, and you can change it at any time with the Cookies link in the footer — withdrawing consent deletes the analytics cookies. The embedded YouTube player and Google Sign-In may also set cookies on your device. We use localStorage and IndexedDB (not cookies) for the caches and settings described in section 2.7. Please refer to the Google Privacy Policy for information on how Google handles cookies.

7. Data Deletion & Revocation

Ending your session. Signing out (tap your avatar in the header) deletes your session token from that device and ends your session there immediately. You can also revoke How You Watch's access to your Google account via Google's security settings; this stops future sign-ins but does not by itself end a session that is already open on a device — a session that is not signed out expires on its own within 30 days of its last renewal.

Deleting your data. To request deletion of your comments, votes, favorites, bookmarks, feedback, and email-preference record, please email us at contact@andrewmorganwatches.com from the Google account you signed in with. We will process deletion requests within 7 calendar days.

To clear locally cached data, use your browser's "Clear site data" or "Clear storage" feature.

8. Children's Privacy

This Service is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

10. Contact

For questions or complaints about this Privacy Policy, please email us at contact@andrewmorganwatches.com.