Wayward Terms of Service
*Effective date: TBD (set by operator on publish).*
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1. Acceptance
By installing, opening, or using the Wayward app ("Wayward," "we," "us" — operated by Wayward Navigation LLC, a New Mexico limited liability company), you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not install or use the app. The first time you open the app, a short "Got it" sheet surfaces the headline disclaimers below. Tapping "Got it" is your acknowledgement that you have seen them. The full text always lives in About → Terms of Service inside the app and at https://waywardgps.com/terms.
2. What Wayward is
Wayward is a free outdoor weather and navigation app for the United States. It blends radar, satellite, lightning, model forecasts, avalanche bulletins, wildfire perimeters, hunting and fishing reference data, and basemap tiles into one map-driven view. It is designed for people who hike, ski, climb, chase storms, hunt, fish, and otherwise spend time outside.
Wayward is informational. It is a reference tool that pulls data from public weather services, federal land-management agencies, state wildlife agencies, and the OpenStreetMap community. It is not a replacement for any of those primary sources, and it is not a substitute for emergency services.
3. Informational only — not for life-safety decisions
We need to say this three times because it matters.
First: Wayward is informational, not authoritative. Weather, radar, lightning, avalanche, and wildfire data come from public sources on their own update cadence. A radar return on screen reflects where a public radar said echoes were a few minutes ago — not real- time ground truth. A "no lightning detected" map can be wrong if the detection network missed a strike.
Second: Wayward is not for life-safety decisions. If you are in danger from a storm, an avalanche, a wildfire, or a medical emergency, follow your local National Weather Service office and dial 911 (or your country's equivalent). The share-location and grid- search features inside Wayward are designed to help your party coordinate; they are not a substitute for calling search and rescue.
Third: Do not bet your life on what this app shows you. Cross- check with the NWS, your regional avalanche center, the National Interagency Fire Center, and on-the-ground observation. If two sources disagree, trust the more conservative one and the closer-to- ground one.
4. Hunting and fishing compliance
Hunting and fishing data in Wayward — season dates, unit boundaries, bag limits, stocking schedules, public-access boundaries — is reference-quality, not regulatory. We pull from state and federal sources and refresh on a schedule, but state agencies update regulations in ways that we will not always catch immediately.
Before you hunt, fish, or cross state lines:
- Verify the current regulations with your state's wildlife agency
- Verify that your licenses, tags, and permits are current and cover
- Verify season dates and bag limits for the specific unit and
- Verify that the land you intend to hunt or fish on is open to
(in New Mexico, that is the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish). Print or save the official regulation booklet.
the activity, species, and unit you are targeting.
species — these change year-to-year and sometimes mid-season.
public access on the date you go. You — not Wayward — are responsible for hunting and fishing legally.
5. Backcountry travel and avalanche conditions
Avalanche danger ratings, snowpack observations, and bulletin summaries in Wayward are pulled from regional avalanche centers (in New Mexico, NMSAC; in Colorado, CAIC). These centers publish on a daily cadence during the season and a slower cadence in the shoulder season.
Before any backcountry trip in avalanche terrain:
- Read the current forecast from your regional avalanche center
- Check the actual sky and snow when you arrive at the trailhead.
- Carry a beacon, shovel, and probe, and travel with partners who
directly — Wayward's summary is a quick-glance reference, not the full bulletin.
can use them. Wayward is informational. The mountain does not care about informational.
6. User-generated content (when it ships)
Some Wayward features let you publish data to other users: avalanche observations, river beta, public tracks, and similar. When those features are live, you agree:
- No harassment, threats, or targeted abuse.
- No doxing. Do not publish someone else's home address, exact
- No copyright violation. Do not upload content you do not have
- No scraping or bulk export of Wayward's data for commercial
- No spam, advertising, or commercial solicitation in user-
hunting spot, or other private location data.
the right to publish.
use without written permission.
generated fields. We may remove content, suspend accounts, or terminate access for violations. We will try to be reasonable; we will not always succeed.
7. Account security
Wayward uses Sign in with Apple. We do not hold passwords. We hold a session token tied to your Apple identifier; iOS handles the authentication. Your responsibilities:
- Keep your Apple ID secure (Apple's two-factor authentication is
- Sign out of Wayward on devices you no longer use.
on by default for most users — leave it on).
Account-synced data (pins, tracks, subscriptions) is encrypted at rest using a Fernet key separate from the database. We do not read the contents of your synced pins, tracks, or subscriptions.
8. Termination
You can close your account any time via Account → "Delete my account." We can suspend or terminate access for violations of these Terms or for behavior that endangers other users.
If your account is terminated, your account-synced data is deleted on the same schedule described in the Privacy Policy (30 days for accidental-recovery, then permanent deletion).
9. Free at launch
Wayward is free at launch. There is no subscription, no premium tier, no in-app purchase, and no advertising. If we ever change that, we will give you notice in the app and you will have a chance to review the new terms before they apply.
10. Disclaimer of warranties
Wayward is provided "as is" and "as available." To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and any warranty arising from course of dealing or usage of trade. We do not warrant that the app will be uninterrupted, error-free, accurate, complete, current, or free of harmful components. We do not warrant that any data shown in the app is accurate or up to date.
11. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, in no event will Wayward or its operator be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, data, business, or goodwill, arising out of or in connection with your use of the app — even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
Our total aggregate liability for any claim arising out of or related to the app is limited to the greater of the fees you have paid Wayward in the twelve months preceding the claim or one hundred US dollars ($100) — since the app is free at launch, this is the operative cap.
*Operator note: counsel to confirm both the cap amount and that this clause complies with applicable consumer-protection law in the operator's chosen governing-law jurisdiction.*
12. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Wayward and its operator from any claim, demand, loss, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of your misuse of the app, your breach of these Terms, or your violation of any law or third-party right while using the app.
13. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of [operator to confirm — recommendation: New Mexico], without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Any dispute that cannot be resolved by informal contact will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in that state, and you consent to that jurisdiction.
14. Changes to these Terms
When we change these Terms in a way that affects you, we will bump the terms version and re-fire the first-launch disclaimer sheet so you see the change before continuing. Minor edits (typo fixes, broken-link repairs) won't trigger the sheet but will be reflected in the effective date at the top of this page.
15. Contact
For questions about these Terms, email [email protected].
*Operator note: this email needs to be set up as a real inbox or forwarding address before launch.*
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*The headline reminder, one more time: Wayward is informational. For life-safety, follow the NWS, your regional avalanche center, and your state wildlife agency. Dial 911 if you are in danger.*