Secret Stories FAQs

Yes, you will still be able to use your login details to access the app but over time you will find that certain access to some features and content may be impacted. You will still be able to access downloaded content for as long as you keep it installed on your device. If you remove the app you will not be able to redownload it.

The withdrawal of support essentially means that no new features will be added to the app, and the OS team will no longer fix any issues with the app that are raised by our customers. Users as a result will start to see a reduction in features available and content will start to become out of date overtime.

If you don’t want to lose access to the other OS products and services but no longer want to use a particular app, no problem, you can uninstall the app and your account will remain open for use within the other OS products and services you use.

Yes, you are able to remove your account with OS if you no longer want to use our services. For your ease, we use one account for all of your OS products, this means requesting that we delete your account will remove access to all OS products and services including: OS maps, Secret Stories, GetOutside and OS shop. After deletion, we will not be able to reinstate your account, and you will lose access. Once your account has been deleted you will no longer be able to access any Secret Story tours. If you created your account using a social media account, you can remove access to the app in your social media settings.

Instructions for iOS deletion:

• Login/Open the app.
• Once on the homepage, in the bottom right hand corner there is a 'settings' button. Click on this and then under 'My OS Account', you will see your name and email address.
• Clicking on your account details will bring up 3 options, the last one being 'Request OS Account Deletion'.
• Selecting this option will take you out to an OS webpage which will ask you to re-login with your email address and password.
• Once logged in you will be taken to a page to be able to request for your account to be deleted. You will need to check the tick box that you understand the impact of deleting your account before you will be able to click 'Request Account Deletion'.

Instructions for Android deletion (iOS customers can also delete their account this way):

• Unfortunately there is no way to do this on the android version of the app. To delete your account you will need to go to the OS Maps website: explore.osmaps.com.
• On the webpage, you will need to Log into your account.
• Once logged in, click the 3 lines in the top left hand corner.
• Click on the 'My Account' option and then 'Delete Account'. You will be taken to a page to be able to request for your account to be deleted. You will need to check the tick box that you understand the impact of deleting your account before you will be able to click 'Request Account Deletion'.

The 'Short Walks' series is similar and can be found here: OS Short Walks Made Easy.

For help getting outdoors more often, OS Maps is Ordnance Survey’s award-winning outdoor app; giving you access to all 607 OS Leisure maps, over 1.5 million routes across the UK as well as a host of mapping & navigation features to help you make the most of your time outdoors.

Secret Stories is a way to discover all the hidden tales around your home, or where you are on holiday. Inside each tour, you will find a route and a collection of stories to read, listen to or watch along the path.

The Secret Stories app uses the same account as the OS Shop and OS Maps app, so if you have an account on either of those, please login using the same email address and password. Otherwise, click 'Create Account' and create a new account - we need you to do this so we can store your purchased tours, favourites and preferences, and ensure they are still available even if you change devices.

Normally, you don't need to log out - just close the app. If you do need to log out (such as to change user), you can do that from Settings > My OS Account.

While the main Tours are added by professional guides and writers, Community stories are individual points added by other users. They might be as simple as a little background on an interesting place or feature, or delve deep into history, folklore and local knowledge.

Any logged in user can add a community story using the 'Add' button - why don't you give it a try?

Select the tour from the list, and click 'Start Tour'. You will get a map showing the route line with numbered stories, while the red dot shows your current location (and direction you are facing, if your phone supports it). The route shows the recommended path, but you can do the stories in any order you like, as well as taking detours or stops whenever you need to.

When you are near the story point, click the story from the scrolling list below the map to read, hear or see the story and complete any puzzles.

When you complete that story, click 'Navigate to next story' button to go back to the map view and carry on.

That's the number of main stops on that Tour. Longer Tours tend to have more stops. There will also often be additional places mentioned, or that you can see in passing

The easiest way is to switch to the map view - click the map icon in the top right of the home screen. You can zoom out to get a wider view, or zoom in to find those closest to you.

To find tours near a particular place, click the 'All of Great Britain' dropdown and search for a place name. You'll get a list of tours by distance. You can also scroll the map view to see the tours pinned on the map.

We are adding new Tours as quickly as more writers come on board to share their expertise, but it will take a while before we cover everywhere! In the meantime, you could make a start by adding some Community stories you already know.

You can share a link to a Tour or story using the social share buttons in the top left - it will look for any apps on the phone that support sharing. Recipients' will need the Secret Stories app downloaded (and will be prompted to get it if they don't). If it's a paid Tour they will need to purchase it before they can see the contents.

The paid Tours you have purchased are linked to your user account, and so will remain yours even if you upgrade your phone, or even switch app stores.

Yes - just log in with the same account, and you can access your tours on all your devices.

You need to have a data connection to use Secret Stories.

This usually means your data connection has failed. Try again, possibly after moving to get a better signal or connecting to WiFi.

Click the top right menu and select 'Report story'. Choose the reason for the report, and our editors will review it and edit or remove the story as required.

For Android phones, you will need Android 5.0 or later. For Apple devices, you will need iOS 13.0 or later.

The app needs permission to access your detailed location, to show where you are on the map, and storage, to store Tour data. It also uses your data connection to access the Secret Stories servers for content. If you choose to share a Tour or Community Story, it will pass data to your messaging apps.

For in-app purchases, all refund request must be made through the app store.

For Apple App Store:

• Go to reportaproblem.apple.com and sign in
• Click the 'Report' or 'Report a Problem' button next to the item that you want to request a refund for, click it.
• Follow the instructions on the page to choose the reason why you want a refund and submit your request

For Google play:

• Go to play.google.com/store/account and log in
• Click Order history and find the order that you want to return
• Select Request a refund or Report a problem and choose the option that describes your situation. Complete the form and note that you'd like a refund

For both app stores, you can normally only request a refund within 48 hours of the purchase.