Pinwalkie Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 1, 2026 · Last updated: October 5, 2026

Pinwalkie (小路标 in Chinese; called “we” or “the app” below) is an iOS app that helps you find photo spots, Easter eggs and toilets at the places you visit, and listen to audio guides. This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, where it's stored, when it's deleted and how you can manage your information.

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The one-minute version

You can use it without signing in. Audio guides, photo spots, Easter eggs and tours come with the app or are stored on your phone.
No ads, no tracking. We don't use any third-party advertising or analytics SDKs, and we don't sell or rent your information.
Your location isn't sent to us. The app asks for permission only when you tap the location button, never uses your location in the background, and only sends it to us if you use it as the location of something you share.
Other people only see what you choose to share (text, locations, photos, toilet codes).
You can delete your account in the app at any time: Me > Account and sync > Delete account. </aside>

1. Who handles your information

The app is built and run by the independent developer of Pinwalkie (based in Canada), who is responsible for your personal information (the “data controller”, in the words of the EU's GDPR). If you have any privacy questions, write to [email protected].

2. What we collect

2.1 The full list

Information	When it's collected	Where it's stored	Who can see it
Anonymous device account ID (a random ID)	Created automatically the first time you share, confirm or report content; no sign-up needed	Our server	Only us; it's used to limit how often things can be sent, stop spam and block people who misuse the app
Sign-in information: the user identifier, name and email address Apple gives us (this can be Apple's “Hide My Email” address); the name you change in the app	When you choose to sign in	Our server	Only us
Synced data: favorites, visited places (“Got the shot” / “Found it”), stories you've heard, notes (title, link, coordinates and the one line you wrote)	Synced automatically once you sign in; if you don't sign in, it's only on your phone	Your phone; also our server once you sign in	Only you
Content you share: the descriptions, coordinates and coordinate source of photo spots, Easter eggs and toilets; photos; toilet codes; suggested edits; your votes on whether toilet codes work; and the version of the terms you agreed to	When you tap “Submit for review” or “Share with everyone”	Our server	All users can see it once it's approved (or as soon as it's submitted, for things that go public right away, such as toilet codes and reference photos), and it may appear in Pinwalkie's promotion (app store screenshots, web pages and social media; see Section 4 of the Terms of Use). Your name isn't shown
Report and block records	When you report content or block someone	Reports on our server; your block list only on your phone	Only us
Precise location	iOS asks the first time you tap the location button. Once you've allowed it, the map shows where you are while you're using it, and the app reads your location once each time you tap the location button, open the map or the audio guide list of a city with audio guides, or open the list of all cities, to show where you are and how far away places are.	Only on your phone; it isn't uploaded. Only if you use it as the coordinates of something you share is that coordinate uploaded with the content. If you tap the location button outside the cities Pinwalkie covers, the app asks Apple Maps which city you're in.	—
Clipboard	When you open the app, it checks whether the clipboard holds a RedNote (Xiaohongshu) or Instagram note link (iOS asks you to “Allow Paste”)	Handled only on your phone; if it isn't a note link, it isn't used or saved	—
Camera and photo library	Only when you choose to take or pick a photo. The photo library opens in the system picker, so the app only gets the one photo you pick	Before upload, photos are compressed and re-encoded, which removes GPS and other shooting details from them	Same as “Content you share”

2.2 What we don't collect

We don't use your location in the background or keep a record of where you've been.
We don't read your contacts or access your whole photo library.
We don't use the advertising identifier (IDFA), and we don't track you across apps or websites.
We don't read the text or images of RedNote (Xiaohongshu) or Instagram posts; when you preview a post in the app, the platform's own site shows you the page directly.
Audio guide narration is either read aloud on your phone by the iPhone's built-in voice, or recorded audio that the app downloads the first time you play a story or when you download a city. We don't upload what you've listened to (except the “stories you've heard” that sync after you sign in). Audio guides play in the same language as the app, which follows your iPhone's language unless you choose one in Me > Language.
Text that users write (such as a spot's title, description and “How to find it”, or the details added to a toilet code) is translated on your iPhone with Apple's Translation framework when it's in a different language from the app. This on-device translation isn't sent to us or to any other server. If your iPhone doesn't have the language pack yet, iOS downloads it from Apple after you tap “Translate”. Photo spots and Easter eggs that people share are also translated into English in advance, as described in Section 4.
We don't currently collect usage statistics or crash logs. If we ever start, we'll update this policy first.

3. How we use this information

Purpose	Information used	Legal basis (GDPR)
Showing where you are on the map and how far away places are	Precise location (used on your phone; outside the cities Pinwalkie covers, Apple Maps is asked which city you're in)	Your consent (the system permission prompt)
Helping you import notes	Note links on the clipboard	Your consent (the system “Allow Paste” prompt)
Signing in and syncing between devices	Sign-in information, synced data	Carrying out our agreement with you
Reviewing the content you share and showing it to other users	Content you share, account ID, terms version	Carrying out our agreement with you (see the content license in the Terms of Use)
Translating the content you share into English for people using the app in English	The text of the content you share	Carrying out our agreement with you (see the content license in the Terms of Use)
Handling reports, limiting how often things can be sent, stopping spam and blocking people who misuse the app	Account ID, report records	Legitimate interests (keeping the community and the service safe); legal obligations (such as the EU Digital Services Act)
Replying to your emails	What you write in your email, and your email address	Legitimate interests / your request

We don't use your personal information for advertising, profiling or automated decision-making. Content you've shared that has been published may appear in Pinwalkie's promotion, but without your name, email address or account.