Frequently asked questions

iOS and Android. Walks, statistics and badges belong to the account rather than the handset, so changing phones costs you none of it.

Tap the green paw at the bottom and choose “Walk” — tracking starts right away. Barnaby then records your route automatically via GPS.

Tap “Pause” during the walk. Time spent paused isn’t counted. When you’re done, tap “Finish”. You can then save and post the walk. If you tapped it by mistake, you can also keep going or discard the walk.

In Settings under “Your dogs” → “Add dog”. Up to 5 dogs can be managed in one account.

Barnaby is free — every feature, no subscription and no ads.

Barnaby is for ages 16 and up. For users under 18 no product analytics take place.

In German, English, Spanish and French. You can switch the language anytime, right in the app.

GPS isn't equally good everywhere: between tall buildings, under dense trees or in bad weather the signal can jump. Barnaby smooths the track and filters out outliers, but small deviations are still normal. In open terrain accuracy is usually within a few metres.

Recording does: GPS doesn’t need a connection, so your walk keeps going in the woods or in a dead zone. If you have no signal when you save, the walk waits on your phone and uploads automatically as soon as you’re back online. The feed, search and loading new map areas do need a connection.

Yes. Tap the green paw at the bottom and choose “Post” — one or more photos with a caption, with no route recorded.

Yes. Open the walk in your profile and choose “Delete” from the three-dot menu.

Yes. In the walk via the three-dot menu → “Edit”. The title, photos, the dogs and people involved and the home zone can all be changed.

No harm done: a walk can still be ended later — when you finish it, you decide whether to discard or post it. And a walk you’ve already posted can be edited or deleted at any time.

Yes. In the walk via the three-dot menu → “Export as GPX”: you get your full route without any Home Zone trimming, just for you. A complete export of all your data lives under Settings → Manage account → “Download your data”.

Per walk: distance, duration and pace. Plus weekly, monthly and yearly views, pace and elevation trends, your favourite times of day and weekdays, the weather on your walks, and sniff time — the time you spend standing still because your dog found something interesting.

In the Goals area via “Create your own goal” below the goal list: choose the type (distance, walks, time or streak), target value and time window. Progress is calculated automatically from your walks.

Once the time window ends without the target being reached, the goal moves to the “Done” section below your goals marked as “Not achieved”. In the detail view you can restart it with “Try again” using the same target and a fresh time window.

Achievements are badges you unlock automatically through real activity (e.g. total kilometres, streaks or night walks). A pop-up appears when you unlock one; you'll find all achievements in the Goals area under “Achievements”.

No. The tips in the Stats tab are rule-based pointers based on breed, age and weight. They're no replacement for veterinary advice — for any health concerns, please reach out to your vet.

Only if your account is public – which it is to begin with, unless you are under 18. Then anyone signed in to Barnaby can see your walks. Before your first walk goes online, though, we’ll check with you once that you’re fine with that. If you switch your account to private, only people whose follow request you’ve accepted, and people you share a dog with, can see your walks. Our server enforces that, not just the app.

Tap the paw to like it — a small gesture that means a lot for motivation.

You follow the dog, not the person. Dog profiles turn up via search or the feed, and each one has a “Follow” button. If the dog belongs to a public account you follow instantly; if an owner is private, a request is sent to that person.

A person’s profile lists all of their dogs under “Dogs” — from there you go straight to each dog’s profile.

Via the three-dot menu on the profile: “Report profile” or “Block”. Individual posts and comments can be reported too. Blocked accounts can no longer see your content; manage them under Settings → Privacy → “Blocked accounts”.

Yes. Set your account to private and don't approve any follow requests. If you have approved followers in the past, remove them from your dog's follower list. People you share a dog with can still see your walks. That way you use Barnaby as a personal walking journal with stats, goals and achievements.

No. The only thing stored as a route is what falls between the beginning and the end of a walk. While the app is open it also asks for your location to draw the map and show local notes, and none of that is kept.

The home zone hides the start and end of your route (typically your home) from others. Under Settings → Map → “Hide home zone by default” you set whether, which ends (start/end/both), and at what radius (25–125 m) it's hidden.

No. The setting only applies as the default for new walks. Walks you've already posted stay unchanged. When you finish a walk you can also turn the home zone on or off individually.

You set this once for your whole account, under Settings → Privacy → Profile. If your account is public, anyone signed in to Barnaby can see your walks. If it’s private, only people whose follow request you’ve accepted, and people you share a dog with, can see them. The setting applies to all your walks, including past ones.

If your account is private, people who want to follow your dog must be approved by you. Only approved followers — and people you share a dog with — can see your walks (including the shortened route), goals and achievements. Anyone who already followed your dog stays a follower, but only sees your walks if you approved them earlier or accept a new request. Change it under Settings → Privacy → Profile.

The app’s core data (database, files, server functions) is stored with Google Firebase in the European Union; individual services transfer data to the USA, safeguarded under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework or EU Standard Contractual Clauses. The website is hosted in Germany. The GDPR applies – you’ll find all the details in our privacy policy.

Under Settings → “Share dog” you create an invite code or QR code. The other person enters it under “Join dog” — and the dog shows up in their account too. Everyone involved can record walks with the dog, shared stats included. Note: anyone who shares a dog with you can see all your walks — even with a private account and including walks without that dog.

Yes. When you finish a walk you can select multiple dogs and the people who came along. The walk is saved once and appears in the feed exactly once — even if you follow several of the accounts involved.

We're so sorry. It's your choice: you can keep the profile — all your shared walks, photos and achievements stay as memories. Or you can delete the dog in Settings; under “Deleted dogs” you can restore them within 30 days if you change your mind.

Yes. Change your own username under Settings → My profile, and your dog's from its profile. Every username is unique — so it has to still be available. After a change, the next one is only possible 7 days later.

Under Settings → Password and Security. For security you'll need to re-enter your current password. For an email change we send a confirmation link to the new address.

Deactivating only hides your profile temporarily — sign back in and everything is as before. Deleting permanently removes your account and can't be undone; we clean up photos and technical remnants within 30 days (see the privacy policy for details). Both are under Settings → Manage account.

Under Settings → Manage account → “Download your data” you can export your walks, dogs and posts. A data summary also shows what Barnaby stores about you.

Yes. Everything is safely stored in your account: just sign in on the new device and your walks, dogs, stats and achievements are right back — whether iPhone or Android.

First check your internet connection and that you're on the latest app version. Important: always sign in with the same method you registered with (email/password, Google or Apple) — otherwise you'll end up in a new, empty account. If it still won't work, write to us at support@barnaby.at.

Make sure you've granted Barnaby location access in your device settings. “While Using the App” is enough: recording keeps going even when your screen is off. If it still stops on your device, “Always Allow” and turning off battery optimisation help. Either way, nothing is recorded unless a walk is active.

This is almost always your phone's battery optimisation shutting apps down in the background (especially on Android). Set Barnaby's location access to “Always” and turn off battery optimisation for Barnaby (device Settings → Apps → Barnaby → Battery). While a walk is running, a notification keeps you posted on your live progress.

During an active walk Barnaby records your route with GPS. That uses some battery, but a normal walk with the screen off barely shows. Outside of walks nothing is recorded; with the app open it only checks your location for the map and local notes.

Under Settings → Notifications you decide what you're informed about (followers, likes, comments, reminders and more). If no push arrives, also check the permission in your device settings.

Under Settings → Language. Barnaby is available in German, English, Spanish and French — your choice takes effect across the whole app right away.

Not at the moment — recording runs through your smartphone. But you can keep your phone completely in your pocket while you're at it.