OpenMapSoftwarePrivacy
OpenMapSoftware has no app account, no advertising, no analytics and no tracking. The OpenMapSoftware Foundation runs no server for the app and receives no data from it.
This page describes the iPhone version, the first to be released. It will be extended for the other versions as they are released.
What stays on your device
- Your location. The app uses the device's location services to show where you are and to navigate. Your location is not sent anywhere on its own; see below for when coordinates are part of a request.
- Saved places and searches (Home, Work, recent places, recent searches) are stored only on the device.
- Map cache. Up to 512 MB of recently viewed map data is kept on the device, so those areas also work without a network.
- Voice search. Speech is recognised on the device by a built-in model. No audio is sent anywhere.
- Spoken navigation is generated on the device.
Editing OpenStreetMap (optional)
You can use the whole app without any account. Only if you want to improve OpenStreetMap from the app do you sign in with your own OpenStreetMap account:
- You sign in on openstreetmap.org itself, in a private browser window. The app never sees your password; it receives a sign-in token, which is kept in the device's Keychain. Signing out deletes it.
- Your edits, notes and answers are sent to OpenStreetMap and are public there, with your OpenStreetMap user name and the time of the change, like every OpenStreetMap edit. The OpenStreetMap Foundation's privacy policy applies.
- Notes you leave without signing in are public too, but anonymous.
Which services receive requests
To show maps, search, plan routes and edit, the app contacts the online services below directly
from your device. Like any web request, each one sees your IP address and the request itself.
For search, places, routes and editing the app identifies itself with the User-Agent
OpenMapSoftware/0.1 (iOS; open source; EUPL-1.2; +https://openmapsoftware.org; contact@openmapsoftware.org).
The app sends no device ID or advertising identifier. Each service has its own privacy and usage policy.
| Service | When | What it receives | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photon (komoot) | You type a search, drop a pin, tap a label, or choose a spot on the map for a route | Your search text and the centre of the visible map (to rank nearby results first), or the coordinate of the spot; your language | Germany |
| Overpass API (FOSSGIS) | You browse a place category, look for places along your route, or edit a place | The category and the area of the visible map, or the road ahead on your route, or the area around a place | Germany |
| Valhalla (FOSSGIS) | You plan a route by car, bicycle or on foot, or the route is recalculated | Start, destination and any stops; when recalculating, your current position and direction | Germany |
| Transitous | You plan a public-transport route | Start and destination coordinates and the chosen time | Germany |
| OpenStreetMap API (OpenStreetMap Foundation) | You long-press the map (no sign-in needed), sign in, or edit, add a note or answer questions | The small area around the pin or around the map centre; when signed in, your sign-in token and your changes | UK; served through Fastly (US) |
| Map tile services: OpenFreeMap, OpenStreetMap, OSM France, openstreetmap.de, OpenTopoMap, EOX, swisstopo, Mapterhorn, OpenRailwayMap, OpenSnowMap | You look at the map, depending on the map type and layers you choose | Which map tiles to load, which reveals the area you are looking at | Europe; OpenFreeMap and Mapterhorn through Cloudflare (US), OpenStreetMap through Fastly (US), swisstopo through AWS CloudFront (US) |
| PDOK aerial photos (Beeldmateriaal Nederland) | You draw an area or line in the Netherlands with aerial photos on | Which photo tiles to load | Netherlands; hosted on Microsoft Azure (US company, EU region) |
Details of every service, including hosting, are on Data & credits.
Apple and Google
On iPhone, iPad and Mac, Apple's App Store and operating systems apply; on Android and Windows, those of Google and Microsoft will apply. OpenMapSoftware does not use Apple Maps or Google Maps, and adds no Apple, Google or other analytics of its own.
This website
This website sets no cookies and loads no external fonts, scripts or trackers. It is hosted by Netlify (United States), which may keep ordinary server logs (such as IP addresses) for security and operation.
Questions
See Contact.