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 purchase status. On the website we use product analytics and, if you sign up for launch news, your email address. We do not sell your personal data, and we do not run third-party advertising.

Data we collect in the app

Account and identity

When you first open PodWalk we automatically create an anonymous account, identified by a random ID, so the app works without a sign-up wall — no name or email is required. If we offer sign-in with Apple or Google and you choose to use it, 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. 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 on your device. The raw coordinates are not sent to our servers 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, themes, and language), and playback progress so you can resume a walk. Tours you download for offline use are stored on your device. On iOS, to power Lock Screen and Dynamic Island Live Activities, your device sends us a temporary, per-activity push token that we use only to update that Live Activity.

Purchases

PodWalk offers one-time, non-renewing passes. 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 verify and manage your purchase status, identified by your PodWalk account ID, so access follows you across reinstalls and devices. We keep a record of your passes (product, purchase date, expiry) to provide the access you paid for.

Product analytics

We use PostHog to understand how the app is used — for example which screens are visited and where people abandon a flow — and to find and fix problems. This includes usage events, app version and device type, and your account’s random ID. We use this to improve the product; it is not used for advertising and we do not sell it.

Data we collect on the website

• Analytics: we use PostHog on podwalk-tours.nl to measure page visits and how the site is used. This may store a small identifier in your browser to recognise repeat visits. It is not used for advertising.
• Email sign-up: if you ask us to notify you (for example when PodWalk launches on Android), we store the email address you give us, what you signed up for, and when. We use it only to send you that news, and you can be removed at any time by emailing hello@podwalk-tours.nl.
• Hosting and logs: the website is hosted on Vercel, which processes standard technical data (such as your IP address) to deliver pages and protect the service. Maps embedded on the site load tiles from Mapbox, which receives the technical requests your browser makes.

Why we use your data and our legal bases

• To provide the core service — creating tours, planning routes, playing audio at the right moment, and giving you the access you purchased (performance of a contract).
• To use your location during a walk (your consent, via the system permission prompt, withdrawable in device settings).
• To send you launch news you signed up for (your consent, withdrawable at any time).
• To keep the app and website secure, reliable, and improving, including analytics and abuse prevention (our legitimate interests in operating and improving PodWalk).
• To meet bookkeeping and tax obligations on purchase records (legal obligation).

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 look up map and points-of-interest data, draft the narration, and synthesise the voice: Google Maps Platform for place search and walking routes, public knowledge sources such as OpenStreetMap and Wikipedia projects for facts about the area, Anthropic (Claude) to write the script, and Google Cloud to generate the audio. These providers process that content to return your tour. We do not send them your account details 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 entitlement management.
• Anthropic — generating the written tour content from the place you choose.
• Google — place search and walking directions (Google Maps Platform) and text-to-speech voice synthesis (Google Cloud).
• Mapbox and OpenStreetMap — maps and map data, in the app and on the website.
• PostHog — product analytics for the app and the website.
• Vercel — website hosting.
• Apple Push Notification service — delivering Live Activity updates on iOS.

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 (for example PostHog, Vercel, Anthropic, Google, and RevenueCat). Where that is the case, the transfer is protected by appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses, an adequacy decision such as the EU–US Data Privacy Framework, 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 to provide your access and to meet legal and accounting obligations. Launch-news email addresses are kept until we have sent the news you asked for, or until you ask to be removed, whichever comes first. 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 or an email sign-up) 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).