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Privacy Policy

Effective date: 6 May 2026

WalkPhase is a pedestrian crossing safety app for iPhone and Apple Watch. We built it to help you cross the road safely — not to collect your data. This policy explains exactly what happens with your information when you use the app.

1. Data that stays on your device

The following data is created and stored on your iPhone or Apple Watch. WalkPhase does not upload your full GPS route, accelerometer readings, or pedometer data. The only location data shared is the short kerb-to-kerb crossing segment described in section 2:

Data	Purpose	Shared?
Full GPS location tracks	Record your complete route	No — device only. Only the kerb-to-kerb crossing segment (~12 seconds) is shared anonymously.
Accelerometer & motion data	Gait analysis and walking/stationary detection	No — device only
Pedometer (steps & distance)	Validate crossings and measure stride	No — device only
Debug logs	On-device troubleshooting only	No — device only

2. Community data (Apple CloudKit)

To help all pedestrians benefit from shared signal timing data, WalkPhase uploads anonymous summaries to Apple's CloudKit Public Database:

Data	Purpose	Identifiable?
Intersection names & coordinates	Map shared crossings for all users	No
Signal timing plans	Share observed signal phases so new users get countdown timers immediately	No
Crossing summaries (count, avg duration, avg wait)	Build community safety assessments	No — linked to anonymous token only
Crossing GPS path (kerb to kerb only)	Show how pedestrians actually cross — supports agency safety analysis	No — anonymous, ~12 seconds of data per crossing

Community data uses a hashed anonymous token derived from your device identifier. We cannot trace this token back to you, your Apple ID, or your device. This data is stored on Apple's servers under Apple's privacy policy.

3. Optional account (Sign in with Apple)

WalkPhase works fully without an account. If you choose to sign in:

• We use Sign in with Apple exclusively — no passwords are stored.
• Apple provides us with a stable user identifier and optionally your email address (which may be an Apple relay address).
• If you provide your name, it is stored locally on your device and optionally included in safety reports you send.
• Your profile (display name, email, walking speed, accessibility needs, organisation, home city/country) is stored on your device and is also backed up to your private iCloud account via CloudKit Private Database. This backup is per-Apple-ID and is only accessible to you, on your own iCloud-signed-in devices. We do not have access to it. Its purpose is to recover your profile if you reinstall the app or set up a new device.
• If you are signed in and have set a display name, that name is also mirrored to a small public CloudKit record keyed by your anonymous contributor token (see section 2). This lets your crossings appear with a friendly name on the WalkPhase community map and our internal dashboard. If you sign out, or clear your display name, the public record is deleted automatically. The link between your contributor token and your Apple ID is never published.

Signing in enables data backup via CloudKit and lets you receive credit when your crossing data contributes to a safety improvement. After your name has been recorded (whether shared by Apple at first sign-in or entered manually once), it becomes read-only — you cannot subsequently change it from inside the app, to prevent identity changes that would let one contributor masquerade as another.

4. Anonymous analytics

We use TelemetryDeck, an EU-based, privacy-first analytics service, to understand how WalkPhase is used in aggregate. TelemetryDeck processes data in Germany and is fully GDPR-compliant.

What we receive:

• App opened, onboarding completed
• Crossing completed (duration and safety verdict — no coordinates)
• Metro area (city name only, determined once on first launch)

How identification is prevented:

• TelemetryDeck uses double-hashed anonymous identifiers. They cannot identify individual users, and neither can we.
• No Apple Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) is collected.
• No device fingerprinting is performed.

5. Safety reports

WalkPhase lets you email safety reports to road authorities. When you choose to send a report:

• The email is composed and sent through your own Mail app on your device.
• WalkPhase does not see, store, or process the email content.
• WalkPhase is CC'd on the report (team@walkphase.com) so we can track which crossings users are raising concerns about. You can remove the CC before sending.

No report is ever sent without your explicit action.

6. Permissions

Permission	Why we need it
Location (Always)	Geofence detection allows automatic crossing tracking even in the background. You can revoke this at any time.
Motion & Fitness	Detects whether you are walking or stationary, and records accelerometer data for gait analysis.
Notifications	Approach alerts, crossing results, and optional weekly summaries.

You can deny or revoke any permission at any time. WalkPhase will still function with reduced capability.

7. iCloud & data backup

Three Apple-provided backup channels are used by WalkPhase, all confined to your own Apple ID and your own iCloud account:

• iCloud Key-Value Store — your saved intersections and crossing summaries. Restored automatically on a new device or reinstall.
• CloudKit Private Database — your user profile (name, email, walking speed, accessibility needs, organisation, home area). Per-Apple-ID, only you can read it. We added this to make profile recovery on reinstall reliable.
• CloudKit Public Database (anonymous) — community signal-timing plans and anonymised crossing path segments. Not linked to your name.

Raw accelerometer data is not backed up to any iCloud channel (it exceeds size limits and we treat it as ephemeral debug data).

8. What we do NOT do

• We do not upload your full GPS route or any accelerometer data. The only location data shared is the kerb-to-kerb crossing segment described in section 2.
• We do not use advertising SDKs or display ads.
• We do not use the IDFA or any cross-app tracking.
• We do not sell, rent, or share your data with third parties.
• We do not use fingerprinting techniques.
• We do not require an account to use the app.

9. Children's privacy

WalkPhase does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. The app can be used without an account, in which case no personal information is collected.

10. Your rights under GDPR

WalkPhase is developed in Cork, Ireland. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) is our supervisory authority.

• Access & portability: Your crossing data is on your device. Community data is anonymous.
• Deletion: Use the "Delete Account & Data" button in Settings to remove all local data and your account. Community data (anonymous, cannot be traced to you) remains in CloudKit.
• Analytics opt-out: Contact us and we will exclude your session from future processing.
• Rectification: Edit your profile in Settings at any time.

If you have any GDPR-related request, contact us and we will respond within 30 days.

11. Changes to this policy

If we make material changes, we will update the effective date and notify users via an in-app notice. The current version is always available at walkphase.com/privacy.

This policy was last updated on 6 May 2026.