In April 2025, Google confirmed it wouldn't roll out a standalone prompt asking Chrome users to opt in or out of third-party cookies. Combined with its 2024 reversal on deprecation, this means third-party cookies stay in Chrome for the foreseeable future, with no removal date on the calendar. Years of agencies bracing for a cookieless web ended not with a bang but a shrug.
It would be easy to read this as permission to relax. That would be a mistake. Safari and Firefox already block third-party cookies, privacy regulation keeps tightening, and users are warier of tracking than ever.
For a small or mid-size business, the smart move is to keep building on ground you own. Invest in first-party data such as email lists, logged-in accounts, and clean server-side analytics. Those hold up regardless of what any browser decides next. Chrome buying you time is useful, but the durable marketing setup is the one that doesn't depend on a third party's cookie policy staying put.
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