A private step counter: no account, no cloud requirement, works offline

Your daily movement pattern is surprisingly intimate data — it says when you wake, where you go, when you're sick. A step counter shouldn't require handing that to a server just to count to 10,000.

Quick answer: Yes, you can track steps without creating an account or syncing to the cloud. StepMax counts steps fully offline using your phone's motion sensor — no sign-up, no email, no mandatory upload. Signing in (with Apple) is optional and only needed for the social layer: cloud backup, friends and leaderboards. Skip it, and your step history lives only on your phone.

What “privacy-first” means in practice

No account required to start. Install, allow Motion & Fitness, done. There is no registration wall between you and your step count.
Works completely offline. Step counting, goals, streaks, statistics, achievements and the walk timer all function in airplane mode.
No background location. Daily counting reads the motion co-processor — GPS is used only if you opt into the one-time step-length calibration.
Backup on your terms: iCloud backup keeps your history recoverable inside your own Apple ecosystem.

What signing in adds (and what it's for)

The social features — friends, 1v1 challenges, community events, country and world leaderboards — need an identity to rank you against. StepMax uses Sign in with Apple, which lets you hide your email and shares no password with the developer. It's a switch you flip if you want competition, not a toll you pay to count steps.

A quick privacy checklist for any pedometer app

Check	Red flag	StepMax
Account required to count steps?	Mandatory email/social sign-up	No account needed
Works in airplane mode?	Blank screen offline	Fully offline
Location permission for daily counting?	“Always” location demanded	Not required
Published privacy policy?	None / vague	Public policy + App Store privacy labels

Set up StepMax the private way

Install StepMax and skip sign-in.
Allow Motion & Fitness only.
Set your goal, add the widget, walk. Everything — streaks, levels, companions, 164 achievements — works locally.
If you later want leaderboards, sign in with Apple with “Hide My Email”. Your call, your data.

Count your steps. Keep your data.

StepMax tracks everything offline with no account — and the full game layer of streaks, levels and companions works without ever touching a server.

Download StepMax free ▶ Google Play

Keep reading

StepMax is a free step counter for iPhone and Android by Cinderhound Studio. Some social features require an optional Sign in with Apple.