Help with Walkies

It's just me making Walkies, so the best way to reach me is email: [email protected]. Let me know what happened and what iPhone you've got (a screenshot helps loads) and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

If you've got an idea or found a bug, you can also tap Suggest a feature in Settings. You can type it, or send a screenshot with a voice note, and then follow along as it gets looked at.

Why didn't a tile clear?

First check Walkies is allowed your location, in the iPhone's Settings app under Privacy & Security > Location Services > Walkies. After that it's usually the GPS. Walkies ignores fixes that are out by more than 30 metres, which can happen between tall buildings or under thick trees, and anything faster than about 12 km/h or that the motion chip thinks is a bike or a car.

A spot also only counts once two good fixes in a row agree you walked there, and if the GPS drops out and you pop up more than 150 metres away it doesn't join the dots. With Always on, nothing clears until you're about 150 metres from where you set off, then everything since you left clears at once.

Why is there still cloud over the bush or the water?

Only tiles with a street or path you can walk on count towards your 100%, so bush, wetland and water never stop you finishing. Those patches clear all at once when you walk a tile next to them. If you do walk through a tile that wasn't counted, like a beach, it gets added and counts too.

What does Always on do, and how do I turn it off?

With Always on, and Walkies' location set to "Always", it notices when you head out on foot and records the walk by itself, so you don't have to remember to press anything. The walk ends once you've stopped for ten minutes, or if you hop on a bike or in a car partway. It gets switched on when you first set Walkies up.

To turn it off, go to Settings and switch off Always on, then press Start walk when you go. You can also set Walkies' location back to "While Using the App" in the iPhone's Settings app.

Will it flatten my battery?

Always on keeps an eye on your location in the background, so it does use some battery, but GPS pauses by itself while you're sitting still and only picks up again once you've moved off. If you'd rather it didn't run at all when you're not walking, switch Always on off in Settings and press Start walk instead. Steps come from the phone's motion chip, so counting them doesn't cost anything extra.

Why are there no secrets where I live?

Each secret is a researched bit of history or a story about a real spot, so they take a while to put together, and right now there's only the 136 around Busselton in WA. Everywhere else gets the clouds and the tiles, just no secrets yet. Hopefully I can add more places over time, and if you know some good stories about where you live I'd love to hear them.

I've got a new phone. Will I lose everything?

No. Everything backs up to your Walkies account whenever there's signal, so sign in on the new phone with the same Apple or Google account as before and it all comes back. Before you wipe the old one, open Settings and check Sync says it's up to date, so nothing's still waiting to upload.

How do I delete my account?

In the app, go to Settings and tap Delete account. It deletes your account and everything in it from Walkies' server, then clears the phone and signs you out, and you can't undo it. The privacy policy has the details. If you can't get into the app, email me from the address you signed in with and I'll do it for you.