Tiaki Trails

Last updated: August 2026

Tiaki Trails is a mobile app published by Granite Fox. This page explains what data the app collects and how it's used. Most of what you do in the app, your trips, recorded tracks, favourites, waypoints, diary notes and photos, stays on your device. The sections below cover the parts that don't.

Trips, tracks, diary and favourites

Your itineraries, recorded GPS tracks, custom waypoints, favourites and completed tracks, and diary notes and photos are all stored locally on your device. None of this is uploaded to Granite Fox or to any server as part of normal use.

The app has an export/backup option that bundles this local data into a file and hands it to your device's own share sheet, so you can save it to your own cloud storage, email it to yourself, or move it to a new phone. That sharing step is entirely your choice of destination; the app itself doesn't send this data anywhere.

Location

Tiaki Trails uses your device's location to show your position on the map and to record a GPS track when you choose to start a recording, including while your screen is off or the app is in the background, so a recording isn't cut short. Location data is used on-device to draw your position and track; it is not transmitted anywhere unless you choose to add a community point (see below) or export/share your data yourself.

Camera and photos

The app can access your camera or photo library so you can attach photos to your own trail diary entries. These photos are stored locally with the rest of your diary, and are not uploaded anywhere unless you choose to attach one to a community point.

Community points

Tiaki Trails has an optional, crowd-sourced layer of points added by users, water sources, hazards, campsites and trail notes. If you choose to add a community point, the following is stored in Google Firestore (a cloud database) and becomes visible to other users of the app:

The category, title and note you enter
The point's location (latitude and longitude)
An optional photo, if you attach one
An anonymous device identifier (see below), used to attribute the point to you and let you delete your own points

Comments left on community points work the same way: the comment text and your anonymous device identifier are stored and visible to other users. You can delete your own points and comments from within the app.

Anonymous device identity

The app silently signs your device in to Firebase anonymously on first launch, no name, email or password involved. This only gives your device a stable ID so the app can tell your own community points and comments apart from everyone else's, and let you delete them. It doesn't create an account you can sign in to or a profile visible to anyone.

Advertising

The free version of Tiaki Trails shows a banner ad above the map, served through Google AdMob, which collects data independently of the app's own code in order to deliver and measure ads, typically a device or advertising identifier.

Data collected: device/advertising identifier, for ad delivery
Shared with: Google (AdMob)
Purpose: advertising
Transmitted: encrypted in transit

You can review or reset your device's advertising identifier, and control ad personalization, through your phone's system settings. Google's own privacy policy governs how AdMob handles that data.

Tiaki Trails Pro

Offline map downloads, the full Te Araroa Trail dataset, community points and the natural springs layer are part of an optional Pro subscription. Purchases are handled entirely by Apple's or Google's own in-app purchase systems; Granite Fox does not receive or store your payment details.

Notifications

Proximity alerts (for example, when you're nearing a feature on the map) are generated and scheduled on your device. They aren't triggered by a server and don't involve sending your location anywhere.

Safety information

The Emergency & Safety section of the app (PLB registration, logging trip intentions, river crossing safety and similar) links out to external services and provides general information only. It is not a substitute for official outdoor safety training or professional advice, and using it does not send your data to Granite Fox.

Children's privacy

Tiaki Trails is rated for general audiences and does not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the update will be posted on this page with a new "last updated" date.

Contact

Granite Fox does not yet have a dedicated support inbox. For privacy questions about Tiaki Trails, use the contact method listed on the app's Google Play or App Store listing.