Privacy Policy

The short version

PodWalk turns any place you name into a generated audio walking tour. To do that we need a lightweight account, the place names and (when you choose a starting point) coordinates you give us, your location while you are on a walk so the right audio plays at the right stop, and your subscription status. We do not sell your personal data, and we do not run third-party advertising.

Data we collect

Account and identity

When you first open PodWalk we create an anonymous account so the app works without a sign-up wall. If you choose to sign in with Apple or Google, we receive a unique identifier and — depending on what you allow — your name and email address. With Sign in with Apple you may use Apple’s “Hide My Email” relay, in which case we only ever see a relay address, not your real one. Authentication is handled by our backend provider, Supabase.

Location

• On your device:to suggest a walk where you already are (“Walk through …”), the app turns your current location into a city or town name directly on your device. The raw coordinates are not sent to us for this.
• During a walk: while a walk is active — including in the background with the screen locked — PodWalk reads your location to detect when you reach each stop and to start the matching narration. This proximity logic runs on your device; we do not build or store a history of your movements on our servers.
• Tour starting points: when you generate a tour for a specific place, the coordinates of that place (not your live position) are sent to our backend so we can plan a route and research the area.

Background location requires your explicit permission, which you can grant or revoke at any time in your device settings. If you decline, you can still generate and listen to tours; only the automatic “play as you arrive” behaviour is affected.

Tours and usage

We store the places you search for, the tours you generate and save to your library, your generation preferences (such as duration and themes), and playback progress so you can resume a walk. To power Lock Screen and Dynamic Island Live Activities, your device sends us a temporary, per-activity push token.

Purchases

PodWalk offers paid passes (subscriptions and/or one-time purchases). Payments are processed by Apple or Google through their in-app purchase systems — we never receive or store your card or payment details. We use RevenueCat to manage and verify your purchase status, identified by your PodWalk account ID, so access follows you across reinstalls and devices.

Diagnostics and product analytics

We use Microsoft Clarity to understand how the app is used and to find and fix problems. Clarity captures interaction and screen-view data on a session basis. This helps us improve the product; it is not used for advertising.

Why we use your data and our legal bases

• To provide the core service — creating tours, planning routes, and playing audio at the right moment (performance of a contract).
• To use your location during a walk (your consent, via the system permission prompt).
• To verify purchases and manage subscriptions (performance of a contract).
• To keep the app secure, reliable, and improving (our legitimate interests in operating and improving PodWalk).

How your tours are generated

To write a tour we send the place name and coordinates you choose (not your identity) to third-party services that read map and points-of-interest data, research the area, draft narration, and synthesise the voice. These providers process this content to return your tour and act as our processors or independent services for that purpose. We do not send them your account email or your live location.

Who we share data with

We share personal data only with service providers that help us run PodWalk, and only as needed:

• Supabase — authentication, database, and backend hosting.
• RevenueCat, plus Apple and Google — purchases and subscription management.
• Anthropic — generating the written tour content from the place you choose.
• Mapbox and OpenStreetMap — maps, geocoding, and points-of-interest data.
• Google Cloud — text-to-speech voice synthesis.
• Microsoft Clarity — product analytics and diagnostics.
• Apple Push Notification service — delivering Live Activity updates.

We may also disclose data where required by law, or to protect our rights, safety, and the integrity of the service.

International transfers

Some of these providers are located outside the European Economic Area, including in the United States. Where that is the case, the transfer is protected by appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses or an equivalent mechanism.

How long we keep it

We keep account and tour data for as long as your account exists, so your library and progress are there when you return. Purchase records are retained as long as needed for the subscription and to meet legal and accounting obligations. When you delete your account, we delete or anonymise the associated personal data, except where we must retain it by law.

Your rights

Under the GDPR you have the right to access, correct, delete, or export your personal data, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to withdraw consent (such as location permission) at any time. To exercise any of these, email us at hello@podwalk-tours.nl. You can also delete your account from within the app, which removes your associated data as described above.

If you believe we have mishandled your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, or your local supervisory authority.

Children

PodWalk is not directed to children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has provided us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as the app evolves. When we make material changes we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data? Email us at hello@podwalk-tours.nl (hello@podwalk-tours.nl).