Schlep privacy policy
Effective date: November 2, 2026
Schlep is a social club for walking your city, starting with New York. This page explains what we collect, why, who sees it, and how to get rid of it. We tried to keep it short and in plain English.
Schlep is run by Jonathan Zinger, an individual in New York. (TODO: update this line if Schlep moves to a company.) Questions, requests, or complaints: help@schlep.club.
The short version
- You sign in with Apple. We get your name and an email (or Apple's private relay address if you hide yours).
- You pick a username and an avatar.
- When you are on a live schlep, we record where you walk and share it with the other walkers on that schlep. Nobody else sees it.
- We use PostHog to see how the app gets used and Sentry to catch crashes.
- We don't sell your data, we don't show ads, and we don't track you across other apps or websites.
- You can delete your account inside the app. That removes everything.
- Schlep is for people 13 and older.
What we collect and why
Sign in with Apple. When you sign in we receive your name, your email address (or an Apple private relay address, if you choose to hide your email), and a stable ID from Apple. Apple only sends the name and email the first time, so we save them. We use them to make your account and show your name to other walkers as your first name plus last initial. We use your email only to contact you about your account or your support requests. We never receive your Apple password.
Your profile. You choose a username and an avatar (an emoji on a colour, or a picture later on). Other walkers on your schlep can see your username, avatar, and first name plus last initial.
What you add to a schlep. Side quest suggestions, notes, votes, and comments are saved with your account and shown to the other walkers on that schlep. Please don't post anything you wouldn't say out loud on the walk.
Location, during a schlep only. Schlep asks for your location "While Using the App." Location is used only when you start or join a live schlep. While you are on it, we record your precise location (and steps and distance from your phone's motion sensors) so the app can show your route, your progress, and where your friends are. The app keeps recording with the screen locked until you leave or the schlep ends; iOS shows its blue location indicator while it does. That location is shared with the other walkers on that schlep, and only with them. We never ask for "Always" location, and we don't collect your location when you are not on a live schlep. Leaving a schlep stops sharing at once. The trail you walked stays in that schlep's history for its walkers to see until you delete it or delete your account. TODO: confirm the trail-delete control exists in the build before keeping this sentence.
Photos, if you add them (later). Schlep does not read your photo library today. When photo import arrives, it will only upload the photos you pick, and we will update this page first. TODO: remove this paragraph's "later" wording once photo import ships.
Push notifications. If you allow them, we store a device token so we can send you things like "your schlep is starting." You can turn them off in iOS Settings. TODO: keep only if push ships in the build being reviewed.
Things we don't collect. Your contacts, your Apple Health data, your advertising ID, or your payment details. (TODO: revisit if HealthKit is added; today steps come from the iPhone's motion data, not Apple Health.)
Search. Place search is provided by Apple Maps. What you type into search goes to Apple and is covered by Apple's privacy policy. TODO: confirm we do not also log search text in analytics.
Analytics (PostHog). To improve the app, we record how it's used: screens, taps, votes, comments, suggestions, and similar events, tied to your account ID. PostHog processes this for us. TODO: add the PostHog region (US or EU cloud) and confirm session replay is off and that no location coordinates are sent as event properties.
Crash reports (Sentry). If the app crashes or errors, Sentry receives the technical details (device model, iOS version, app version, what the app was doing) and your account ID, so we can fix it. TODO: add the Sentry region and the retention setting.
Server logs. Our server keeps logs of requests: time, what was asked, your account ID, your IP address, and any errors. We use them to keep Schlep running, debug problems, and stop abuse. TODO: replace with the final hosting provider and its log retention; our target is 30 days.
Support. If you email us or send a bug report, we keep what you send so we can help.
Who sees your data
- Other walkers on your schlep see your name, username, avatar, contributions, and location and trail on that schlep. Anyone with a schlep's invite link can join it, so share links only with people you want to walk with. Before someone joins, the invite page shows only the schlep's title, time, avatar emojis (no names), and the general meeting area.
- Companies that help us run Schlep, only to do their job: Apple (sign-in, maps, notifications), our hosting and database provider (TODO: name it, e.g. Supabase and Fly.io, and say where servers are), PostHog (analytics), and Sentry (crash reports). We ask them to protect your data to the same standard we do.
- Authorities, if the law requires it or to protect someone's safety.
- Nobody else. We don't sell or rent your data, and we don't use it for advertising.
How long we keep it
- Your account and profile: until you delete your account.
- Schlep content and trails: until you delete them, the schlep is deleted, or you delete your account.
- Live location: the "where I am now" position stops being visible when you leave or the schlep ends.
- Analytics and crash reports: TODO: set from the PostHog and Sentry retention settings.
- Server logs: TODO: target 30 days.
- Backups: TODO: depends on the database provider's backup schedule. Deleted data can sit in backups for a limited time, then ages out. State the number here.
Deleting your data
Open Settings, then Delete account (TODO: confirm exact menu path) inside the app. That deletes your profile, memberships, suggestions, votes, comments, trails, and anything else you added, and disconnects Schlep from your Apple sign-in (TODO: keep this clause only once the server revokes the Sign in with Apple token on delete). You can also email help@schlep.club and we will do it for you. You can delete individual comments, suggestions, and your own trail without deleting your account (TODO: confirm per build).
You can also report or block another walker from inside the app. If you think someone shared something they shouldn't have, email us.
Your choices and rights
You can turn off location and notifications any time in iOS Settings. Depending on where you live, you may have rights to see, correct, export, or delete your data, or to object to how it's used. Email help@schlep.club and we'll honor reasonable requests from anyone, wherever you live. We'll answer within 30 days.
Children
Schlep is not for children under 13. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you think a child under 13 has an account, email us and we'll delete it.
Security
Data travels over encrypted connections (HTTPS). TODO: add encryption at rest and access controls once the hosting provider is final. No system is perfect, so please tell us if you see something wrong.
Changes
If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will update the date at the top and tell you in the app before it takes effect. The version that applies is the one on this page.
Governing law
This policy is governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules.