Privacy Policy for Walk the Earth

Last updated: June 24, 2026

Walk the Earth ("the app", "we", "us", or "our") is a step-tracking app that walks your in-app avatar across a virtual world map as you move in real life. This Privacy Policy explains what data the app accesses, how it is used, and with whom it is shared.

By using Walk the Earth, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1. Who We Are and How to Contact Us

Walk the Earth is operated by Riley Gray.

If you have any questions about this policy or your data, contact us at:

Email: realgamesrealfun@outlook.com

2. Accounts

Walk the Earth does not require you to create an account, and you cannot sign up with an email address, password, phone number, or social login.

To enable the optional friends feature, the app signs your device in anonymously with Firebase Authentication. This generates a random, device-bound identifier (an "anonymous user ID") so your data can be securely associated with your device. It is not linked to your real-world identity.

3. Data We Collect and Why

3.1 Activity and fitness data (step counts)

What: The number of steps you take.

Sources:

  • Your device's step sensor / activity recognition (the ACTIVITY_RECOGNITION permission on Android).
  • Optionally, if you choose to connect it, Health Connect (Android) or Apple Health (iOS), from which we read step counts only (READ_STEPS), on a read-only basis.

Why: Steps are the core of the app — they move your avatar along your journey, count toward your daily goal, build streaks, and unlock badges.

Your control: Connecting Health Connect / Apple Health is optional and is only requested when you choose to enable it. You can revoke this access at any time in your device's system settings, after which the app falls back to the device step sensor.

We request the minimum health data necessary (step counts only) and use it solely to provide the app's fitness features.

3.2 Location data

What: Approximate and precise device location (GPS).

Why: Location is used only to:

  • trace a live walk so the route you cover can be recorded, and
  • set the starting point of a journey ("use my location").

How it leaves your device: To turn coordinates into readable place names (for example, labelling the start and end of a route), coordinates may be sent to the OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocoding service, which returns a place name. Coordinates are used only to obtain that name and are not stored by us for this purpose.

What we do not do: We do not store your raw GPS coordinates on our servers, and we do not share your location with friends or use it for advertising.

Your control: Location access is optional. The app works without it; it is only requested when you start live tracking or tap "use my location." Background location is requested only to keep recording a walk while the app is in the background, and only if you grant it.

3.3 Profile and friends data

When the friends feature is used, the app publishes a public player profile so friends can find you by your friend code and compare progress. This profile contains:

  • your display name (optional — if left blank, your friend code is shown instead),
  • your friend code (a randomly generated identifier),
  • your step totals (lifetime and today),
  • your daily step goal, current streak, and longest streak,
  • your unlocked badges and avatar appearance, and
  • your anonymous user ID and a last-updated timestamp.

Why: To power the friends list, leaderboard comparisons, and shared journeys.

Sharing: This profile is visible to other Walk the Earth users who have your friend code or are your friends. By adding friends and sharing trips, you consent to your profile data — including step totals — being shared with those users. If you do not use the friends feature, this data is not shared with other users.

Friends can also share a trip (a virtual route plus the sharer's step and time result) into your in-app inbox so you can walk the same route. Shared trips contain virtual map routes and results — not your real-world GPS location.

3.4 Advertising

The app displays ads using Google AdMob. To serve ads, AdMob may collect and share your device's advertising ID and related device information with Google.

Why: To show advertisements that support the app.

We do not use your health, fitness, or Health Connect data for advertising or ad targeting.

You can reset or limit your advertising ID in your device's system settings.

For information on how Google uses this data, see Google's Privacy & Terms: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

3.5 Data stored on your device

Your settings and progress (such as preferences, coins, owned items, and locale) are stored locally on your device using standard on-device storage. This data stays on your device unless it is part of the public profile described above.

4. How We Store and Protect Your Data

  • Profile and friends data is stored using Google Firebase / Cloud Firestore, which acts as our service provider.
  • All data transmitted by the app is encrypted in transit using industry-standard TLS/HTTPS.
  • Access to your published profile is restricted by security rules so that only you (your anonymous user ID) can modify your own profile.

5. Third-Party Services

The app relies on the following third-party services, each of which has its own privacy policy:

6. Health Connect (Android)

If you connect Health Connect, the app reads step counts only and uses them solely to display and track your activity within the app, as described in Section 3.1.

  • We do not sell Health Connect data.
  • We do not use Health Connect data for advertising.
  • We read this data on a read-only basis and request the minimum necessary.
  • You can disconnect at any time in Health Connect settings; the app then uses your device's step sensor instead.

Walk the Earth's use of information received from Health Connect adheres to the Health Connect Permissions policy (https://developer.android.com/health-and-fitness/guides/health-connect/publish/policy), including the Limited Use requirements.

7. Data Retention and Deletion

Your on-device data is removed when you uninstall the app.

Your published profile and friends data remain in our backend so the friends feature continues to work. To request deletion of your published profile and associated data, email us at realgamesrealfun@outlook.com with your friend code, and we will delete it.

8. Children's Privacy

Walk the Earth is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction), and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with data, contact us and we will delete it.

9. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, or delete your personal data, or to object to or restrict its processing. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at realgamesrealfun@outlook.com.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy. Your continued use of the app after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

For any privacy questions or requests, contact:

Email: realgamesrealfun@outlook.com