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Trail Walks Privacy Policy

Effective date: 13 October 2026
Last updated: 13 October 2026

Hello! This policy explains what information the Trail Walks iOS app uses, why, who it is shared with, and the choices and rights you have. I've tried to keep it short and in plain English.

The short version

• You can use Trail Walks without an account. Without one, your trails, steps and photos stay on your phone.
• If you create an account, your email address and your saved trails (including their GPS routes) are stored with my hosting provider so you can back them up and sync them.
• Trail sharing is off by default. If you turn it on for a trail, other people can see that trail, including where it starts.
• Your photos never leave your phone.
• There are no ads, no tracking, no analytics SDKs, and I never sell your data.

1. Who I am

Trail Walks is made by Mason, an individual developer based in Scotland, United Kingdom. For the purposes of UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018), I am the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.

Contact: admin@masonmade.co.uk

2. What information the app uses

2.1 Information that stays on your phone

Some things are stored only on your device (in the app's own storage) and are not sent to me:

• Photos. If you add a photo to a trail with your camera or photo library, the app saves a copy inside the app's private storage on your phone. Photos are not uploaded to your account or anywhere else.
• Daily step counts. The Steps screen reads your step counts from your iPhone's motion sensors (Motion & Fitness) and keeps a daily step history, your step goal, streaks and badges on your phone only.
• App settings and caches, such as your map style, light/dark theme, display name, walks saved for offline use, favourites, elevation profiles and, while a walk is being recorded, the GPS points collected so far.
• Sign-in session. If you sign in, a login token is stored on your phone so you stay signed in.

If you don't create an account, your trails and favourites also stay only on your phone. Deleting the app removes all of this from your phone.

2.2 Location

Trail Walks asks for access to your precise location so it can:

• show where you are on the map and find walks near you; and
• record the route of a walk you choose to record.

When you start recording a walk, the app may ask for "Always" location permission. This is used only while a walk is being recorded, so recording keeps working when your phone is locked or you switch apps. iOS shows a location indicator while this is happening. Background location stops when you pause, finish or discard the recording. The app does not track your location in the background at any other time.

You can change location permission at any time in iPhone Settings > Trail Walks > Location. Without location access you can still browse maps, search places and plan trails by tapping the map.

2.3 Motion & Fitness (steps)

With your permission, the app reads step counts from your iPhone's motion sensors to show daily steps and the number of steps taken during a recorded walk. Daily step history stays on your phone. The step total for a recorded walk is saved as part of that trail, so if you have an account it is backed up with the trail (see 2.4).

2.4 If you create an account (optional)

You can create an account with an email address and password, or with Sign in with Apple. If you do, the following is stored by my hosting provider, Supabase:

• Account details: your email address (with Sign in with Apple this may be an Apple "Hide My Email" relay address), a unique account ID, your Apple account identifier if you use Sign in with Apple, your password in a securely hashed form (never in plain text), and technical sign-in records such as when you signed up and last signed in. Like most online services, Supabase's servers also log technical information such as your IP address and device/browser type when the app connects, for security and to keep the service running.
• Your saved trails: name, type (recorded or planned), the GPS points of the route, the start point (latitude and longitude), distance, step count, date and time created, your notes, whether the trail is shared, and, if you share it, the display name you chose.
• Your favourite walks: the walk's name, type, source, distance, a simplified copy of its route and when you added it.

When you sign in, the app syncs your trails and favourites between your phone and your account. When you delete a trail or remove a favourite in the app while signed in, it is also deleted from your account. Signing out stops syncing; your trails stay on your phone.

With Sign in with Apple, Trail Walks only asks Apple for your email address (which can be a private relay address). It does not ask for or store your name.

2.5 Trail sharing (optional, off by default)

Each trail has a "Share with other walkers" switch, which is off unless you turn it on (you need an account to share). When a trail is shared:

• it becomes publicly visible: other Trail Walks users near the start of the trail can see it in Explore and open it, and anyone with a link to it can view it;
• other people can see only: the trail's name, whether it was recorded or planned, its distance, the display name you entered (if any), and a simplified version of the route with roughly the first and last 150 metres removed, so the exact start and finish points (for example your front door) are not shown. They cannot see your notes, step count, photos, the date or time you made it, your email address or your account ID;
• please still think about where the walk starts. The trimmed route still shows the general area. Consider sharing only trails that start somewhere public, and choose a trail name that doesn't identify you.

If another walker thinks a shared trail is inappropriate, they can report it from the trail screen. A report records the trail, the reason chosen and (if they're signed in) the reporter's account ID, so I can review it and remove trails that break the rules. Reports are kept for up to 12 months.

You can stop sharing at any time by turning the switch off, or delete the trail. Once it's unshared it is no longer shown to others, although I cannot undo anything someone else already saw or copied while it was shared.

Separately, the "Share summary…" button opens the standard iOS share sheet with a short text summary (name, distance, steps and a link to the start point on Apple Maps). Nothing is sent unless you choose an app and send it yourself; whatever you share is then handled by that app.

2.6 Information sent to map and data services

To find walks and show useful details, the app sends some information to outside services. These requests don't include your name, email or account ID, but (as with any internet request) the service will see your device's IP address.

• Apple Maps shows the map. Apple receives the map area you're viewing in order to provide map tiles.
• OpenStreetMap Overpass API (public servers run by volunteers and organisations, currently overpass-api.de, overpass.kumi.systems and overpass.private.coffee) receives the coordinates of your current location or the map area you're viewing, so it can return nearby footpaths and walking routes.
• OpenStreetMap Nominatim (run by the OpenStreetMap Foundation) receives the text you type into place search so it can find matching places in the UK.
• Open-Meteo receives up to 100 coordinates along a walk or trail so it can return an elevation profile.

2.7 App updates

The app uses Expo's EAS Update service (run by Expo / 650 Industries, Inc.) to download bug fixes and small updates. When it checks for updates, the app sends technical information such as the platform (iOS), the app's version, a random installation ID created by the update system, and, if the app crashed the last time it tried to load an update, a short error message. This is used only to deliver the right update and keep the app working.

2.8 What the app does not do

• No advertising and no advertising IDs.
• No tracking across other companies' apps or websites (the app never asks for App Tracking Transparency permission).
• No analytics or third-party crash-reporting SDKs.
• No selling or renting of your personal data.
• No access to your contacts, microphone or Apple Health.

Apple may separately share crash reports and usage statistics with me if you have chosen to share analytics with app developers in your iPhone settings (Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements). These are anonymous and controlled by Apple.

3. Why I use it, and the legal bases

UK data protection law requires a legal reason ("lawful basis") for using personal data:

Location data can sometimes reveal sensitive information about you (for example, places you visit). I do not use it to work out anything about you beyond providing the features above.

Storing information on your device (for example settings, caches and your login session) is done because it is strictly necessary for the features you use.

4. Who I share information with

I only share data with service providers that help run the app, plus other users when you choose to share a trail. Service providers ("processors") may only use the data to provide their service to me.

The map and data services (Apple Maps, Overpass, Nominatim and Open-Meteo) are independent services that handle the requests under their own privacy policies:

• Apple: https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/
• OpenStreetMap Foundation: https://osmfoundation.org/wiki/Privacy_Policy
• Open-Meteo: https://open-meteo.com/en/terms
• Supabase: https://supabase.com/privacy
• Expo: https://expo.dev/privacy

I may also disclose information if the law requires it (for example a valid request from the police or a court), or to protect people's safety.

5. International transfers

Some of these providers are based in, or store data in, countries outside the UK, such as the United States or countries in the European Union, and your account data held by Supabase may be stored outside the UK. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, I rely on appropriate safeguards required by UK law, such as:

• UK "adequacy regulations" (for example for EU/EEA countries, or US organisations certified under the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework); or
• the UK International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, included in the provider's data processing terms.

You can contact me for more information about these safeguards.

6. How long I keep it

• On your phone: until you delete it in the app or delete the app.
• Account and synced trails: for as long as you have an account. When you delete a trail it is removed from your account straight away. When your account is deleted, your account, trails and favourites are deleted within 30 days. Encrypted backups kept by Supabase are overwritten on their normal cycle, after which the data is gone.
• Shared trails: shown to others until you unshare or delete them, or delete your account.
• Technical and security logs: kept for a short time by the providers (usually days to a few weeks) under their own retention schedules.
• Emails with me: for as long as needed to deal with your query, and up to 2 years for privacy requests so I can show how they were handled.

7. Deleting your account

In the app: open the Account tab while signed in and tap Delete account, then confirm. This immediately and permanently deletes your account (your login and email address), all trails synced to your account (including any you shared, which disappear for other people straight away) and your synced favourites. Any reports you made are kept but no longer linked to you. You'll be asked whether to keep a copy of your trails on this phone or remove them too. Photos and step history were only ever on your phone; deleting the app removes them.

By email: if you can't use the app, email admin@masonmade.co.uk from the email address on your account with the subject "Delete my Trail Walks account" (if you use Sign in with Apple with "Hide My Email", include the relay address shown in the Account tab). I may ask you to confirm the request, and will delete everything within 30 days and confirm by email.

Deleted data may remain in my hosting provider's encrypted backups for a short period (up to 7 days) before it is overwritten. If you used Sign in with Apple, you can also stop using it with Trail Walks in iPhone Settings > [your name] > Sign-In & Security > Sign in with Apple.

8. Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• access the personal data I hold about you and get a copy;
• correct inaccurate data;
• delete your data ("right to be forgotten");
• restrict or object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests;
• data portability: receive the data you gave me in a common machine-readable format (such as JSON);
• withdraw consent at any time where I rely on consent (for example, turn off sharing for a trail). This doesn't affect anything done before you withdrew it.

To use any of these rights, email admin@masonmade.co.uk. There's normally no charge, and I'll reply within one month (this can be extended in some cases, and I'll tell you if so).

Complaints. If you're unhappy with how I've handled your data, please contact me first so I can try to fix it. You also have the right to complain to the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/, phone 0303 123 1113.

9. Children

Trail Walks is a general walking app and is not directed at children under 13. Children under 13 should not create an account or share trails. If you believe a child under 13 has given me personal data, please contact me and I will delete it.

10. Security

I take reasonable steps to protect your data:

• all communication between the app and Supabase is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS);
• account data is protected by database access rules so that only you can read or change your own private trails and favourites;
• passwords are stored only in hashed form by Supabase's sign-in system;
• photos and daily step history never leave your phone.

No system is completely secure, so please use a strong, unique password and keep your phone locked. If there's a data breach that affects you, I'll tell you and the ICO where the law requires it.

11. Changes to this policy

I may update this policy when the app changes or the law changes. The "Last updated" date at the top will change, and for important changes I'll let you know in the app or by email (if you have an account) before they take effect.

Launch email list (website only)

If you sign up on masonmade.co.uk to be told when an app launches, your email address (and your name, if you give it) is sent to me by FormSubmit. It is held in my developer email inbox and used only to announce app launches. I won't share it or use it for anything else. To be removed, email admin@masonmade.co.uk and I'll delete it. This doesn't apply to the app itself, which collects nothing.

12. Contact

Mason (Trail Walks)
Scotland, United Kingdom
Email: admin@masonmade.co.uk