Privacy

What data Ayumap collects

Ayumap keeps all personal data on your device and in your private iCloud container. The following data is used by the app:

• GPS location data — recorded during active walks and imported from Apple Health or GPX files. Stored locally and in your private iCloud container only.
• Walk metadata — distance, duration, date, and route geometry for each recorded journey.
• Journal notes — text you write about a walk. Stored privately in iCloud. Never read or transmitted by Ayumap.
• Photo location tags — if you enable the photo layer, Ayumap reads GPS coordinates embedded in your photos via PhotoKit. No images are copied, uploaded, or stored by the app.
• Apple Health data — walk and hike workouts are read from HealthKit to populate your heatmap. This data is never transmitted outside your device or iCloud container.

iCloud & data storage

All personal data is stored in a private iCloud container tied to your Apple ID. This means:

• Only you can access this data — not the developer, not Apple (beyond standard iCloud infrastructure).
• Data syncs automatically across your own devices without passing through any Ayumap server.
• Deleting the app or your iCloud data removes everything completely.

Ayumap does not operate its own user database. There is no server-side account, no login, and no email tied to your usage.

Community heatmap (optional)

Ayumap includes an optional community heatmap that shows anonymised walking density from all users. If you participate:

• Only geographic grid cell density is contributed — not your individual route, not your identity.
• Contributions are sent using an anonymous device token only. No name, email, Apple ID, or personal identifier is ever associated with community data.
• The community feature can be disabled at any time in Settings.

Community data is stored in Ayumap's Firebase infrastructure (Google Cloud, Europe West 2 region) in fully anonymised form.

Location permissions

Ayumap requests location access only as needed:

• "While Using" — requested for manual walk recording in the foreground.
• "Always On" — only requested if you explicitly enable the background recorder in Settings. This allows walks to be recorded while the app is in the background.

You can revoke location permissions at any time in iOS Settings → Privacy → Location Services → Ayumap. Revoking will prevent new walks from being recorded but will not affect existing data.

HealthKit

Ayumap reads walk and hike workouts from Apple Health to build your heatmap history. The app never writes to HealthKit and never shares Health data with third parties. HealthKit data is governed by Apple's HealthKit framework restrictions — it cannot be used for advertising or sold to data brokers.

Analytics & advertising

Ayumap contains no advertising and no third-party analytics SDKs. No tracking pixels, no ad networks, no App Tracking Transparency prompts. The app does not track you across other apps or websites.

Basic, privacy-preserving crash reporting may be used via Apple's built-in mechanisms, subject to your iOS privacy settings.

Data retention & deletion

Your data lives in your iCloud container. You control it entirely:

• Delete individual walks or journal entries from within the app at any time.
• Delete all app data by removing Ayumap from your device and clearing its iCloud data in iOS Settings → [Your name] → iCloud → Manage Storage.

Anonymised community heatmap contributions cannot be individually deleted because they are not tied to your identity in any way.

Children's privacy

Ayumap is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided information, please contact us at info@gormakuma.com and we will address it promptly.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes materially, the updated version will be posted here with a revised date. Continued use of Ayumap after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.