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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Please refer to these FAQs before sending an email to our support team. If you have a question that is not on this page, please email us at support@wooftrax.com and we’d be happy to assist you.


General Questions

How does the app work?

After you download and set up the app on your smartphone, take your phone with you when you walk your dog(s). Simply press the Start Walking button and the app will keep track of your walk. When you are done with your walk, press Stop Walking or Finish depending on your device. The blue cloud that appears next to your walk on the History screen, indicates it is successfully logged for your selected organization.

What is an “active walker”? 

An active walker is anyone who uses the app an average of at least once a week. So to remain an active walker for your selected organization, please use the app once a week (at the very least)! 

What are Charity Points?

Each walk 1/4 of a mile or greater earns 10 Charity Points. For more information on how Charity Points work, please visit the Charity Points page

Is my local animal charity on WoofTrax?

You can find all registered shelters by tapping the profile icon in the top left corner of your screen and then tapping Select Charity. You can search for shelters by name, state, or city.  

If the shelter pops up, then they are on the app, and you can walk for them. If the shelter does not appear, consider reaching out to the shelter and telling them about WoofTrax. A representative from the shelter must submit an application to have their animal charity become a beneficiary on the app.


Technical Questions

If I don’t have a dog, can I still use the app? 

Absolutely! You can walk for dogs at a shelter or rescue by choosing the “Walk with Lexi” option after enrolling in the app for the first time. Or, create your dream dog as a walking companion by adding a dog.  

Does the app use any data on my phone?

The app does not use any data during a walk and only uses a small amount of data at the end of the walk to credit it to your selected organization. If you are on Wi-Fi at the end of your walk, it will not use any cellular data at all.

Is using the GPS on the app using my data plan?

GPS as a technology does not use any data, and the WoofTrax app works without data. Once a user’s phone is back in range of Wi-Fi or a cell signal, the app (on next use) will upload the previous walks to our systems.

Can I walk on a treadmill or use a stationary bike?

The WoofTrax app is designed for walking outdoors and uses GPS to track your walks. It won’t show miles if you are walking indoors on a treadmill. In order to show a walk, you need to be changing location while outside.

Can I use WoofTrax indoors?

When using WoofTrax to track your walks indoors the tracking may not be accurate. WoofTrax uses your phone’s GPS chip to track your walks. When you are inside, there may be some interference between the GPS signal and your phone. For the best performance of the WoofTrax app, we recommend walking outside whenever possible.

How do I add a dog to the app?

To add a dog, go to your profile and tap Manage Dogs. Hit the plus sign in the top right corner and fill in your dog’s information. When you’re finished, tap the Save button at the bottom of the screen.

How do I remove a dog from the app?

To remove a dog, tap your profile icon at the top left of the Home screen > tap Manage Dogs > select the dog you wish to remove > tap the 3 vertical dots at the top right of the screen > tap Delete. A popup will appear to confirm, and then tap Delete. Deleting a dog will not erase its past activities on WoofTrax.

How do I edit a dog?

Tap your profile icon at the top left of the Home screen > tap Manage Dogs > select the dog you wish to edit > tap the 3 vertical dots at the top right of the screen > tap Edit > type the information you would like to edit. When you are finished, tap the Save button at the bottom of the screen.

How do I add a picture for my dog?

If you add a photo for your dog, then the app should show that photo for your dog. If you have not added a photo for your dog, the clipart default dog image will show.

To add a photo of a dog please tap your profile icon at the top left of the Home screen, tap Manage Dogs, select the dog you wish to edit, tap the 3 vertical dots at the top right of the screen, tap Edit, then the default dog image, then choose to take a new photo or use a photo from your photo gallery, then tap Save.

How do I change which dog I’m walking with?

To select the dogs you want to walk with, on the Home page, tap the dogs you do NOT want to walk with to deselect. The dogs with the green circle around their photo will be included in your walk.

Why is a dog named "Lexi" on my Home screen instead of my dog?

If your dog isn’t showing on your Home screen and you are seeing a dog named “Lexi” you need to edit your dog’s settings in the app.

To edit your dog, tap your profile icon at the top left of the Home screen > tap Manage Dogs > select your dog > tap the three vertical dots at the top right of the screen > tap Edit > change “Auto select for new walks” to YES > tap the Save button at the bottom of the screen.

Now you should be all set! After you have edited your dog, Lexi should automatically be removed. If you have any questions, please email support@wooftrax.com.

My dog has passed over the rainbow bridge. Can I still walk with them?

Please know, if you would like, you can continue to walk for your animal charity in memory of your dog (just edit their name to add “In memory of”).

If your dog has passed away, you can mark them on the app as Passed Over the Rainbow Bridge. Tap your profile icon at the top left of the Home screen > tap Manage Dogs > select the dog you wish to remove > tap the 3 vertical dots at the top right of the screen > tap Edit. Scroll down to the bottom, and for “Passed Over the Rainbow Bridge?” select Yes. Then tap Save. You may also wish to change “Auto select for new walks?” to No, and “Enable for new walks?” to No.

It is possible to remove a dog profile. To remove a dog, tap your profile icon at the top left of the Home screen > tap Manage Dogs > select the dog you wish to remove > tap the 3 vertical dots at the top right of the screen > tap Delete. A popup will appear to confirm, and then tap Delete. Deleting a dog will not erase its past activities on WoofTrax.

Or, if you simply do not wish that dog to appear on your Home screen – just edit that dog and for “Enable for new walks” select No to remove from new activities.

How do I set my goals?

To set or change your goals, tap your profile icon at the top left of the Home screen, then select Set Daily Goals. Set your Walks and Distance goals then tap the green Save Goals button.

On the Home screen each of the rings / circles from left to right correspond to the label beneath each ring. The green ring represents Walks Finished, and the purple ring represents Miles Walked. The rings are based on the personal walking goals you have set in the app.

How do I change the shelter or rescue I’m walking for?

To change the animal charity you are walking for, go to your profile and tap Animal Charity. You can search for shelters by name, state, or city. Tap the name of the shelter you want to walk for, then tap Back.

How do I update my email address on the app?

To change your email address on the app:

1) On the app, tap your Profile icon > Settings > Change Email.

2) Type in your new email address, and your existing password for your old email address.

3) Tap Save Changes.

4) You will get a screen that says you need to Verify your change of email address.

5) The Verify email will be sent to your new email address. Open the email on your mobile device and click on the green CHANGE MY EMAIL button.

6) The app should now show an Email Verified screen. Then just tap Continue, and you should now be on your Home screen and be able to see all your previous walks and miles.

7) To check that your email address has been updated, tap your Profile icon > Settings > Change Email, and the email address now shown should be your new email address.

Make sure that the new email address you are choosing to move your account to is not already registered on WoofTrax. If it is, the app will generate a validation error saying “Email already used”.

If you do not tap on the new email address verification link, the WoofTrax app will let you continue to use the app with your current email address. 

My walks aren't tracking accurately. How can I fix this?

Here are some tips to help your walk track accurately:

Please check your settings:

Location permission for WoofTrax should be set to “While Using”, and “precise location” should be turned ON.

If you are using an iPhone – while you are walking the WoofTrax app runs in the background on your phone, so Background App Refresh should be turned ON.

Power Saver and Battery should be turned OFF. If your phone is using Power Saver, or Battery Saver, the phone may disable certain functions including location tracking, and the app may not track your walks in the background.

Before you start your walk:

Go to the walk screen, wait until you see your position on the map and then press start walking. From there you should begin to see yourself move on the map as you walk, showing you that the tracking has started. 

Now, tap the Start Walking button!

Running other apps while using WoofTrax?

Occasionally using other apps can cause the operating system to shut down the background tracking on WoofTrax – this is something we are working on.

If the app is not tracking when then screen is off or you are using other apps during a walk, please change the location permission to “Always” which for some devices – especially Android devices we have seen that setting can improve performance. NOTE: Even if you choose “Always” location for WoofTrax – WoofTrax will ONLY use your location during an active walk. 

You can verify that by seeing that the location pin, arrow or map icon at the top of your device will turn off after a few seconds if you open WoofTrax and then put it in the background without starting a walk. The location GPS marker will only remain on if you are using WoofTrax to track a walk.

How can I see a map of a previous walk?

You can view a map of a previous walk and also you can expand your map view of your walk. Scroll down on the Home screen of the app until you see History. You can scroll horizontally through your recorded walks. By tapping on your walks, you can view a map of the walk, your distance, walk duration, average speed, and the charity you were walking for. To change the scale of your map, you can zoom in and out. The walking paths / maps of your past 25 walks should be in History.

How do I create a group and add friends?

Tap the Community tab at the bottom of your screen > tap the My Groups button at the top of the screen > tap “Create your group –>”. Enter your group’s name, description, and a photo, then tap the green Create Group button. You can then invite friends by contact name (in your phone), by entering their email address, or by sharing your custom group link.

With our newest version of the app you can create a virtual walking group and easily invite friends and family. You can all choose to walk for one animal charity, or you can each choose your own animal charity to walk for.

You can also refer friends to join WoofTrax by tapping your Profile icon at the top left of the Home screen, then tapping Invite. Then select how you would like to share the invite link.

How do I manage my membership in groups?

You can leave a group at any time by following the steps below:

1) Go to the Community tab on the latest version of WoofTrax.
2) Tap My Groups.
3) Tap the group you want to leave.
4) Tap Members.
5) Tap the 3 vertical dots at the top right of the screen.
6) Tap Leave Group at bottom of screen now.
7) You will get a confirm popup. Tap Leave to confirm.

How do group leaderboards work?

If you have already set up a group, you can see your group leaderboard by going to the Community tab > My Groups > select a group > Leaderboard.

Group leaderboards show a ranking of all members of a group, along with their walks and miles.

Leaderboards can be filtered by month, so you can see group rankings for all members of the group for the selected month.

Group leaderboards will show a user’s activity while a member of the group. A new group member will not be visible on leaderboards for previous months.

With group leaderboards you can have a friendly competition with your friends and family, dog walking to benefit your favorite animal charity!

Now WoofTrax can help power your group fundraising events, walk-a-thons, monthly walking group goals, and virtual challenges!

Create a group on WoofTrax for an upcoming event or challenge, and easily invite your supporters to join by sharing your group’s custom link on social media. You can invite your entire community, and ask your supporters to also share the link.

On your group leaderboard – you can see which group members have the most miles and walks. (With badges marking the top 3!) You can also filter your group leaderboard by month, and see a ranking of group members along with how many walks and miles they have taken each month while in the group.

Do I have to share my walks?

Sharing is optional, but we encourage you to do so. By sharing your walk, you can encourage more people to walk for your favorite animal charity and earn even more donations.

You can share the map of your walks, or a graphic without a map, from the History screen. Tap the History tab, tap the walk you wish to share, then tap the sharing icon, then select Map or Graphic from the top of the screen, then tap Share. 

Does the app work with Apple Watch / Fitbit?

WoofTrax is currently not available for smartwatches and connected devices, but it is something we are looking into! 

I got a new phone. Will all of my account information still be there?

Yes. Use the same email address that you used on your old phone to log in on your new phone to load your current WoofTrax account data, including your previous walks, miles, levels, and dogs. 

How can I report an inappropriate ad?

We use Google ad networks in WoofTrax and as such do not personally choose these advertisers. We have blocked several versions of sensitive issue ads, but advertisers try to get around these blocks at times. If you see such ads on the WoofTrax app, please email support@wooftrax.com and let us know. Thanks for your understanding that these ads are not sanctioned or chosen by us at all. 

Why is my charity showing as Unassigned Charity?

If your charity on the app is listed as Unassigned Charity, please select a charity to walk for. To select an animal charity, tap your profile icon at the top left of the Home screen, then tap Animal Charity. You can search by name or state, then select the charity, then tap Done. All your previous walks still count for your charity.

If you are not able to select your original charity to walk for, then please select a new animal charity.

Sometimes charities will be removed from the app because they have closed, merged with another charity, or they may have been listed in our database in more that one location and they have requested to be only listed in one location.

I still have a technical question about the app that was not answered on this page. Who should I contact?

First, make sure that you are using the most recent version of the app. Updating to the most recent version will solve most issues. If you are still having trouble, email us at support@wooftrax.com with the make and model of your phone and the email address you used to register the app.


Donation Questions

How do donations work? 

Information about Charity Points and their value for your animal charity can be found on the Charity Points page of the WoofTrax website.

How are the donations funded?

WoofTrax is able to donate to your selected animal charity thanks to our generous sponsors and advertisers.

How can I increase the amount donated to my selected organization? 

The more people actively walking with the app, the greater the benefit to your selected animal organization! Here are some ways you can magnify your impact: 

  • Create a Group and invite your friends and family to join you on WoofTrax to earn more donations for your favorite animal charity
  • Join a challenge. Challenges on the app give you a chance to earn more donations/charity points per walk
  • Spread the word! Tell your friends about WoofTrax, and share the app on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
  • Shelters and rescues can use our marketing materials to tell their supporters about WoofTrax

Please email us at support@wooftrax.com with any additional questions that are not answered here.