Privacy Policy

Fitness Challenge ("the App") is a mobile application that allows groups of friends to compete in fitness challenges using health data from Apple HealthKit (iOS) and Google Health Connect (Android). Your privacy is important to us. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights.

1. Data We Collect

2. What We Do NOT Collect

• We do not collect your phone number, physical address, or location data.
• We do not use advertising trackers or sell your information to third-party advertisers.
• We do not sell, rent, or share your data with third parties for marketing purposes.
• We do not write to or modify your health data in Apple Health or Google Health Connect. The App has read-only access.

3. Health Data (Apple HealthKit & Google Health Connect)

The App requests read-only access to specific health data types relevant to your active challenge (e.g., Step Count, Walking + Running Distance, Flights Climbed, Active Energy Burned, or Activity Rings):

• iOS Devices: Health metrics are retrieved via Apple HealthKit.
• Android Devices: Health metrics are retrieved via Google Health Connect.
• Only accessed when you are participating in an active challenge.
• Aggregated into daily totals before being sent to the server.
• Used solely to display your progress on the group leaderboard.
• Never used for advertising, marketing, or sold to third parties.
• Never transferred to any platform other than our secure database for challenge leaderboard purposes.

In compliance with Apple's and Google's developer guidelines, health data is not used for any purpose other than providing the health and fitness functionality described above.

4. Push Notifications

The App offers push notifications to keep you informed about challenge start/end times, rank changes on the leaderboard, and other group updates. We collect a unique device token from your phone to deliver these messages.

• Opt-in: Notifications are only sent if you explicitly grant permission.
• Controls: You can choose from 'All', 'Limited', or 'Off' within the App's settings at any time.
• No Marketing: We never use push notifications for advertising or promotional purposes.

5. Authentication & Anonymous Accounts

The App supports Anonymous Accounts, allowing you to create or join groups and participate in fitness challenges immediately without providing any personal information.

To prevent data loss and enable syncing across multiple devices, we recommend linking your account via Sign in with Apple (on iOS) or Google Sign-In (on Android). This securely associates your anonymous progress with your verified Apple or Google identity. Your authentication is securely managed by Apple and Google, and no passwords are ever created or stored on our servers.

6. Group Chat Feature & Safety Requirements

The App includes a group chat feature that allows members of a challenge group to communicate with each other. To ensure a safe environment and verify age requirements, access to group chat is subject to the following rules:

• Connected Account Requirement: You must connect a verified account (via Sign in with Apple on iOS or Google Sign-In on Android) to use the group chat feature. Anonymous or guest accounts are restricted from participating in chat.
• Under 13 Restriction: Platform identity providers (Apple and Google) restrict children under the age of 13 from standard authentication with third-party applications. Because a verified connected account is required for using the chat feature, users under the age of 13 are prevented from accessing or using group chat.
• Group Visibility: Chat messages are only visible to the members of the specific group in which the chat exists. No other users of the App outside that group can access or view your messages.

7. AI Opponents & Simulated Competitors

The App features simulated AI opponents that you can add to group challenges to test your endurance. These AI characters generate walking activity simulated on our servers based on preset difficulty levels.

• No Data Sharing: Your personal health data is never shared with, processed by, or used to train any artificial intelligence model or external AI service.
• Simulation Independence: AI steps and progress are generated independently and do not monitor or interact with your personal health metrics beyond displaying static comparisons on your challenge leaderboards.

8. Camera & Photo Library Permissions

The App may request permission to access your device's Camera and Photo Library for the following specific features:

• QR Code Scanning: The camera is used locally on your device to scan QR invite codes for joining fitness groups immediately. No camera feeds or video recordings are saved or transmitted to our servers.
• Profile Picture Uploads: You may choose to take a photo or select an existing image from your photo library to customize your group avatar.
• User Control: Camera and Photo Library permissions are completely optional. You can grant or revoke access at any time in your device's System Settings.

9. Data Storage & Security

Server-side data is stored securely in hosted databases with strict security policies to ensure users can only access data associated with their groups. Communication between the App and the server is encrypted via HTTPS/TLS.

10. Analytics & Performance Monitoring

We use trusted third-party tools to help us maintain the reliability and usability of the App:

• Performance Tracking: We use diagnostic tools to capture crash reports and identify technical bottlenecks so we can fix bugs quickly.
• Usage Analysis: We use product analytics to understand which features are most helpful to our community and to improve the overall App experience.

Data collected by these services is anonymized where possible and is used solely for technical improvement. We donot use these tools for cross-app tracking or advertising.

11. Data Retention & Deletion

Your data is retained only for as long as you are a member of a group. You can leave a group at any time, which removes your membership and associated health logs. Admins can permanently delete a group, which removes all associated data for all members.

Chat Messages Retention: Chat messages are stored permanently in a local database on your device. On our backend servers, chat messages are cached temporarily for a maximum of 7 days to facilitate syncing for offline devices or new device sign-ins, after which they are permanently deleted from our servers.

You can permanently delete your account and all associated data directly within the App's Profile settings. This action is immediate and IRREVERSIBLE. You may also contact our support email below for manual deletion assistance.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be reflected on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

support@fitnesschallenge.club