Privacy
GenaRoute has no accounts, uses no cookies and doesn't track what you do. We don't store your location. To plan a loop, the app does need help from a few public services; below is exactly which ones and what they see.
What stays on your phone
- Your settings, such as walking or cycling, your distance, language and preferences. They're kept in your browser's storage and go nowhere else.
- Parts of the map you've viewed and the app itself, so GenaRoute also opens without internet.
- Your completed loops and stats (distance, time, route and what you saw along the way). They stay on this device only. With Make backup you save them as a file yourself.
- Your location while navigating. Your phone works out where you are and the app compares that with the route. Your position along the way is not sent anywhere.
You can erase all of this by clearing GenaRoute's site data in your browser, or by removing the app from your home screen.
What goes to other services
GenaRoute runs in your browser and talks directly to the services below. They see your IP address and the data in the table. GenaRoute itself never receives this data.
| Service | Used for | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| BRouter (brouter.de) | Planning loops | Your starting point, the waypoints of the loop and your preferences |
| FOSSGIS (routing.openstreetmap.de) | Backup route planner, only if BRouter doesn't respond | Your starting point and the waypoints |
| Photon by Komoot | Searching for addresses | What you type in the search box, plus your starting point or the centre of the map so nearby places come first. After a loop, also your starting point, to put the town name on your share image |
| Overpass API | Finding interesting places along the route | The area around your loop |
| Wikipedia | Sights and short descriptions | A few points along your loop and the names of places |
| OpenFreeMap | Showing the map | Which parts of the map you view |
| Netlify | Hosting this website and the app | Standard server logs, such as your IP address and which pages you request. Only if you send feedback after a loop: your thumbs up or down, your comment, the distance, the language and the link to the loop |
These services have their own privacy policies. Fonts and code libraries are hosted on our own server, so no requests go to Google, for example.
Permissions
- Location: to plan loops from where you are and to navigate. Without permission you can search for an address or tap the map.
- Notifications: only if you turn on Alert me at interesting places. Notifications are created on your phone itself; no server sends them.
- Background location (only in the Android and iPhone app): while navigating, the app keeps following your route with the screen off, so you keep hearing the directions. This only happens while you navigate; you then see a notification (Android) or a blue location icon (iPhone). Your position along the way never leaves your phone.
You can withdraw both permissions at any time in your browser or phone settings.
Children
GenaRoute doesn't ask anyone for personal data, so children can use it too. Don't let young children navigate unfamiliar routes on their own.
Questions
Have a question about privacy? Email [your email address].