Frequently asked questions

When you open the app, you have 4 sign-up methods:

• Apple Sign In (recommended on iOS — one tap, no password to remember)
• Google Sign In
• Facebook Login
• Email + password

Sign-up takes less than a minute and drops you straight into a quick onboarding to personalize your experience.

Your RunTag (e.g. eliott) is your unique public handle on Odyssey. You choose it freely at sign-up: we check in real time that it's available before confirming it.

It's what identifies your account unambiguously and shows up on every social screen (for sharing, crew invites, and so on). Because it's unique, no two runners can have the same runtag.

If you use email + password authentication, contact us at support@runodyssey.com and we'll send you a reset link.

If you use Apple, Google or Facebook Sign In, you have no Odyssey password to manage — the reset happens directly with the provider (Apple, Google, Meta).

Go to Settings → Account → Change my password. You'll need to enter your current password, then the new one (8 characters minimum, with at least 1 digit).

This change automatically logs out your other devices for security.

Go to Settings → Delete my account. You'll need to confirm with your password (or type "DELETE MY ACCOUNT" if you use Apple/Google/Facebook Sign In).

Deletion:

• Immediately anonymizes your data (email, first name, photos)
• Automatically removes you from all your crews and clubs
• Permanently deletes all of your data within 30 days

During those 30 days, your account is deactivated. After that, it's irreversible (GDPR article 17).

No — one account per user. Creating multiple accounts violates our Terms and may lead to suspension. If you have a specific use case (e.g. a coach + a personal account), drop us a line: support@runodyssey.com.

From the Run tab at the bottom of the app:

1. Pick the session type (free, endurance, intervals, tempo, long run, or a coach-planned run)
2. Set your target (duration, distance, pace) if applicable
3. Tap "Start" → 3-2-1-Go countdown
4. GPS tracking and HealthKit collection (if allowed) start automatically

• Free — no target, just track distance/time
• Endurance (easy) — relaxed run at a moderate pace
• Recovery — very slow, after an intense run
• Long run — distance or duration target
• Tempo — 3 phases (warm-up / sustained effort / cool-down)
• Intervals — repeats of short phases (interval training)
• Race — for your official event

Auto-pause automatically detects when you stop (red light, hydration, etc.):

• Pause: if your speed drops below 3 km/h for 5 consecutive seconds
• Resume: if your speed climbs back above 4.5 km/h for 2 seconds
• Start guard: no auto-pause for the first 30 seconds (the GPS needs to stabilize)

When auto-pause triggers, you get a light tap on the wrist (vibration) and an amber "AUTO-PAUSE" banner appears on screen. Distinct from a manual pause (red "PAUSED") so you can clearly see what's happening.

You can turn off auto-pause in Settings → Run preferences → Auto-pause.

A few things to check:

• Make sure Odyssey has the "Always" location permission: iOS Settings → Privacy → Location → Odyssey → Always
• Turn on your iPhone's GPS (airplane mode off)
• Head outdoors — GPS doesn't work indoors
• On a cold start, wait 10-15 seconds for the GPS to stabilize
• Under dense trees, in urban canyons or tunnels: GPS can get noisy (that's normal on every device)

Yes, the screen locks automatically to save battery. Tracking continues in the background thanks to the Live Activities API and "background location" mode.

You'll see live stats in the Dynamic Island and on the lock screen without having to unlock.

Go to the Profile tab → "My runs" to see your chronological history with map, splits and detailed stats for every run.

The Oracle is Odyssey's voice coach. It's with you in real time during your runs with personalized announcements (kilometers, pace, milestones, alerts), advice, and it adapts its tone to your session type and how you're feeling that day.

Go to Settings → Run preferences. You can control:

• Coach voice (master) — voice announcements during the run
• Event sounds (master) — beeps, transition whistles
• Vibrations (master) — wrist taps

These 3 toggles are master filters: if you turn off "Coach voice", all voice announcements are muted.

Configurable in Settings → Run preferences → In-run announcements:

• Kilometer announcements: "Km 5 · 4'58 per km" at every km
• Time milestones: every 10/15/30 min depending on the planned duration
• Pace alerts: when you drift out of your target zone (too fast or too slow)
• Phase transitions: countdown + whistle before each phase (tempo, intervals)
• End announcement: "Run complete, nice work!"

Each announcement can be turned on/off individually.

Yes — Odyssey uses iOS's "duck" mode: your music briefly lowers in volume during the announcement, then comes back up. No interruption, just a slight fade.

Odyssey works on Apple Watch Series 5 or later, running watchOS 10 or newer. For standalone runs (no iPhone nearby), a Watch with built-in GPS is required (Series 6+).

Once Odyssey is installed on your iPhone, open the Watch app (Apple's pre-installed one) → "Available apps" → install Odyssey. The Watch will be detected automatically in Settings → Connections & devices.

Yes! The Watch app is standalone:

• Start the run from your Watch (digital crown + dedicated screens)
• GPS, heart rate, distance and pace are recorded on the Watch
• At the end, your run syncs automatically to your iPhone via WatchConnectivity

Auto-pause works on the standalone Watch too.

That's the RPE screen (Rating of Perceived Exertion). At the end of each run, you can rate your effort from 1 to 10 via the digital crown. This data helps:

• The Oracle calibrate your next sessions
• Your training-load statistics
• Tracking your fitness over time

It's optional — you can skip it if you want.

The Watch records your workouts into HealthKit continuously (every 10 seconds on average). Even if the app crashes or the Watch turns off, the data collected before that moment is preserved and will sync on the next launch.

With your explicit consent (GDPR article 9 — sensitive data):

• Read: heart rate, active calories, VO2 Max, distance, cadence, previous workouts
• Write: your Odyssey runs are saved to Apple Health so they aggregate with your other activities

You can revoke these permissions at any time via iOS Settings → Health → Data Access & Devices → Odyssey.

Your max HR is calibrated automatically from the HealthKit data observed on your runs (the real peak HR reached under effort). If the calibration isn't reliable yet (few runs), Odyssey uses the classic formula 220 - your age.

You can also correct it manually in Settings → Profile → Sport profile → Max HR.

Yes — Odyssey computes your 5 zones (Z1-Z5) from your max HR. Z1 = recovery, Z5 = maximal effort. You see your cumulative time per zone at the end of each run.

Yes! If you run with just your iPhone (no Watch) or if HealthKit isn't available, Odyssey estimates your heart rate from your pace and your profile (age, max HR, session type). The values are marked as "estimated" and remain indicative.

• Every run: XP based on distance, duration, intensity, and bonuses (consistency, new records, etc.)
• Personal records (1k pace, 5K, 10K, half, marathon, longest distance/duration): big bonus
• Weekly and monthly quests
• Crew/club activity: taking part in runs, challenges, contributions
• Referrals: XP when a friend signs up with your code

Each level requires more XP than the last (a progressive curve). You keep your earned level even if you take a break — no "loss" of XP over time.

At each tier, you unlock:

• A new rank (Beginner → Explorer → Veteran → Legend, etc.)
• Exclusive badges
• New quests and features

The streak counts the number of consecutive days on which you ran at least once (≥ 1 km). You see your current streak on your profile along with your all-time record. A rising streak = a mental boost; a broken streak = motivation to get back out fast.

Odyssey has several hundred badges split into categories (Distance, Consistency, Records, Social, Discovery, Seasonal, etc.). Each unlocks automatically when you meet its conditions (e.g. "First run over 10 km", "10 runs in a month", "First marathon", etc.).

You can pin 3 to 6 badges on your public profile (showcase).

Faking your GPS tracks (spoofing apps, doctored manual exports) is a violation of our Terms and leads to account suspension. We have automated plausibility checks (average speed, impossible accelerations, distance vs elevation) that flag suspicious runs.

If you notice suspicious behavior from another user, report it to us: support@runodyssey.com.

• Crew = your personal group (up to 12 members). One membership per user. For running with your close friends and sharing your daily feed.
• Club = a larger structure (sports associations, amateur or pro clubs). You can belong to several clubs. Official runs, challenges, community leaderboards.

3 ways:

1. Invite code: a crew member sends you a 6-character code (Settings → Profile → QR code and crew code)
2. QR code: you scan the QR from the Crew screen → Join
3. Deeplink shared on social media

Crew tab → "Create a crew". You automatically become the crew Captain, with moderation rights (kick, promote, delete the crew).

Pick a name, an emoji, a color, and you're off. You can then propose group runs, run a feed, and create collective challenges.

Club tab → the app shows the clubs in your neighborhood / city (based on your geolocation at sign-up). You can also search by name or city, see their members, their activity volume, and their run schedule.

Most clubs are open access (join directly), some are invite-only or require manual approval.

The club leader can indeed remove a member in case of behavior contrary to the club's internal rules or to Odyssey's Terms. You can appeal to the leader or contact us in case of a dispute: support@runodyssey.com.

We have a dedicated Odyssey for Clubs portal that lets clubs (nonprofits, pros, brands) manage their members, organize runs, and unlock advanced B2B features. Drop us a line at support@runodyssey.com.

Go to Settings → Invite friends. There you'll find:

• Your unique referral code (6 characters) to share
• A deeplink that pre-fills the code at sign-up
• A Share button that opens the native iOS share menu (WhatsApp, Messages, Insta, etc.)

When a friend signs up with your code, you both earn welcome XP and plenty of perks — a free Premium subscription down the line, exclusive badges, and more. The exact bonuses evolve over time: we notify you via push whenever we grow the program.

No — no limit. The more you invite, the more you earn. But we automatically monitor abusive behavior (spam, ghost accounts, multi-accounts). Play fair and you have nothing to worry about.

For now the referral code has to be entered at sign-up (step 1/5 of onboarding). If you forgot, drop us a line at support@runodyssey.com and we'll look at it case by case.

For the full details, see our Privacy Policy. In short:

• Identity: first name, runtag, email, photo (optional for most)
• Sport activity: GPS tracks, distance, pace, splits
• Health: HR, calories, VO2 Max (with explicit consent, GDPR art. 9)
• Social: crews, clubs, posts, kudos
• Gamification: XP, badges, records, streak
• Technical: IP, app version, time zone (for proper operation)

No advertising or third-party tracking cookies.

Never. No data is sold, rented or handed over to third parties for advertising purposes. The only recipients are our technical subprocessors (Railway for hosting, Cloudinary for media, Apple/Google/Meta for sign-in), under GDPR-compliant contracts.

In line with GDPR article 15 (right of access), you can request a copy of all your data via Settings → Export my data.

You confirm your receiving email, and we send you a file containing your runs, GPS tracks, badges, XP transactions, settings and login history within 30 days at most.

Your rights (GDPR art. 15-22):

• Access: Settings → Export my data
• Rectification: Settings → My profile (direct edits)
• Erasure: Settings → Delete my account
• Restriction, objection, portability, withdrawal of consent: drop us a line at support@runodyssey.com

We respond within 30 days at most. You can also reach out to the CNIL in case of a dispute.

The API and database are hosted with Railway Corp. (United States) under EU Standard Contractual Clauses + SOC 2 certification. Media (avatars, cover photos) live on Cloudinary Ltd. (United States) under EU SCCs + ISO 27001 certification.

All communications are encrypted with TLS 1.3, and data is encrypted at rest with AES-256.

• Active account: as long as you're registered
• Deleted account: 30 days (soft-delete) then permanent deletion
• Technical logs: 12 months
• Accounting data (V2 payments): legal retention of 10 years

Probably not — the app saves your data locally and to HealthKit continuously. On the next launch, you should find your run again (sometimes marked "to finalize" — confirm it in your history).

If you really can't find it, drop us a line at support@runodyssey.com with the approximate date and we'll check our server logs.

Several channels are possible:

• Email: support@runodyssey.com
• Soon: WhatsApp directly from Settings → Report a problem
• App Store review (quick for visible bugs)

When you write to us, include: iOS version, iPhone model, app version (Settings → Application → version), a description of the bug, and a screenshot if possible.

Continuous GPS tracking + HealthKit + maps drain battery and heat up the iPhone. A few tips:

• Turn on Battery-saver GPS accuracy (in V2 — for now max only)
• Use a breathable case, or no case at all, on very long runs
• For runs >2h, favor your standalone Watch and leave the iPhone at home

On a recent iPhone (12+): ~10-15% of battery for 1h of continuous GPS tracking in "high accuracy" mode. On Apple Watch Ultra: ~6-8%. You can track a run of over 5h without any issue on both devices.

Check your internet connection (onboarding finalizes a profile server-side). If the error persists:

• Fully quit the app (swipe up + close)
• Relaunch — you'll resume at the step you were on
• If stuck: support@runodyssey.com with the exact step (1/5, 2/5...)

Yes. Odyssey has been available on the App Store (iPhone) and on Google Play (Android) since late August 2026. One account on both sides: sign in and your runs, friends and progress are all there.

The app is free at launch with all the core features (running, coach, crews, badges, XP).

An Odyssey Premium subscription is planned for later (V2, during 2026) with advanced features:

• Unlimited Oracle coach (vs limited on the free tier)
• Personalized training plans (5K, 10K, half, marathon)
• VO2 Max analysis + advanced training load
• Unlimited offline maps
• Exclusive Premium badges

Early adopters (you, reading this!) will likely get special perks — more on that soon.