WristCycle
Privacy & Data

Privacy Policy

This page covers how WristCycle uses Bluetooth sensors, heart-rate readings, location, and Health Connect on your Android phone and paired Wear OS watch.

Last updated: June 2, 2026 Applies to: WristCycle (Android phone app and paired Wear OS watch app) Operator: Cyrus Waldner (CyrusDevDesign)

Summary

WristCycle is a local-only app. It does not have user accounts, does not include analytics or crash-reporting SDKs, and does not send your rides, heart-rate readings, or location to the developer or to any third-party server. Ride data stays on your device unless you choose to share it with Health Connect.

What data the app uses

  • Location (GPS): If you grant location access, the phone app uses your device's GPS to record the route, speed, and distance of your ride. Location is sampled only while a ride is active and is stored on your device. Location is never sent to the developer or to any third-party server.
  • Bluetooth sensors: The app scans for and connects to nearby Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) cycling sensors (such as heart-rate straps, speed sensors, and cadence sensors). Bluetooth scanning is used only to discover and connect to your sensors — it is not used to derive your location or to identify nearby devices for any other purpose. Sensor readings are stored on your device.
  • Heart rate (watch): On the paired Wear OS watch, the app reads heart-rate values from the watch's optical sensor through Android Health Services. On Android 14 (Wear OS API 34) and earlier this uses the BODY_SENSORS permission; on Android 16 (API 36) and later it uses the granular health.READ_HEART_RATE permission. Heart-rate values can be streamed from the watch to the paired phone over the Wearable Data Layer so the phone bike-computer can display them. Heart-rate values are stored on your device.
  • Watch ↔ phone sync: The watch and phone apps communicate over Google's Wearable Data Layer (part of Google Play Services on your devices). This is a local link between your two devices. The completed ride is sent from the watch to the paired phone over this link so the phone can write it to Health Connect. The developer does not receive this data.
  • Foreground service: While a ride is active, the app runs a foreground service so that sensor streaming and GPS recording keep working when the screen is off or the app is in the background. An ongoing notification is shown while the service is running, as required by Android.
  • Health Connect (phone, optional): If you grant the matching Health Connect permissions, the phone app can write the data it recorded during a ride into Health Connect on your phone. Categories that may be written are: exercise sessions, heart rate, speed, distance, and cycling pedaling cadence. Data written to Health Connect is governed by Android's Health Connect privacy controls — you can review and revoke permission, and delete records, from the Health Connect settings on your phone. The app does not read other apps' health data.
  • On-device storage: Ride records, sensor pairings, and app preferences are stored on your device. Nothing is uploaded to the developer or to any third-party server.
  • No analytics, no crash reporting, no advertising: The app does not include Firebase Analytics, Firebase Crashlytics, Google Analytics, ad SDKs, or any third-party tracking. There is no user account and no sign-in.

Permissions used

  • Location (fine): Required by Android for Bluetooth scanning and for recording the route of your ride.
  • Bluetooth scan / connect: Required to find and connect to cycling sensors and heart-rate straps.
  • Body sensors / Health Read Heart Rate (watch): Required for the watch to read heart-rate values from its optical sensor.
  • Health Connect write permissions (phone): Optional. Only used if you choose to let the app save rides into Health Connect.
  • Foreground service (health, connected device, location): Required to keep sensor streaming and GPS recording running with the screen off.
  • Post notifications: Required on Android 13 and later to show the foreground-service notification.

Data retention & deletion

Ride data and app preferences are kept on your device until you delete them in the app, clear the app's storage in Android settings, or uninstall the app. Records you wrote into Health Connect can be reviewed and deleted from the Health Connect settings on your phone.

Because there is no user account and no server-side storage, there is no separate account-deletion request to make.

Children

WristCycle is not directed to children under 13 and does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Attributions

WristCycle is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google, Wahoo Fitness, Garmin, or any cycling-sensor manufacturer. Trademarks are used for identification purposes only. Health Connect and Wear OS are products of Google.