Macadam, the Big Brother app that pays you to walk

There are those who praise Macadam and others who denounce its commercial vocation that seeks to know everything about you. We tried it.

Let’s be cynical: for the scam to be beautiful, it needed pretty wrapping paper. Packaging always matters. We are far less wary of a pretty smiling girl. It’s the same principle with applications that promise you the moon. For the fish to bite the bait, the worm must be appetizing. And if the Trojans opened the gates of their city to let the Trojan Horse in without violence, it’s because the gift was too beautiful.

Here is the introduction to an application, Macadam, whose commercial slogan is “Cash while walking“. Too cool and nothing could be simpler! Blending money, ecological awareness, and consumerism is absolutely not contradictory for those who know the primary qualities of the human race…

How does it work?

Nothing could be simpler: you download the app from the Apple or Google stores depending on your smartphone. Then, you say yes to all the questions regarding privacy, knowing that you will have none left. Your movements will be known and recorded; that’s the principle of the game. Each of your steps, combined with the Health app on the iPhone for example, will be counted and then converted into Coins. 2500 steps = 25 coins, 5000 steps = 50 coins, and so on up to 20,000 steps or 200 coins daily.

For your information, 2000 coins correspond to a credit of one euro. So at best, you could earn monthly: (200 coins x 30 days) / 2000 coins = 3 euros! And just for reference, the average length of a step is 50 cm, so you would need to walk 10 km per day for thirty days to earn 3 euros. Or 300 km in a month.

In short, it costs more in worn-out shoes than in accumulated funds… And if you have the misfortune of going out without your smartphone, it’s lost. The same goes if, on the evening before midnight, you do not validate your steps for the day; they will be lost. Annoying.

How to improve your earnings?

You will have understood, you won’t get rich by walking, at best 36 euros a year. However, you will have gained a sporty physique and been able to listen to some good podcasts.

To earn money, various solutions exist — and those are not meant to make money for the app. In reality, Macadam is a platform for mediation between sellers and clients. And it takes a percentage on every transaction made. And you, why would you use Macadam for your purchases? Because partnering firms pay you back. In short, everyone is happy and believes they are winning.

The other technique is to answer endless surveys, play games, and watch advertising videos. Referring a new user, for example, allows you to earn 1000 coins, approximately 50 cents. Wow!

The problem, again, is the obligation to constantly accept intrusions into your privacy. Access to other apps, your identity, your address, etc. The resale of data is everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. To the point that the feeling of being scammed becomes evident immediately.

How much does Macadam earn from a firm to conduct a survey since the money the app returns to you isn’t magic? And what will become of our data?

Finally, there is the option of taking detours in your neighborhood to earn bonuses, or visiting partner shops that have paid for their presence on the map. Well, the idea is always the same: spending more than you earn.

Conclusion: are you walking into the scam?

In the end, the only interest of this application is not in the pursuit of money (or the promise of money). No, it is the counter of CO2 saved over the days gone by. So, that’s a joke again since all your steps didn’t serve to leave your car or scooter in the garage: you had already planned to go jogging as you used to. But hey, we still say that walking isn’t totally useless.

So, consider Macadam as a physical activity motivator, and nothing else.