Privacy, location and field testing
This note explains, in plain language, what PhotoWalk uses while you test the web app. It is a practical beta note, not a claim of legal certification.
Last updated: 18 July 2026
Your current location
PhotoWalk asks the browser for your current location only after you choose to continue. It uses the location to show your area, find nearby photo spots, build and recalculate a pedestrian loop, show live progress, and detect when you are near a stop. You can deny or later remove permission in your browser or device settings; without location, PhotoWalk cannot create or guide a walk.
What is sent to services
The coordinates needed for a request are sent to PhotoWalk server APIs hosted on Vercel and to relevant open-data services. These include Nominatim/OpenStreetMap for the area name, open map and cultural sources for nearby POIs, and Valhalla for pedestrian routing. Like other web services, these servers may receive normal technical request data such as an IP address and browser information. PhotoWalk does not currently use this data to build user profiles.
Basic, aggregate analytics
PhotoWalk uses Vercel Web Analytics to understand basic aggregate traffic, such as visits and pages viewed and, when available in Vercel, referrer, device, and browser information. It works without a PhotoWalk login and is not used to create PhotoWalk user profiles. These analytics do not save personal walking routes, photos, accounts, or cloud walk history. The current beta does not track custom product events such as location accepted, route generated, walk started, or walk completed.
Temporary data on this device
PhotoWalk stores your language, onboarding status, app version, and a temporary active-walk session in browser local storage. The active session can include the start point, route, selected places, current target, device/style choices, and distance walked so an accidental reload can be recovered. The active session is cleared when you complete or deliberately end the walk; you can also clear PhotoWalk site data in your browser settings.
What the current beta does not include
There are no PhotoWalk accounts, personal profiles, photo uploads, payments, user database, cloud-saved walk history, advertising, or custom product analytics in the current beta. Vercel Web Analytics, described above, is the only basic analytics tool. Feedback is sent only when you choose to email it.
Creative guidance, not safety navigation
PhotoWalk helps you notice places to photograph. It is not a safety-critical navigation system and does not verify current closures, accessibility, lighting, traffic, weather, legal access, or every path condition. Pay attention to your surroundings, follow local rules and signs, and skip any place or route that does not feel appropriate.
A note for beta testers
This privacy note is for closed field testing and may evolve as PhotoWalk adds or removes services. Material changes should be explained before a wider release. Please avoid sending precise home addresses or unnecessary personal information in feedback.
Contact and tester feedback
Tell us the city or area, your device and browser, what happened, and attach a screenshot if possible.
getphotowalk@gmail.com