Last updated: 29 September 2026
You sign in before recording a ride. Your rides are stored on your phone and backed up to your account, so they can be restored after reinstalling TrailDog or changing phones. The data stored on our server and the other services the app uses are described below.
While you are recording a ride, TrailDog collects your location (GPS route, speed, altitude) and motion-sensor data (accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer). These are what produce your ride stats, your descent scores and your Rider Index.
Recording continues while your phone is locked or in your pocket. Opening the Record screen also starts GPS so your position is ready when you press START; these early fixes are not saved as a ride.
Ride reminders work automatically when notifications are allowed, subject to your other iPhone permissions. With Always and Precise Location access, TrailDog uses region entry and significant location changes to notice nearby riding spots in the background. With Motion & Fitness access, it can also read recent cycling activity to suggest that you start recording. This does not automatically record a ride or create a continuous GPS track.
Remembered TrailDog starting spots, nearby mapped spots and reminder timings are stored on your iPhone for your account. These reminder records are not uploaded to our server. To find mapped riding spots, the app sends an approximate search centre, rounded to 0.01 degrees, to OpenStreetMap's Overpass service, which also receives your connection's IP address. No account ID or ride history is sent with this lookup.
The Notifications switch in TrailDog Settings turns notifications and reminder monitoring off. You can also change notification, location and Motion & Fitness permissions in iPhone Settings. TrailDog's Location permissions link opens its page there.
Creating an account turns on sync. From then on the following is stored on our servers:
| Account | Your email address — or the private relay address Apple gives us if you use Sign in with Apple — and which sign-in method you used. |
|---|---|
| Profile | Your display name, your handle, your home area if you set one, your Rider Index, level and seven attribute scores, and your profile photo. |
| Rides | The full ride: your GPS route at recording precision, motion-sensor data, timings, distance and elevation, computed scores, detected trail names, the place name and the weather summary. |
| Descents | Each scored descending run — score, length, drop, duration, and an identifier derived from its geometry. This is what personal bests and comparison with friends are built on. |
| Friends | Who you have sent requests to, who has sent them to you, and who you are friends with. |
| Notifications | If notifications are allowed, an Apple push notification device token linked to your account, so notifications can reach this phone. |
| Logs | Technical records of what the app did — see Diagnostic logs. |
The app records technical logs — sync results, errors, timings, app version and ride identifiers — and uploads them with your account so we can diagnose crashes and sync failures. Before anything is written, email addresses, authentication tokens and long key-like strings are stripped out automatically, and precise coordinates are never written to logs at all. Logs are kept for 90 days and then deleted.
We do not use advertising or analytics SDKs, and we do not sell or rent your data.
The share button exports a ride file containing its GPS route, sensor data and scores, so you can send it to whoever you choose. Be aware that a ride file contains your precise route, which may start near your home. The Export Backup button creates a file you control. Your device's own iOS/iCloud backup may also include the app's data, governed by Apple's terms. Nothing is ever shared automatically.
Delete Account in Settings removes your account and everything listed above: profile, rides, descents, friendships, device records, logs, and every stored file — ride tracks, raw sensor archives and your profile photo. If you signed in with Apple, we also revoke that connection with Apple. This cannot be undone.
Rides already on your phone stay there until you delete the app, which removes the local copy.
If you are in the UK or EU: we process your ride and profile data to provide the app you asked for (performance of a contract), and diagnostic logs to keep it working (legitimate interests). You have the right to access, correct, export or delete your data. Export Backup and Delete Account do the last two immediately from inside the app; for anything else, contact us below.
TrailDog is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their data.
If this policy changes, the update will appear on this page with a new date. Questions, or any request about your data: ridetraildog@gmail.com