Support

How can we help?

Write to us any time. Most answers are also below.

Support

Questions, bugs, ideas, or a place that looks wrong.

support@strell.app

Privacy

Questions about your data, or a request to delete a report.

privacy@strell.app

If a neighborhood name or boundary is wrong, the quickest fix is in the app: long-press the map and choose Report a problem.

Battery

Will Strell drain my battery?

Strell uses GPS while it's open on your screen and during an outing you start. Outside an outing, location stops when Strell leaves the screen, so it isn't running all day in the background.

During an outing GPS stays on, and like any app that follows a run or a ride, that uses battery. Two things keep it in check:

  • Tap End outing when you're home.
  • If you forget, an outing ends on its own after 45 minutes without moving 100 m, or after 8 hours, and GPS turns off.

Background location

Does Strell track me in the background?

Only during an outing you started. While an outing is on, Strell keeps following you when your phone is locked, and iOS shows the blue location indicator. When the outing ends, so does background location.

Your positions are used on your phone to grow the map. The privacy policy lists exactly what leaves it.

Should I choose "While Using the App" or "Always"?

While Using the App is enough for outings, including with your phone locked. Strell asks about Always once, after your first outing ends. It's optional, and it helps an outing carry on if iOS closes Strell while you're out.

Without Always, if iOS closes Strell during an outing, the next time you open it Strell tells you the outing paused and is still on, and you can end it.

You can change this any time in the iPhone Settings app › Privacy & Security › Location Services › Strell.

Deleting your data

How do I delete my data?
  • Reset map, at the bottom of Settings in Strell, clears the map you explored on this phone. Imported routes, outings and stats stay.
  • Deleting the app deletes everything Strell stored on your phone: the map, imported routes, outings, stats and settings.
  • Delete account, in Settings › Account, deletes your Strellows account and everything our server holds for it, at once. You confirm with Apple first. Your map stays on your phone.
  • Reports you sent with "Report a problem" are on our server. Email privacy@strell.app and tell us roughly when and where you sent them, and we'll delete them within 30 days.

If you never signed in for Strellows, there's no account to close. Map-cell lookups and water reads aren't stored with anything that identifies you, so there's nothing of yours to delete there.

Exporting your map

Can I get a copy of my map?

Yes. In Strell, go to Settings › Your data › Export my map. It makes a GeoJSON file, a standard map format, and opens the share sheet so you can save it to Files or send it wherever you like.

The file holds every cell on your map, with its outline, when it was first grown in, whether you explored or imported it, how you were travelling and how close your path came, plus your outing history and stats. It's made on your phone, and Strell doesn't upload it.

More questions

Do I need an account?

No. Open Strell and head out. An account is only for Strellows, the optional way to grow your map alongside people you know, and it uses Sign in with Apple. Your Strellows see how your places are growing, an hour later and dated by day, never your map or where you are. The privacy policy has the details.

Does it work where I live?

The mist lifts anywhere you go. In Strell 1.0, neighborhood names and "% grown in" cover Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles. Elsewhere, the top card says "Uncharted area" for now, and everything you explore is still saved.

Does driving or cycling count?

Yes. The mist lifts at any speed. Rewards like milestones and your plant count new ground with a gentle pace cap, so a drive counts, just for less than walking the same streets.

Can I add routes from before I had Strell?

Yes: in Settings, choose Import past routes and pick a GPX file or your Google Timeline. The files are read on your phone and not uploaded. Imported routes grow in your map, but milestones count only your outings.

Can I use Strell without signal?

Yes. Save an offline area from Settings before you go, and the map is there when the signal isn't.