Strava Privacy: Hiding Your Runs, Profile, and Personal Data

How Do I Stop People Seeing My Runs on Strava?

Strava offers comprehensive privacy settings that allow you to control who sees your activities, profile, and location, ranging from making individual runs private to setting default preferences for all future uploads.

Understanding Strava Privacy Settings

For athletes, managing data visibility is crucial for personal safety, maintaining training focus, and respecting individual preferences. Strava, while a powerful platform for community and performance tracking, provides granular controls to ensure your activities are shared only with your intended audience. Understanding these options empowers you to tailor your experience, whether you prefer to share every detail with your network or keep your training entirely confidential.

Strava's privacy framework operates on several levels:

• Activity-Specific Privacy: Controls visibility for individual runs, allowing you to override default settings.
• Default Activity Privacy: Sets the default visibility for all new uploads.
• Privacy Zones: Automatically hides the start and end points of your activities.
• Profile Visibility: Determines who can see your overall profile, training log, and follower information.
• Follower Control: Manages who can follow you and view your activities.
• Leaderboard Visibility: Controls your appearance on segment leaderboards.

Method 1: Making Individual Activities Private

This method allows you to change the visibility of a specific run, whether it's one you've just completed or an older activity.

For Mobile App (iOS/Android):

1. Open the Strava App: Navigate to your "Feed" or "You" tab.
2. Select the Activity: Tap on the run you wish to make private.
3. Access Edit Options: Tap the three dots (...) icon (or sometimes a pencil icon for "Edit Activity") usually located in the top right corner of the activity screen.
4. Adjust Visibility: Select "Edit Activity."
5. Change Privacy Setting: Look for the "Privacy Controls" option or an icon resembling a padlock. Tap it and choose "Only You" (or "Private").
6. Save Changes: Tap "Save Activity" to apply the new setting.

For Strava Website:

1. Log In: Go to Strava.com and log into your account.
2. Navigate to My Activities: Hover over "Training" in the top navigation bar, then click "My Activities."
3. Select the Activity: Click on the run you want to modify.
4. Access Edit Options: On the activity page, click the wrench icon (Activity Controls) on the left side, or the pencil icon (Edit Activity) if available.
5. Adjust Visibility: Under the "Privacy" section, select "Only You" from the dropdown menu.
6. Save Changes: Click "Save Activity" at the bottom of the page.

Method 2: Adjusting Default Privacy Settings for All Future Activities

This is the most proactive way to ensure all your new runs are private by default, eliminating the need to adjust each one manually.

For Mobile App (iOS/Android):

1. Open the Strava App: Go to the "You" tab.
2. Access Settings: Tap the gear icon (Settings) in the top right corner.
3. Navigate to Privacy Controls: Select "Privacy Controls."
4. Set Default Activity Privacy: Under "Activities," tap "Activity Visibility" (or "Default Activity Visibility").
5. Choose "Only You": Select "Only You" from the options. All future uploads will now default to private.

For Strava Website:

1. Log In: Go to Strava.com and log into your account.
2. Access Settings: Hover over your profile picture in the top right corner, then click "Settings."
3. Navigate to Privacy Controls: Click "Privacy Controls" in the left-hand menu.
4. Set Default Activity Privacy: Under the "Privacy Controls" section, find "Activities."
5. Choose "Only You": Select "Only You" from the dropdown menu next to "Default Activity Visibility."
6. Save Changes: The changes usually save automatically, or there may be a "Save" button at the bottom.

Method 3: Creating Privacy Zones

Privacy Zones allow you to hide the start and end points of your activities (e.g., your home or workplace) without making the entire activity private. This is ideal for maintaining personal safety while still sharing the majority of your run with your followers.

For Strava Website (Recommended for Setup):

1. Log In: Go to Strava.com and log into your account.
2. Access Settings: Hover over your profile picture in the top right corner, then click "Settings."
3. Navigate to Privacy Controls: Click "Privacy Controls" in the left-hand menu.
4. Add a Privacy Zone: Scroll down to "Privacy Zones." Click "Add a Privacy Zone."
5. Enter Address: Type in the address you want to protect (e.g., your home address).
6. Set Radius: Choose a radius (e.g., 1/8 mile, 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile). Any part of your activity that falls within this zone will be hidden from others.
7. Save: Click "Create Privacy Zone."

Once set up, these zones will automatically apply to all future activities. Past activities must be refreshed manually by clicking the "Refresh Activity Privacy" button in the Privacy Controls section on the website.

Method 4: Controlling Profile Visibility and Followers

Beyond individual activities, you can manage who sees your overall Strava profile and who can follow you.

Profile Visibility:

• Public Profile: Anyone can see your profile, training log, and basic stats.
• Followers Only: Only your approved followers can see your detailed profile.
• Adjust on Website: Go to Settings > Privacy Controls > Profile Page. Select "Everyone" or "Followers" as desired.
• Adjust on Mobile: Go to You > Settings (gear icon) > Privacy Controls > Profile Page.

Follower Management:

• Request to Follow: You can set your profile so that people must request to follow you, giving you control over who sees your activities (if they are not set to "Only You").
• Adjust on Website: Go to Settings > Privacy Controls > Follower & Leaderboard Privacy. Check "Require everyone to follow me."
• Adjust on Mobile: Go to You > Settings (gear icon) > Privacy Controls > Profile Page. Toggle "Followers" to "Requires Approval."

Method 5: Opting Out of Leaderboards

If you want to keep your activities private but still share them with followers, you might also consider your visibility on segment leaderboards.

For Strava Website:

1. Log In: Go to Strava.com and log into your account.
2. Access Settings: Hover over your profile picture, then click "Settings."
3. Navigate to Privacy Controls: Click "Privacy Controls" in the left-hand menu.
4. Leaderboard Privacy: Under "Follower & Leaderboard Privacy," select "No One" for "Leaderboard Visibility." This will remove you from all public segment leaderboards.

For Mobile App:

1. Open the Strava App: Go to the "You" tab.
2. Access Settings: Tap the gear icon (Settings) in the top right corner.
3. Navigate to Privacy Controls: Select "Privacy Controls."
4. Leaderboard Visibility: Under "Activities," tap "Leaderboard Visibility" and choose "No One."

Why Privacy Matters for Athletes

While sharing progress can be motivating, maintaining privacy on fitness platforms offers significant benefits:

• Personal Safety: Hiding your start/end points or making runs private can prevent others from deducing your home address or regular training routes, enhancing personal security.
• Focus on Intrinsic Motivation: Removing the pressure of public performance can help athletes focus on their personal goals and enjoy their runs without external judgment.
• Preventing Stalking or Harassment: In rare cases, public data can be misused. Privacy settings act as a preventative measure.
• Managing Social Comparison: For some, constantly seeing others' performances can be demotivating. Privacy allows for a more personal training journey.
• Respecting Sensitive Information: Certain training sessions (e.g., recovery runs, test efforts) might be considered private data that athletes prefer not to share widely.

By leveraging Strava's robust privacy features, you can fully enjoy the platform's benefits while maintaining control over your personal data and training experience.