This Privacy Policy explains how Skywalk ("the app", "we", "us") collects, uses, and shares information when you use our night-sky app on iPhone. "We" means Esra Mülkpınar, the developer of Skywalk as named on its App Store listing, who is the data controller for the information described here.
Information we collect
Skywalk works without an account. We do not ask for your name, email address, phone number, contacts, photos, camera, or microphone. The information the app processes falls into these categories:
- Location — if you allow it, your device's location is read while the app is open to calculate which stars, constellations, and planets are above you. This happens entirely on your device: your coordinates are never sent to us and are not included in analytics events or crash reports. Skywalk does not use your location in the background. If you decline, the app shows the sky as seen from Istanbul.
- Place name lookup — to show your city's name on screen, the app asks iOS to look up a place name for your coordinates (reverse geocoding). On iOS this lookup is performed by Apple; we never receive the result outside your device.
- Motion sensor data — in Compass mode, the app reads your device's motion and orientation sensors so the sky follows your phone. This is processed instantly on the device and is never stored or transmitted.
- Settings — display preferences (constellation figures, lines, and names), whether you have seen the first-use hint and the intro tour, your meteor alert choice, and your analytics choice. Stored only on your device and removed when you delete the app.
- Usage & analytics data — anonymous events limited to: the app being installed, updated, opened or sent to the background; the first drag and pinch-to-zoom; tapping an object in the sky (only what kind it was — a star, a planet, the Sun or the Moon) and opening its card for more details; turning sky layers (figures, lines, names), Compass mode, or meteor alerts on or off; whether location permission was granted or denied; which step of the intro tour was viewed; and whether the intro was completed or skipped, together with the answer to its location question (allowed, denied, or not now). Only these answers are sent, never the location itself. Events carry a random identifier generated by the app (not linked to your name, email, Apple ID, or advertising identifier), device model, OS and app version, and language. An approximate country or city may be derived from the IP address for aggregate statistics. Session recording and automatic capture of screens and taps are turned off.
- Diagnostics & performance data — crash and error reports (the error and where it happened in the code, device model, OS and app version, a random installation identifier, and a short trail of technical log messages), plus performance timings for a sample of sessions (for example app start time). Configured not to collect personal information such as names, email addresses, or location.
Notifications
If you turn on Meteor shower alerts and allow notifications, the app schedules local reminders on your device for the peak nights of major annual meteor showers, from a calendar built into the app. They are created on the device itself; we do not collect a push token or send notifications from a server. The app may refresh this schedule in the background about once a week, without any data leaving your device. You can turn alerts off in the app or in iOS Settings → Notifications → Skywalk.
Service providers we use
We rely on the following third parties to run the app. Each processes data on our behalf or as an independent controller under its own privacy policy:
- PostHog (EU Cloud, data stored in the European Union) — anonymous usage analytics. PostHog privacy
- Sentry (Functional Software, Inc.) — crash reporting and performance monitoring. Sentry privacy
- Apple — distributing the app through the App Store, and the iOS geocoding service used for the place name lookup above. Apple privacy
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with anyone else except where required by law.
How and why we use your information
- To draw the sky for your place and moment, and to deliver the reminders you asked for — based on your consent, given through the iOS location and notification prompts.
- To understand which features are used, fix crashes, and improve performance — our legitimate interest in running a stable, useful app.
- To comply with legal obligations.
Analytics & your choices
Skywalk has no ads, does not use the advertising identifier (IDFA), and does not track you across other companies' apps or websites. You can turn analytics off at any time: open Settings (gear icon) in the app and switch off Share anonymous usage data; no further usage events are sent after that. You can also change location, motion, and notification access at any time in iOS Settings → Skywalk.
Data retention
- On-device data — settings stay on your device until you delete the app.
- Analytics data — kept for no longer than 12 months.
- Crash reports — kept for no longer than 90 days.
Deleting your data
There is no account to delete. Deleting Skywalk from your device removes everything it stored there. Because the analytics and crash data we hold are not linked to your identity, we may need details such as the app's random identifier to locate them; email esranur.mulkpinar@gmail.com and we will complete any deletion request within 30 days.
International transfers & security
Analytics data is stored in the EU. Sentry may process diagnostics in the United States. Where data is transferred outside the EEA, the UK, or Türkiye, it relies on safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses. Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS).
Children's privacy
Skywalk is suitable for all ages and has no accounts, ads, or social features. It is not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age required in your country), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us data, contact us and we will delete it.
Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR, UK GDPR, or Türkiye's KVKK), you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or port your data, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to withdraw consent at any time. To exercise these rights, use the in-app analytics switch or contact us at esranur.mulkpinar@gmail.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected here with a new "last updated" date.
Contact
Questions about this policy or your data? Reach us at esranur.mulkpinar@gmail.com. See also our Support page.