ForeSky Astro ("the App") is an Android astronomy and weather application developed by Pedro Sousa ("we", "us", or "our"). This Privacy Policy explains what information the App collects, how it is used, and your rights regarding that information. By using the App you agree to the practices described below.
The App requires a geographic location (latitude and longitude) to provide localised astronomy forecasts, sky conditions, moon data, and aurora probability. Location is obtained in one of two ways:
ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION and ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION permissions for this purpose only.Location coordinates are stored locally on your device only (Android DataStore). They are never transmitted to our servers because we do not operate any servers. Coordinates are sent directly to the third-party data APIs listed in Section 3 solely to retrieve the relevant forecast data.
If you record an observation session inside the App, that data (date, notes, objects observed) is stored locally in an on-device database and is never transmitted anywhere.
Display and notification preferences (night mode, unit system, language, aurora alert threshold) are stored locally on your device using Android DataStore and SharedPreferences. They are not shared with any third party.
The App uses Firebase Analytics (Google LLC) to collect anonymous usage data that helps us understand how features are used and improve the App. The following categories of data are collected:
No name, email address, precise GPS coordinates, purchase details, or observation session content is ever sent to Firebase.
The App contains no advertising SDK and does not use the Android advertising ID (the AD_ID permission is
explicitly removed from the App).
How to stop analytics collection. The App does not currently offer an in-app analytics toggle. You can stop collection and remove the data held on your device by using Delete my data inside the App (see Section 6) or by uninstalling the App. Analytics collection is also switched off automatically for users detected as minors, as described in Section 1.7. See Google's Privacy Policy for how Google processes Firebase Analytics data.
The App offers optional one-time "supporter" purchases. All payments are processed by Google Play Billing. We never receive, see, or store your payment card details, billing address, or any other financial information — Google Play handles the entire transaction.
The App stores your supporter tier locally on your device so that supporter features stay unlocked. Your entitlement is also held by your Google Play account, which is what allows it to be restored if you reinstall the App or change device. The fact that a purchase occurred (the tier name, not any payment data) is recorded as a Firebase Analytics event.
The Sky Map includes an optional augmented-reality mode that draws the sky over your device's live camera view.
The camera feed is used only for on-screen display, in memory, while that mode is open.
Nothing from the camera is recorded, saved, analysed, or transmitted anywhere. The App requests the
CAMERA permission only when you turn this mode on, and you can decline it and keep using every other feature.
To comply with age-verification laws (such as Brazil's Digital ECA and several US state acts), the App uses the Google Play Age Signals API. When you open the App, it asks Google Play whether the signed-in user is an adult, a supervised child, or unknown.
We use this strictly for age-appropriate treatment, and nothing else:
We do not store your age. The age range returned by Google Play is reduced to a single yes/no ("is this a minor?") the moment it is received and is never written to storage. The only value the App retains on your device is a random installation identifier supplied by Google Play, together with the time of the last check. Age signals are never transmitted to us or to any third party, and are never used for advertising, marketing, profiling, or analytics. See Google's Privacy Policy.
| Data | Purpose | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Location coordinates | Fetch weather, astronomy, aurora, ISS, and geocoding data | Third-party APIs (see Section 3) – coordinates only, no identifier |
| Location name & app events | Understand feature usage and improve the App | Firebase Analytics (Google LLC) |
| Observation sessions | Display your personal observing log | On-device only |
| Preferences | Personalise the UI and notifications | On-device only |
| Supporter tier | Keep supporter features unlocked and restore them on reinstall | On-device + your Google Play account |
| Camera feed (AR mode) | Draw the sky over the live view | On-screen only – never stored or sent |
| Age signal | Disable analytics for minors; restrict access where parental approval was denied | Queried from Google Play – not stored, never shared |
The App communicates with the services below. Where a request includes your location, it contains coordinates only — no personal identifiers. As with any internet request, the service receiving it can see your IP address. Each service has its own privacy policy.
| Service | Data sent | Privacy policy |
|---|---|---|
| Firebase Analytics (Google LLC) | App events, location name, device info, app instance ID | policies.google.com/privacy |
| Google Play Billing (Google LLC) | Purchase transaction, handled entirely by Google Play | policies.google.com/privacy |
| Google Play Age Signals (Google LLC) | Request only – returns an age status to the device | policies.google.com/privacy |
| Open-Meteo | Latitude, longitude | open-meteo.com/en/terms |
| USNO (US Naval Observatory) | Latitude, longitude, date | usno.navy.mil |
| Nominatim / OpenStreetMap | Search query or latitude/longitude | osmfoundation.org |
| OpenStreetMap tile servers | Map tile coordinates for the location picker map | osmfoundation.org |
| Wikimedia Commons | Image requests for planet, moon, and deep-sky object photographs | foundation.wikimedia.org |
| NASA APIs (APOD, NeoWs) | Date, no location data | nasa.gov/privacy |
| NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center | None (public feed) | noaa.gov |
| NASA JPL Small-Body Database | None (public feed) | jpl.nasa.gov |
| The Space Devs (Launch Library 2) | None (public feed) | thespacedevs.com/privacy |
| CelesTrak (satellite TLE data) | None (public feed) | celestrak.org |
| djlorenz Light Pollution Atlas 2024 | Tile coordinates derived from latitude/longitude | djlorenz.github.io |
The App also links out to Wikipedia articles for astronomical objects. Following such a link opens your browser and is subject to Wikipedia's own privacy policy.
If you connect the App to a telescope mount, communication happens over your local Wi-Fi network directly between your device and the mount. No mount data, coordinates, or commands are sent over the internet or to us.
| Permission | Why it is needed |
|---|---|
| ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION | Determine device position when you choose "Use my location" |
| INTERNET | Fetch astronomy and weather data from the APIs listed above |
| ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE, ACCESS_WIFI_STATE | Detect network availability and connect to a telescope mount over Wi-Fi |
| CAMERA | Show the augmented-reality sky overlay (Section 1.6). Optional; never recorded or transmitted |
| POST_NOTIFICATIONS | Send optional aurora alerts, ISS pass alerts, and daily sky summary notifications |
| RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED | Reschedule background notification workers after device reboot |
| FOREGROUND_SERVICE | Declared by the Android background-work library the App uses to schedule notifications. The App itself runs no foreground service and accesses no microphone, camera, or location in the background |
If the Google Play listing shows a Microphone permission for the version installed on your
device, you are running a release earlier than 1.1.5. Those versions declared RECORD_AUDIO and a
microphone foreground service for an optional voice-control feature that was switched off by default.
The permission was removed entirely in 1.1.5. In no version was audio recorded, stored, or transmitted —
see Section 1.8.
All data (location, sessions, preferences, supporter tier) is stored only on your device. We have no copy of your data and cannot restore it after deletion. You can delete it in any of these ways:
Firebase Analytics data already transmitted to Google is retained according to Google's own retention settings. To request deletion of that data, contact us at the address in Section 10.
The App is a general-audience application. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Where Google Play indicates that a user is a minor, the App automatically disables analytics collection, as described in Section 1.7. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the App, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.
All network requests use HTTPS. Data is stored using Android's DataStore, SharedPreferences, and an on-device database, all of which are sandboxed to the App and inaccessible to other applications. We do not transmit personal data to our own servers because we do not operate any.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be published at the same URL with a revised "Last updated" date. Continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
sousajp7@gmail.com