Saturday, 15 October 2016

Charity Miles Smartphone App Review



About
Charity Miles is an US-based fitness tracking app which donates money for every mile that you run, walk or ride your bicycle to a charitable cause on your behalf. Since launching, members have earned over $2 million for over 30 charities that are registered with the app. A few questions have arisen regarding the legitimacy of the app, so allow me to use this review to explain how the app works.

Initially, the developers of Charity Miles created a pool of $1 million to donate to charities as people used the app. Once the pool ran out of money, the developers found corporate sponsors to continue to make donations on behalf of the user. For every mile you run or walk 25 cents will be donated to a charity selected by the user from the list, and 10 cents per mile via bicycle.


Features
There are a few options that are presented to the user for creating an account when launching the app for the first time. You can login through Facebook or you can enter your name and email address. 

Users also have the option to “Quick Start” which allows you to use the app without telling it anything about yourself. However Location Services are needed to be enabled in order for the app to work as it does collect data about where you are.

Before the app starts tracking your progress, you select a charity from a list provided. With charities including The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Autism Speaks and The Leukaemia & Lymphoma Society. The app allows you to choose a different charity for each session you initiate or you can choose to stick with just one.

When you’re ready, you select the activity you’ll be completing, and a new page loads. Charity Miles starts automatically but it’s difficult to tell. Unlike other activity tackers, there is no button or any other indicator that it has begun. A small red button appears at the top right of the screen, but this acts as a finish/pause button which remains visible after pressing. I wish that the app incorporated clear indicators for when it was recording a session and when it was stopped or paused.

As you begin to move, statistics including total miles and speed appear in front of a backdrop image that also acts as an advertisement from the sponsoring company. As you scroll down, more information is presented about the organisation and their goods and/or services. Once finished, you press the previously mentioned red button to complete the activity and the app will show you a summary of how far you traveled and how much was earned for your chosen charity.

There are a few other features such as the ability to join a team or start your own so that you can raise money for charities collectively with friends.

Download Links
Charity is available for free download on the Google Play Store and iTunes App Store.

The Verdict
The Charity Miles app lets anyone earn a little bit of money for a charity of their choice and it can really add up over time. Though it could stand some useability improvements, Charity is an admirable app that is worthy of all the awards it has received.

Reviewed by Ryan

★★★★★

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