The short version: your training data lives on your phone. Creating an account is optional and powers exactly three things: your profile, your membership status, and (when it launches) sharing runs with people you choose. We don't sell your data, we don't show ads, and we don't track you across the internet. We're a small shop trying to ship a good app.
Why Not is a running coach app for iPhone and Apple Watch, operated by Why Not Run LLC, a Massachusetts, USA company. You can reach us at support@whynot.run.
The core of Why Not is local-first. The following is stored on your phone (and, where relevant, mirrored to your paired Apple Watch) and is not sent to our servers:
If you delete the app without an account, this data is deleted with it and we cannot retrieve it.
If you record a run with Why Not (on the phone or the watch), the app uses GPS to calculate live pace and distance and to draw your route map. Routes are stored on your device and in your Apple Health data — not on our servers. A route leaves your device only if you later choose to share that run through the app's social features (see section on social below), and even then it is trimmed first.
If you connect Apple Health, Why Not both reads and writes workout data so your plan reflects everything you actually do:
You can use Why Not's training features without an account. Creating one unlocks your Why Not profile, membership management, and social features. Sign-in is through Sign in with Apple — in the app and on this website's account portal. When you sign in we store:
Account data is stored with our infrastructure provider, Supabase, on servers in the United States. You can delete your account at any time inside the app (or by emailing us) — deletion removes your profile, any shared runs, and your follow relationships.
Apple processes all payments through the App Store — we never see your card number or billing details. We use RevenueCat, a subscription-management service, to know your subscription status (trial, active, lapsed) so the app can unlock the right features; when you're signed in, that status is linked to your account so you can also see it on the web. Managing or canceling a subscription always happens through Apple — our membership pages show your status and link you to Apple's subscription settings.
When social features launch, sharing is opt-in and followers-only. If you choose to share a run, your followers see its stats (distance, pace, time, run type) and a route preview. Before a route ever leaves your device, the app trims and blurs its start and end points. Honest limitation: trimming hides where a run started and ended, but a route can still pass near places you frequent — share with people you trust, and use the per-run toggle when in doubt. You can remove a shared run at any time (deleting a run retracts it for everyone), block or report other users, and deleting your account removes everything you shared.
If we add direct connections to services like Garmin Connect, they will be opt-in: you'd authorize the connection with that service, we'd receive only your run and wellness data from it to power your coaching, and you could disconnect at any time. We'll update this policy when any such connection ships.
If you send a bug report from inside the app, we receive what you wrote plus basic technical context (app version, device model, iOS version) so we can fix the problem. Bug reports go to our own backend and are kept only as long as needed to resolve the issue.
Crash reporting uses Apple's built-in system if you have it enabled in iOS Settings; those reports are anonymized by Apple. We do not use third-party analytics SDKs (no Google Analytics, no Mixpanel, no Meta SDK, no AppsFlyer, etc.).
Why Not is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has created an account, contact support@whynot.run and we will delete it.
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, and export your data. Here's how that works with our split of local and server data:
On-device data lives as long as the app is installed. Account data is kept until you delete your account. Bug reports are kept only as long as needed to fix the issue. We don't keep marketing lists, so there's nothing to unsubscribe from.
On your device, data is protected by iOS app sandboxing and your lock screen — keep a passcode or Face ID on your phone. On our side, account and shared data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and protected by per-user access rules on the database, hosted with Supabase in the United States. No system is perfect; if we ever learn of a breach affecting your data, we'll tell you.
If we change anything material — a new connected service, a new data flow — we'll update this page and note it in the app before the change takes effect. The "last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision.
Questions, concerns, or requests:
Why Not Run LLC
Massachusetts, USA
Email: support@whynot.run
This policy is written in plain English on purpose. If something is unclear, that's a bug — email us and we'll fix it.