Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 20/10/2026

This privacy policy describes how the BPW Trail Finder app ("the App"), developed by Owain Williams, handles information when you use it.

Summary

The App is a walking companion for the Brenda Parker Way trail in Hampshire, UK. It uses your device's location to show your position on the route and track which sections and waypoints you've covered. This location tracking, your progress and any photo markers you create stay on your device unless you choose to export or share them. The App does not require an account and does not automatically send your location or progress anywhere. Some versions of the App, including test versions, include two optional features (tester feedback and suggesting points of interest) that send information to the developer only when you use them, as described below.

Information the App Accesses

Location data. The App uses your device's GPS to:

• Show your current position relative to the trail on the in-app map
• Detect when you've reached a waypoint or point of interest, so it can be marked as collected
• Calculate your progress through each section of the route

This location data is processed on your device. It is not transmitted to the developer, to any server, or to any third party, except in the optional point-of-interest feature described below.

Camera and photos.

The App can open your phone's camera when you tap the camera button on the map. Photos you take are saved only to your phone's own photo gallery (in a "BPW Trail Finder" folder). They are not stored in the App or uploaded anywhere.

When you take a photo, the App records the location and time so it can show a photo marker on the map. This marker information is kept only on your device. The App may ask for permission to access your photos so it can display them when you tap a marker.

Photos are never shared unless you choose to use the Share button yourself. Deleting a photo marker in the App does not delete the photo from your gallery.

Information the App Stores

Your progress (which waypoints and sections you've completed) is saved in a file on your device's local storage. If you use the camera feature, the App also stores a small file of your photo markers (each photo's location, time, title and where it is saved in your gallery). This data:

• Stays on your device unless you choose to export it (see "Exporting Your Progress" below)
• Is not linked to any account, since the App doesn't have one
• Persists until you clear the App's data or uninstall the App
• May be included in your device's standard Android backup (if you have Android's built-in backup enabled on your phone), the same as any other app's local data. This is a function of your device, not something the App sends anywhere itself.

Exporting Your Progress

The App lets you optionally export your saved progress as a file, and import it back in later (for example, after reinstalling the App or switching devices). When you export, your device's standard share options let you choose where the file goes — for example, saving it to your device, or sharing it via email or a cloud storage app. This is entirely your choice, and only happens when you actively use the export feature. Once you've shared an exported file, it's handled by whichever destination you chose, and is no longer covered by this policy. To import progress, the App will ask you to pick a previously exported file from your device's storage; it only accesses that one file, not your other files or photos.

Optional Features That Send Data

Some versions of the App, including test versions, include two optional features. Nothing is sent unless you use them:

• Tester feedback. When you submit the in-app feedback form, the text you enter and basic details such as the app version and device type are sent to the developer.
• Suggesting points of interest. When you capture and upload a point of interest, the following is sent to the developer: the name and hint you enter, the location of the point (taken from your device's GPS at the time), the route section it falls in, the trigger radius, and the date and time of capture. No photos, device identifiers or account information are included. This is so the point can be considered for the route data.

These submissions are sent over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection to a Google Apps Script and stored in a Google Sheets spreadsheet controlled by the developer, hosted by Google. They are used only to fix problems, improve the App and add points of interest to the route data. They are not sold or used for advertising. To ask for a submission of yours to be deleted, contact the developer using the email address below.

Information the App Does Not Collect

The App does not collect or have access to:

• Your name, email address, or any account information (there is no account system)
• Contacts, files or photos on your device, other than photos you take with the App's camera button and the single save file you choose to export or import, as described above
• Advertising identifiers
• Analytics, tracking or usage data. The only information sent to the developer is what you choose to submit through the optional features above.

If this changes in a future update (for example, if crash reporting or analytics is added), this policy will be updated first, and the change will be reflected in the app's Google Play Data Safety section.

Third-Party Sharing

The App does not sell or share your data with third parties. The optional feedback and point-of-interest submissions are stored using Google's services (Google Apps Script and Google Sheets), as described above. The optional export and photo share features let you — not the App — choose to share your own files using your device's sharing options. There are no third-party SDKs for advertising, analytics, or tracking built into the App.

Links to Other Websites

Some screens link to the trail custodian's website and other pages. These open in your device's web browser and have their own privacy policies, which are not covered by this one.

Map Data and Credits

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence (openstreetmap.org/copyright). The Brenda Parker Way logo and route descriptions are used with kind permission of the North Hampshire Downs Ramblers. BPW Trail Finder is an independent project and is not run by the Ramblers.

Your Choices

• You can deny or revoke the App's location permission at any time via your device's system Settings. The App will not function fully without it, since location tracking is core to how it works, but this is your choice to make.
• You can deny or revoke the App's camera and photo permissions at any time in your device's Settings. The rest of the App works normally without them.
• You don't have to use the feedback or point-of-interest features, and nothing is sent if you don't.
• Uninstalling the App removes all locally stored progress and photo marker data from your device. Photos saved to your gallery are not removed.

Children's Privacy

The App is not directed at children and does not knowingly collect personal information from children. The only information the developer receives is what a user chooses to submit through the optional features above.

Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this same URL with a revised "Last updated" date.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or the App, contact: owain73@gmail.com