# Support

> Help for Steady Pace: setting a target pace, background tracking, your data and privacy, and one-time purchase questions. A real person answers email.

How the app works, why it needs the permissions it asks for, and how to reach support.

**Email:** [support@steadypace.ca](mailto:support@steadypace.ca).
A real person reads these. Include your iPhone model and iOS version.

## Using the app

**How do I set a target pace?**

Tap the big pace number on the Home screen and set it. You can also pick one from Settings → Browse benchmarks, which lists world records, race qualifying standards, and military fitness tests. The [pace calculator](https://steadypace.ca/pace-calculator) will work out the number for any goal time.

**What am I listening for?**

A steady tone means you're on pace. The pitch rises when you're running slower than target and falls when you're running faster. The further off you are, the louder and further from centre it gets. When you're inside your tolerance band it goes quiet.

**The tone is too sensitive, or too quiet.**

Settings → Deadzone controls how far off target you drift before audio starts. Widen it if small undulations nag you. Audio volume is separate, in the same section. You can also set one-sided coaching, so it warns you only when I'm too fast, or only when too slow.

**Can I use it without the tone?**

Yes. Turn audio off and it's a plain tracker, or switch to spoken split announcements instead. There's also a cadence metronome that's independent of pace coaching. See [audio pace alerts compared](https://steadypace.ca/audio-pace-alerts).

## Tracking

**Why does it need background location?**

So it keeps recording when your phone is locked and in your pocket, which is how you'd normally run. Without "Always" permission, iOS suspends tracking as soon as the screen goes off and your run stops recording mid-way.

**My run stopped recording partway through.**

Almost always this is iOS location permission set to "While Using" rather than "Always", or Low Power Mode. Check iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Steady Pace. Settings → Tracking diagnostics shows whether the OS suspended the app or downgraded permission, and lets you send it to me.

**Does it work indoors or on a treadmill?**

GPS pace needs a signal, so treadmill pace won't be accurate. The cadence metronome works anywhere, and you can still record time. For the road, tracking holds up even where GPS drops, under bridges, between buildings, and on long mountain runs.

## Your data

**Where are my runs stored?**

On your phone only. There is no account and no server, and the app makes no network connections. Deleting the app deletes everything. The full detail is in the [privacy explainer](https://steadypace.ca/private-running-app) and [privacy policy](https://steadypace.ca/privacy).

**What does "anonymized" mean on a run?**

Each run's coordinates are shifted by an offset that is calculated on your device and then discarded. The stored route is shifted from where you ran, and the shift can't be reversed. The shape of the route is still drawn.

**Can I get my runs out?**

Yes. Open a run and export it as a GPX file, which works with most other running software. Nothing is locked in, and nothing is held on a server you'd have to request it from.

**The app is using a lot of storage.**

If you turned on diagnostic mode, each run writes a detailed sensor log, and those get large. Settings → Storage shows what they're using and lets you delete them individually or all at once. Your run history stays separate.

## Buying it

**Is there a subscription?**

No. One purchase, and every feature is unlocked. There are no tiers and nothing is held back. The reasoning is on the [no-subscription](https://steadypace.ca/no-subscription-running-app) page.

**I want a refund.**

Refunds are handled by Apple. Go to [reportaproblem.apple.com](https://reportaproblem.apple.com). If you'd like to tell me what went wrong, email support.


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Source: https://steadypace.ca/support
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/steady-pace/id6773682525