To keep your fitness data private, choose an app with private defaults, limit permissions, avoid sharing routes that start at home, review what is stored, and use export and delete tools when you stop using an app. Here are the steps in order.
1. Check the defaults
As soon as you install a tracker, open its privacy settings. Decide who can see your profile and activities, and change anything that is public by default.
2. Limit permissions
- Location: “while using the app” is enough for tracking.
- Physical activity: needed for step and motion detection.
- Deny anything unrelated, such as contacts or microphone.
Details in fitness app permissions explained.
3. Protect your start and end points
Your route from home is the most revealing part. Use any “hide start and end” feature the app offers, or begin recording a short distance from your door.
4. Think before you share
Posting a run or ride shows when you were out and where. Share summaries rather than live locations, and consider waiting until after the activity.
5. Control connections
Every connection to another app or wearable is another place your data can go. In Health Connect you can review which apps have access and remove ones you no longer use. See what Health Connect is.
6. Know how to export and delete
Before you rely on an app, find its export and delete options. If you leave, request deletion of your account and data.
7. Secure your phone
If data is stored on your phone, the phone’s lock screen, updates and backups are part of your privacy.
A five-minute setup for any new tracker
- Before the first activity, open the privacy settings and set visibility to the most private option.
- Choose “while using the app” for location.
- Turn off optional analytics and personalised features if the app offers it.
- Skip optional profile fields.
- Find the export and delete options and note where they are.
Habits for the long term
- Once a quarter, review which apps have location and health permissions, and remove the ones you no longer use.
- When you stop using an app, delete your data from it before uninstalling.
- Keep your phone and apps updated.
If you already shared too much
Do not panic. Change visibility on past activities, delete any that show your home, and remove connected apps you no longer trust. Then adjust your defaults so it does not happen again.
Where HALEBIT fits
In HALEBIT you can switch off all-day step tracking, review permissions under Settings → Permissions & access, hide start and end markers on share cards, back up only to a folder on your phone, and erase all your data from Settings → Backup & Privacy.
Read the privacy page or explore HALEBIT →
Keep reading
- Do fitness apps share your location data?
- Are fitness trackers safe for your privacy?
- Why fitness data privacy matters
On iPhone
The same ideas apply on iPhone. Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services and set each fitness app to “While Using the App” with Precise Location only if you need it. Review Settings → Privacy & Security → Health and Motion & Fitness to see which apps can read your health data. HALEBIT launches on Android first, with an iPhone version planned; see our guide to keeping fitness data private on iPhone.
Quick questions
Should I turn off location when I am not exercising?
Choosing “only while using the app” means the app cannot read your location when it is closed.
Is it safe to post my runs?
It depends on what you reveal. Avoid posting routes that show your home, and share after the activity rather than live.