Your walks. Your data.
What Onward saves, where it goes, and the choices you have.
UPDATED 18 October 2026Publisher and contact
Entropy Reversal Inc.
info@entropyreversal.io
About this policy
This policy explains how Onward handles information when you use the iPhone app or contact support. Onward helps you record walks, revisit your routes and measure the streets you have explored.
Location and walking information
With your permission, Onward uses your current location to show your position, suggest a nearby city and center the map. A saved walk starts only when you choose to track it.
During a walk, Onward saves timestamped location observations, including coordinates, accuracy and available altitude, speed and direction. It also saves distance, active time, measured steps, pause and resume events, and the route sections needed for history, pace, city exploration and the walked-path heatmap.
An active walk can continue using location in the background or with the screen locked. Automatic pause keeps enough location and motion sensing to detect when walking resumes. Finish ends that recording session; the visible map may still use your current location. Foreground walking detection suggests starting a walk and does not start one automatically.
Account and device information
Google sign-in supplies your Onward account identifier, name and email address. Google handles the sign-in process; Onward does not receive your Google password.
Saved records include a randomly generated installation identifier, walk identifiers and revision information. These support account ownership, reliable saving, recovery and synchronization. The installation identifier is not an advertising identifier. Sign-in sessions are stored in the iPhone Keychain.
Saving and synchronization
Walks are saved on your iPhone, including when you are offline. Completed walks and subsequent changes synchronize to your private Firebase account when Onward is open and connected. This includes the recorded observations and calculated city exploration, rather than only a picture of the route.
Access rules restrict ordinary access to your account. Onward does not publish your walks or provide a public activity feed. Data is protected in transit and by the service providers at rest; Onward does not provide end-to-end encryption of cloud walks.
Maps and service providers
Mapbox supplies the street map. Map requests can disclose the area you are viewing, your IP address and technical device or app information to Mapbox. Its SDK also processes location and usage telemetry to operate and improve its services. You can use the map’s information button to reach the native Mapbox information and telemetry choices.
Google Sign-In, Firebase Authentication, Cloud Firestore and Cloud Functions provide account access, synchronization and account deletion. Their SDKs and infrastructure can process service identifiers, IP addresses, usage information and diagnostics for operation, security and service analytics.
Onward has no advertising integration and does not sell your walks or use them for targeted advertising. Provider telemetry is separate from the route history saved to your Onward account.
Storage locations
Onward’s walk database and account-service functions are configured in Zürich, Switzerland. This does not mean that every service processes all data in Switzerland: Firebase Authentication processes sign-in data in the United States, and Google and Mapbox infrastructure may process information in other countries under their applicable terms and safeguards.
How long information stays
Current walks remain on your iPhone and in your account until you remove them or request account deletion. Earlier cloud revisions and local recovery copies may also remain. There is currently no scheduled age-based cleanup of those copies.
Deleting a walk removes it from the app’s history, totals and exploration and synchronizes a deletion marker. It does not immediately erase every earlier cloud revision or local recovery copy.
Settings → Delete account requests deletion of the private Firebase data tree and sign-in account, and removal of identified files belonging to that account on this device once the server accepts the request. Files whose owner cannot be verified are kept. A minimal server marker retains the former account identifier, removal status and completion time to prevent stale uploads. Older removal markers may also retain hashed recovery proofs from earlier app versions. These markers do not contain your routes, name or email.
Deletion can take time if a service or device is offline. Copies on another offline device, iPhone backups and provider backups are subject to their own availability and retention. Google describes separate service-backup deletion periods in its privacy information. Logging out or uninstalling Onward alone does not delete cloud walks.
Your controls and requests
Manage Location and Motion & Fitness from Onward Settings or iPhone Settings. You can deny access or change location precision; route recording and step-based features may then be limited. Live Activities can display walk information on the Lock Screen or Dynamic Island and can be managed in iPhone Settings.
You can delete individual walks or use Settings → Delete account. If you cannot access the app, contact support from your account email address. You may also request access to a copy of your information, correction or deletion. We may need to verify ownership before acting.
Depending on the law that applies to you, you may have additional rights to restrict or object to processing, withdraw consent, transfer information or complain to your local data-protection authority.
Support and website visits
If you email support, we receive your email address, message and any attachments you choose to send. We use them to respond, investigate your issue and handle necessary follow-up. Please do not send passwords, sign-in codes, full location histories or screenshots containing sensitive details unless needed.
This website uses no advertising, analytics, tracking pixels, contact forms or third-party fonts. Your browser sends normal web requests to the hosting provider to load these pages and images. Following provider links or sending email brings you to that provider’s service.
Purpose and updates
We use this information to provide the features you request, synchronize and recover your walks, keep accounts secure and answer support requests. Where applicable law requires a legal basis, this includes providing the requested service, permission or consent where required, and legitimate interests in security and support.
Onward is not designed specifically for children. Contact support if you believe a child’s information needs review or removal. Material changes to these practices will be reflected in an updated policy and, where appropriate, an in-app notice.