HikeFolio Support

No. Choose Continue when HikeFolio opens to use the app locally without creating an account or signing in.

Yes. HikeFolio is local-first, and its core portfolio, tracking, Adventures, observations, and journaling features work without an account. Your records are stored locally. Completed Watch activities and routes can transfer to your paired iPhone without iCloud sync. You can separately enable private iCloud sync for supported data.

Sign in with Apple uses Apple's authentication system and does not create a HikeFolio password or custom HikeFolio cloud account. It is optional: you can choose Continue and use HikeFolio locally. Private iCloud sync is also optional and is controlled separately inside HikeFolio.

When you enable iCloud Sync, supported HikeFolio records and app-managed photos can sync through your private Apple iCloud account to your Apple devices. HikeFolio does not operate a custom user-data server. Sync depends on iCloud availability and may take time; HikeFolio does not promise immediate, conflict-free synchronization or that every deletion will appear on every device at once. The separate iPhone Apple Health import cache and recorded activity route files are excluded from HikeFolio iCloud sync; supported movement summaries may sync.

HikeFolio stores preferences, user-created records, and supported recorded routes on your device using Apple platform storage. Completed Watch activities and routes can transfer to your paired iPhone; successful transfer does not automatically remove the Watch’s stored session and route. If you enable private iCloud sync, supported portfolio records and app-managed photos can also sync through your private Apple iCloud account. The separate iPhone Apple Health import cache and recorded activity route files are not included in that sync. Route availability depends on the activity, permissions, available location samples, and the version that recorded it.

On iPhone, open Profile in HikeFolio, find Apple Health, and choose Connect Apple Health. Review HikeFolio's explanation, continue, and choose which supported read permissions to grant in Apple's authorization sheet. You can deny access and continue using unrelated HikeFolio features.

The optional iPhone connection requests read-only access to supported workouts, steps, resting heart rate, and workout distances. With your permission, HikeFolio on Apple Watch also records and saves workouts you start to Apple Health. Daily Activity reads authorized Steps and Activity summary information.

With your permission, HikeFolio on Apple Watch saves workouts you start to Apple Health. The iPhone connection can cache authorized readings and imported workout records locally for your portfolio. Removing an Apple Health import from HikeFolio removes that local import; it does not delete its source workout in Apple Health. Completed Watch activities can transfer to your paired iPhone.

Use Apple's Health app. On iPhone: Health app → Summary → profile picture → Privacy → Apps → HikeFolio. On iPad: Health app → Profile → Privacy → Apps → HikeFolio. HikeFolio cannot open its Health permission page directly.

Location powers user-started route tracking and Offline Field Sessions, including your position, distance, elevation, GPS quality, waypoints, maps during active tracking, and directional guidance. HikeFolio does not use location for continuous background monitoring.

Background location is active only while a standard route-tracking session or Offline Field Session that you started is still active. This lets a visible session continue while HikeFolio is in the background or your device is locked. Location updates stop when you end or discard the session.

On iPhone, return to the active tracking view in HikeFolio and choose Stop. On Watch, open Controls and choose End Activity, then follow the confirmation and save steps. Ending the session stops its background location updates. Supported completed activities retain their summaries and recorded route samples locally; route availability depends on permissions and available samples.

When the last movement entry linked to a completed tracked activity is deleted on iPhone, HikeFolio attempts to remove that device’s stored session and route. This does not delete the Watch’s stored copy or its workout in Apple Health. Local removal can fail if storage operations fail; HikeFolio does not guarantee permanent route retention or deletion across devices.

Return to Offline Field Mode and choose Stop & Save to end and keep the session, or choose Discard if you do not want to keep it. Either action ends the active session and its background location updates.

No. Offline Field Mode does not download offline maps and does not provide turn-by-turn navigation. It uses available Apple device sensors and location services for compass heading, GPS quality, distance, elevation, elapsed time, waypoints, directional Navigate To guidance, and return or Back to Start guidance where supported. Always carry appropriate navigation tools and use your judgment outdoors.

On supported devices and system versions, a qualifying active route or Offline Field Session can show transient details on the Lock Screen and, where available, Dynamic Island. A Live Activity may summarize details such as elapsed time, distance, GPS quality, waypoint count, or guidance status. It is not a separate tracker and ends with the session or when iOS removes it.

Daily HikeFolio Wisdom is optional. If you enable it in Profile and allow notifications, HikeFolio schedules local Wisdom notifications for your chosen time using the Wisdom assigned to each local calendar date. You can change the time or turn the feature off in HikeFolio, and you can manage notification permission in Apple Settings. HikeFolio does not use Wisdom notifications for third-party advertising.

HikeFolio accesses the camera or photo library only after an action you take, such as selecting a profile photo, attaching a photo to a record, or saving an Expedition Card. It may create an app-managed copy of a selected image. If private iCloud sync is enabled, supported app-managed photos may sync privately through your Apple iCloud account.

Deleting a HikeFolio record or its app-managed photo does not delete the original item from your Apple Photos library. You manage the original independently in Photos.

No. HikeFolio does not use third-party analytics SDKs.

No. HikeFolio does not display advertising or use advertising SDKs.

No. HikeFolio does not track you across other companies' apps or websites. Location is used only for the user-started app features described above, not for advertising or user profiling.

Email support@hikefolioapp.com with a short description of what happened. If possible, include the HikeFolio version, your iPhone or iPad model, your iOS or iPadOS version, what you expected, what occurred, and steps that reproduce the issue. Please do not send sensitive health information, precise location history, or other private content unless it is necessary and you choose to do so.

Email support@hikefolioapp.com. You can ask about setup, features, permissions, privacy, or troubleshooting. Support is provided by email; HikeFolio does not require you to create a support account.