How the bound.zone Garmin data field handles your data

Contributing is entirely your choice. The data field only sends observations while contribution is enabled in its settings, and you can turn it off at any time. Turning it off stops all future uploads immediately.

In batches, the watch sends: a random installation identifier it generated itself, a random session identifier, your watch model and app version, the activity type (walk, hike, run, cycle, other), and for each sample the time, the result of the connectivity check (online, offline or timeout), which connectivity endpoint decided the result, how long the check took, a rough GPS quality flag, and the distance and active time since the previous sample.

Locations are reduced to grid cells roughly 50 metres across before they leave the watch. Only the centre of that cell is stored. Your exact position and continuous track are never collected.

While the watch is online, it can also request nearby shared coverage. For that request, the current position is rounded to roughly 100 metres and used only to select aggregated cells within five kilometres; it is not added to the observations database.

The opted-in pilot build also sends a small, bounded set of technical diagnostics: event names, status values, timestamps, app uptime, watch model, firmware and app version. These diagnostics contain no coordinates, route data, observation payloads, credentials or exception text.

No names, email addresses, Garmin account details, advertising identifiers, phone identifiers or device serial numbers. The server does not store the IP address of an upload. Nothing collected identifies you personally, and the public coverage map never shows who contributed an observation.

Observations are aggregated per location cell into a green (reliable), amber (mixed) or red (unreliable) rating, together with counts and the time of the last observation. Each anonymous installation has one current vote per cell, so repeatedly passing the same place cannot outweigh other contributors. Votes older than 90 days no longer affect the current community rating. Administrators of the closed pilot can view aggregated statistics and individual records to debug the app.

Coverage shown is internet connectivity observed by a watch. It is not a guarantee of calling, SMS or emergency service coverage, and must not be relied on for safety decisions.

Observations are kept for as long as the pilot runs so that coverage history remains meaningful. If you want your contributions removed, send the installation identifier shown in the app settings and an administrator will delete the installation and every observation it contributed; the affected cells are recalculated without your data.

Technical diagnostic events are automatically deleted after 30 days. Turning contribution off clears diagnostics still waiting on the watch and stops both kinds of upload.

The tester feedback form is optional and asks for no account or name. Only submit information you are happy to share; submissions are visible to pilot administrators only.