Google has ended its Privacy Sandbox plan, the framework designed to replace third-party cookies in Chrome. Following its April 2025 announcement that cookie control would remain in users’ hands, Google has now begun deprecating and removing the main Privacy Sandbox APIs. Chrome will continue to support third-party cookies in normal browsing.
In new developer intent threads posted on November 7 and 8, 2025, Google engineers announced plans to retire several Privacy Sandbox APIs. The list includes:
- Topics API
- Attribution Reporting API
- [Private Aggregati…
Google has ended its Privacy Sandbox plan, the framework designed to replace third-party cookies in Chrome. Following its April 2025 announcement that cookie control would remain in users’ hands, Google has now begun deprecating and removing the main Privacy Sandbox APIs. Chrome will continue to support third-party cookies in normal browsing.
In new developer intent threads posted on November 7 and 8, 2025, Google engineers announced plans to retire several Privacy Sandbox APIs. The list includes:
- Topics API
- Attribution Reporting API
- Private Aggregation API
- Protected Audience API
- Shared Storage API
- Related Website Sets
- document.requestStorageAccessFor()
Google plans to deprecate these APIs in Chrome 144 and remove them completely by Chrome 150.
Google Is Deprecating and Removing Privacy Sandbox APIs in Chrome
In one thread for the Topics API, Google explained the reason:
“Chrome has announced that the current approach to third-party cookies will be maintained. Given this, we expect adoption to decrease over time (currently at 13% of page loads) as interest-based ads will remain possible in Chrome through third-party cookies. Further, other browser engines have not signaled interest in launching the API.”
This statement confirms that Google’s privacy direction now depends on user control rather than new ad standards. By keeping cookies and ending these APIs, Google has effectively closed the chapter on its plan to redesign web ads around privacy.
The Privacy Sandbox project began in 2019 as a proposal to create privacy-focused alternatives for ad measurement and delivery. Adoption stayed low, and no other browser added these APIs. With Chrome now maintaining full third-party cookie support, the framework has lost its purpose.
In April 2025, Google said Chrome would not block third-party cookies by default. Users would control cookie behavior manually, while Incognito mode would continue to block them automatically.
That announcement ended years of uncertainty over Chrome’s cookie policy. Now, with the Privacy Sandbox APIs set to be removed in Chrome 150, Google has confirmed that the browser’s cookie model will stay unchanged.
The removal of the Topics, Attribution Reporting, and other APIs ends one of Chrome’s most ambitious privacy projects. Google’s choice keeps cookies active on the web and places privacy control directly with users instead of a new technical framework.
Relatedly, Google has recently started testing a rollback option for Chrome’s Tracking Protection.
Privacy Sandbox is out, cookies remain. Has Google changed web privacy for good? Share your thoughts.
Venkat is a tech writer with over 15 years of experience, known for spotting new browser features and tech changes before they go public. Based in India, he breaks down under-the-radar browser updates to help readers stay ahead.
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