This is a translation. If it differs from the English version, the English version applies.
Who we are
WakaPals is registered in Nigeria with the Corporate Affairs Commission and based in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. It is run by its founder. We decide how your data is used, so we are the “data controller”. For anything about your data, email hello@wakapals.com.
What we collect in the app
| Information | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Email address | To create your account, send sign-in codes and important emails. You can also set a password. |
| Apple or Google sign-in (if you use it) | We receive your email and name from Apple or Google, as you allow. With Apple’s Hide My Email, we get a private relay address. |
| First and last name, username | So your crewmates know who you are. Crewmates see your first name and username only. |
| Age band | To check you are 16 or older. We don’t store your birthday. |
| Profile photo (optional), runner and colours | To show your runner and profile. |
| Daily step goal and step count | To run the race and track your progress. |
| Which phone counts your steps | So steps are counted once if you use more than one phone. We use a random ID made by the app. |
| Walk moments, replies, likes and cheers | To share them with the crews you choose. |
| Crews, nudges and tomato throws | To run the social side of the race. |
| Reports and blocks | To keep WakaPals safe. |
| Push notification token | To send notifications to your phone. |
| Purchase records | To unlock plans and items you have bought. |
| Error logs and security limits | To fix crashes and stop abuse. |
Your steps and health data
With your permission, WakaPals reads your step count from Apple Health on iPhone, or Health Connect on Android (which includes Samsung Health and Google Fit). Without them, it can use your phone’s own step counter. We only read step counts, never other health data. Typed-in steps are ignored.
Your daily step totals and your place in each race are shared with the people in your crews; you can hide your exact count. Your health data is never sold, never used for ads or tracking, and never shared with anyone else apart from the provider that stores it for us. An optional setting sends your steps while the app is closed; you can turn it off in the app or remove access in your phone’s health settings.
Location
WakaPals does not ask for or use your location. Location and camera details are removed from every photo and video, first on your phone and again on our server.
Walk moments
Photos (up to 10 MB) and short videos (up to 50 MB) you share are shown only to the crews you choose and are deleted 24 hours after you post. Files are stored privately and can only be opened through short-lived links. You can delete a moment at any time.
Payments
Purchases in the app go through the App Store or Google Play; RevenueCat processes the receipts so we can unlock what you bought. Website payments in Nigeria go through Paystack; we receive your email, the plan and the payment reference, never your card or bank details. We keep purchase records, even after you delete your account, because the law requires it (without your name).
Why we are allowed to use it
We follow the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and, for people in the European Union, the GDPR. We rely on: contract (to run your account, crews, races and purchases), consent (to read steps, use photos and videos you share, and send notifications; you can withdraw it any time) and legitimate interests (security, preventing fraud, cheating and abuse).
Who we share it with
We do not sell, rent or share your data with advertisers. Your crewmates see what the app is built to show them. Otherwise we only use providers who work for us:
| Provider | What they do for us |
|---|---|
| Supabase | Database, file storage and server functions, including website forms and the waitlist |
| Brevo | Sends account emails, such as sign-in codes |
| RevenueCat | Processes app store purchase receipts |
| Paystack | Website payments in Nigeria |
| Apple and Google | Sign-in, app store payments, push notifications and health platforms |
| Expo | Delivers app updates |
| Cloudflare | Hosts this website and protects it from attacks |
| Zoho | Our email provider, if you email us |
These providers may process data outside Nigeria and the EU, under appropriate legal safeguards. We may also share data if the law requires it.
How we keep it safe
- Data is encrypted while it travels between your phone and our servers.
- Access rules in our database make sure people only see data from their own crews.
- Limits on sign-in attempts and other actions protect against abuse.
How long we keep it
- Account data: while your account exists.
- Deleting your account: you have 30 days to change your mind by signing back in. After that, your account, steps, moments and photos are deleted. Purchase records are kept without your name.
- Walk moments: 24 hours.
- Error logs and security limits: up to 90 days.
- Website messages (contact, refunds, reports): up to 2 years, then deleted.
- Waitlist: deleted within 6 months of launch.
Your rights
Wherever you live, you can ask us to show you what we hold, correct it, delete it, give you a copy, stop using it for a purpose you object to, or withdraw your consent. You can change most details and delete your account in the app. For a copy of your data or anything else, email hello@wakapals.com from your account’s address.
If you’re unhappy, you can complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), or in the EU to your country’s data protection authority. Please contact us first so we can try to fix it.
Age
WakaPals is not for anyone under 16. If we find an account belongs to someone under 16, we will delete it.
The waitlist and this website
If you joined the waitlist, we keep only what you typed (your email, and optionally WhatsApp number, country, phone type and who invited you) to tell you when WakaPals launches. Withdraw any time by emailing us. If you send a message through our website forms, we keep what you typed so we can reply.
We don’t use advertising or tracking cookies. Paystack may set the cookies it needs to take a payment. Our host receives basic technical details your browser sends, such as your IP address, which we don’t use to identify you.
Changes
If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top. If a change affects how we use data you already gave us, we will tell you in the app or by email first.
Contact us
WakaPals, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. Email hello@wakapals.com.