RunStridePrivacy policy
Last updated: 10 October 2026
The short version
- We collect what a dating and running app needs: your profile, photos, running and dating preferences, approximate location, and what you do in the app.
- Other people see your profile, an approximate distance (never where you are), and what you post in race chats.
- ID checks are done by Persona. We never store your ID document, only whether you passed.
- Live run sharing uses your exact location only during a run you choose to share, and we delete it when you end the share.
- We don't sell your information. You can see, correct or delete it, and deleting your account in the app deletes your data.
1. Who we are
RunStride is a dating and social app for runners in South Africa, available on iPhone, Android and the web. In this policy, "RunStride", "we" and "us" means the operator of the app and of runstride.co.za, who is the responsible party for your personal information under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).
Information Officer: Tebogo Legoabe. Email: privacy@runstride.co.za
RunStride is only for people aged 18 and over. We don't knowingly collect information about anyone younger, and we delete it if we find it.
2. What we collect
| Information | Examples | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Mobile number, or your Google account's name and email if you sign in with Google | To sign you in and keep your account secure |
| Profile | First name, date of birth (we show your age), photos, bio | So other runners can see who you are |
| Running profile | Pace, weekly distance, terrain, goals, the times you like to run | To work out your running match with others |
| Dating preferences | Your gender, who you'd like to meet, age range, distance | To show you people who fit, and show you to people you fit |
| Approximate location | Your location rounded to about 1 km | To show runners near you. Others only see "5 km away", never where you are |
| Races | Races you're going to, your distance, race chat messages, entry swap posts and alerts | For race pages, race chats and the swap board |
| Matches and messages | Likes, passes, matches, chat messages, chat requests, run plans | To let you match and talk |
| Run-day safety | Trusted contacts' names and numbers; your exact location while you share a run; check-ins | So someone you trust can follow your run, and to alert them if you press the panic button |
| ID verification result | Whether your ID and selfie check passed, and Persona's reference for it | To make sure people are who they say they are |
| Safety reports | Reports and blocks you make, and a copy of the evidence a report is about | To review reports and keep people safe |
| Purchases | What you've bought (Plus, race passes) and when it renews or ends | To give you what you paid for. Card details stay with Apple or Google; we never see them |
| Notifications | Your phone's push notification token and your notification settings | To send the notifications you've chosen |
| Technical | Device type, app version, sign-in times, network address for security | To keep the app working and stop abuse such as fake sign-ups |
| Beta sign-up (website) | First name, email, city, phone type, usual distance | To invite you to the beta |
Special personal information
Some of this is special personal information under POPIA: who you'd like to meet can reveal your sex life or orientation, and the ID check uses biometric information (comparing your selfie with your ID photo). We process it only with your consent, which you give when you set your preferences and when you start the ID check, and only for the purposes above. You can withdraw consent by changing your preferences or deleting your account.
3. What other people see
- People you might match with: your name, age, photos, bio, running profile, approximate distance, whether you're verified, and races you're both going to.
- People at a race: your name, photo and distance at that race, and what you post in its chat and swap board.
- Your matches: your messages and run plans.
- Your trusted contacts: a link to follow your run while you share it.
"Taken" mode hides you from dating and race runner lists. Blocking someone hides you from each other everywhere.
4. Who we share it with
We use these service providers, who process information for us under agreements that require them to protect it. Some are outside South Africa (see section 6).
- Persona (United States): ID and selfie verification.
- BulkSMS: sign-in codes and panic alerts by SMS.
- Cloudflare: photo storage and this website.
- Expo: delivering push notifications through Apple and Google.
- Google: sign-in with Google, if you use it.
- Apple, Google and RevenueCat: in-app purchases.
- Our hosting provider: the servers and database that run the app.
We don't sell your personal information or share it for advertising. We may disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect someone's safety (for example, to help police in an emergency).
5. How long we keep it
- Most information is kept while you have an account. Deleting your account (Profile → Delete account) permanently deletes your profile, photos, preferences, matches, messages, run plans, trusted contacts and push tokens.
- Your exact location during a shared run is deleted when you end the share.
- Reports made about someone, with their evidence, are kept after that person deletes their account, so deleting an account can't erase proof of abuse.
- Purchase records are kept as long as tax and consumer law requires.
- Beta sign-ups are deleted when the beta ends, or sooner if you ask.
6. Information sent outside South Africa
Some providers (such as Persona, Expo and Cloudflare) store or process information outside South Africa. We only use providers that are bound by data protection laws or agreements giving protection comparable to POPIA, as section 72 of POPIA requires.
7. How we protect it
Information travels encrypted (HTTPS). Sign-in codes are stored only as one-way hashes. Locations are rounded before they're stored. Moderators only see what they need to review a report. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach puts your information at risk, we'll tell you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.
8. Your rights
Under POPIA you can:
- ask what personal information we hold about you, and get a copy;
- correct it (most of it you can edit in the app);
- delete it (delete your account in the app, or ask us);
- object to us processing it, or withdraw consent;
- opt out of emails and notifications (Profile → Notifications, or the link in any email);
- complain to the Information Regulator at inforegulator.org.za.
Email privacy@runstride.co.za for any of these. We'll reply within 30 days, and may need to confirm it's you first.
9. Changes
If we change this policy in a way that matters, we'll tell you in the app before it applies. The date at the top shows when it last changed.