WxrExplorer Privacy Policy
Draft. This text is being finalized and may change. Parts marked “draft for legal review” were added for sign-in and the free plan.
This policy explains what information the WxrExplorer app ("WxrExplorer", "the app", "we", "us") collects, how it is used, and the choices you have. WxrExplorer is operated by [OWNER NAME], [OWNER ADDRESS]. For questions, email [email protected].
1. The short version
One sign-in, nothing more. You sign in with an emailed code, Apple or Google. We keep your email address and your plan, and never ask for your name or phone number. (added October 13, 2026; draft for legal review)
Your camera photos stay on your phone. When you scan a cloud, the photo is analyzed on your device and never uploaded.
Approximate location only. To show weather near you, the app sends an approximate location, rounded to about 1 kilometer (about half a mile), to our weather server. We do not save it.
Alerts are optional. If you turn on weather alerts, we store your home airport, your personal minimums and the technical details needed to send the alerts. Turning alerts off deletes them.
No ads, no tracking. We do not show ads, use analytics or tracking tools, or sell or share your information for advertising.
2. Information the app uses and where it goes
a. Camera
What we use it for: the camera shows the sky, and when you tap Scan, the app estimates the cloud type from a photo.
What happens to the photo: it is analyzed on your device by a model built into the app. It is never uploaded to us or anyone else.
Is it saved? No. Scan results stay on screen during your session and are not saved after you close the app.
b. Motion and compass
What we use it for: the app uses your phone's compass and tilt sensors to line up airports, fronts and hazards with the sky you are pointing at.
Where it goes: this data stays on your device.
c. Location
What we use it for: the app uses your device's location to find nearby airports, reports and potential hazards, to place them in the camera view, and to show where you are on weather charts.
What is sent: the precise location stays on your device. To get nearby weather, the app sends an approximate location, rounded to two decimal places of latitude and longitude (about 1 km), to our weather server.
What the server does with it: it requests the weather for the surrounding area from U.S. government weather services and sends the results back. It does not store your location.
Hosting logs: our hosting provider may keep standard technical logs of requests for security and reliability. These can include the requested web address, which contains the approximate location.
Your choice: you can turn off location access for WxrExplorer at any time in your phone's settings. Weather lookups by airport identifier still work without it.
d. Weather alerts (optional)
If you turn on weather alerts, we store the following with our hosting provider:
the technical address your device uses to receive notifications, and its encryption keys;
your home airport (its identifier and position);
the personal minimums you set (ceiling and visibility);
a short history that prevents repeat alerts (which hazards you were already told about, and when you last received a minimums alert);
the date your device last checked in.
We use this only to check the weather at your home airport about every 15 minutes and to send you alerts. The alert text is encrypted to your device before it is sent.
Notifications are delivered by your device maker's push notification service (for example, Apple for iPhone). That service delivers the encrypted message but cannot read its content.
How long we keep it: alert data is deleted immediately when you turn alerts off in the app. If your device stops checking in, it is deleted automatically after 60 days. If the notification service tells us your device is no longer reachable, we delete it then.
e. Information stored only on your device
The app saves some information in your device's storage so it works the way you set it up. This includes:
your profile settings (experience level, personal minimums, display options);
the date you accepted the first-launch disclaimer, and whether you have seen the guided tour;
learning progress, hazard warnings you have acknowledged, and radar and camera preferences;
recent weather data, so the app can show the last known weather when you are offline.
This information is not sent to us. You can erase it by deleting the app, or by clearing the website data for WxrExplorer in your browser settings.
f. Network information
Like any internet service, our servers and hosting provider receive your device's IP address with each request. We use it briefly, for about one minute and in memory only, to limit abuse (rate limiting). We do not use it to identify you or to build a profile. Our hosting provider may keep it in standard security logs.
g. When you contact us
If you email [email protected], we receive your email address and whatever you choose to send, and we use it only to answer you.
Your account (added October 13, 2026; draft for legal review)
To use WxrExplorer you sign in with a 6-digit code sent to your email, or with Apple or Google. We never ask for a password, your name or your phone number. For your account, our server keeps:
your email address (if you sign in with Apple, this may be a private relay address Apple gives us instead);
if you sign in with Apple or Google, the account identifier they give us;
for each phone or browser you sign in on, a scrambled (hashed) copy of its sign-in key, which expires after 6 months;
the latest sign-in code, only as a scrambled copy, for 10 minutes;
your free-plan use for the day: how many scans you finished and when your 3 hours started. Scan photos are never sent;
once Pro can be bought, whether you have Pro and when it renews or ends. Apple handles payment; we never receive card details.
We use this only to sign you in, to keep your plan the same on every device, and to stop abuse of sign-in codes. It is kept until you delete your account. To delete it, open Your profile, then Account, then Delete account. That erases your account, its devices, its free-plan count and its Pro status from our server. A Pro subscription is cancelled separately, in your phone’s subscription settings.
h. Purchases
If paid features are offered, purchases are handled by Apple through the App Store. We do not receive your payment card details. Apple may give us limited transaction information, such as whether a subscription is active, so we can unlock paid features.
3. Weather data sources
The app gets weather information from U.S. government sources, including the National Weather Service Aviation Weather Center, NOAA radar and satellite imagery, and the Weather Prediction Center.
Our weather server makes these requests for you, so the government services see our server, not your device. The exception is links you choose to open, such as the FAA handbook pages, which open in your browser.
4. How we use information
We use the information above only to:
run the app's features;
send the alerts you ask for;
keep the service secure and working;
respond to you;
meet our legal obligations.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
5. Who we share information with
We share information only with the following:
Service providers that host the app and our weather server and store alert settings. They act on our behalf, and we require them to protect the information to a reasonable standard.
Push notification services operated by your device maker, which deliver the encrypted alerts.
Government weather services. They receive the surrounding area of an approximate location from our server when it requests weather for you.
Legal and safety. We may share information when required by law, or to protect the rights, safety and security of users, the public or WxrExplorer.
Business transfer. If the app is sold or transferred, this information may be transferred as part of that, subject to this policy.
Sign-in: the service that delivers sign-in codes by email, and Apple or Google if you choose to sign in with them. (added October 13, 2026; draft for legal review)
6. Your choices and rights
Location, camera and motion: you can turn each permission on or off in your phone's settings. The app explains what stops working without each one.
Alerts: turn them off in the app (Your profile, then Weather alerts, then Turn off alerts). This deletes your alert data from our server. You can also block notifications in your phone's settings.
On-device data: delete the app, or clear its website data.
Requests: you can ask what information we hold about you, or ask us to delete it, by emailing [email protected]. Alert data isn’t tied to your account, so to find your alert record we may need details to find your alert record, such as your home airport and roughly when you turned alerts on.
Your account: delete it in the app (Your profile, then Account, then Delete account). (added October 13, 2026; draft for legal review)
Depending on where you live, you may have more rights under local privacy laws, and you can use them by contacting us. We will not discriminate against you for using your privacy rights.
Do Not Track: the app does not track you across other apps or websites. Because there is no tracking to turn off, it does not respond differently to "Do Not Track" browser signals.
7. Children
WxrExplorer is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it. You must be at least 13 years old to use WxrExplorer (see the Terms of Use).
8. Security
We protect information in several ways:
we collect as little as possible;
we analyze photos on your device;
we round your location before sending it;
alert messages are encrypted before they are sent;
all connections use encryption (HTTPS).
No method of storing or sending data is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
9. International users
WxrExplorer is designed for use in the United States, and its weather data covers U.S. areas. If you use it from elsewhere, your information will be processed in the United States.
10. Changes to this policy
We reserve the right to change this policy at any time, in any way we see fit. When we do, we will post the new version on this page and update the effective date. If a change is significant, we will also tell you in the app before it takes effect.
11. Contact
[OWNER NAME], [OWNER ADDRESS], [email protected]