Skywrit privacy policy
Last updated: April 13, 2026
Overview
SkyWrit is a flight companion app that identifies geographic landmarks visible from your airplane window. We designed it to work with as little data collection as possible. No user account is required. No personal information is collected.
What We Collect
1. Location Data
Your device's GPS location is used on-device only to calculate which landmarks are visible from your window given your altitude, heading, and position along the flight path. Your location is never transmitted to our servers and never stored remotely.
Location access is only active during an active flight session and requires your explicit permission via iOS.
2. Flight Number
When you enter a flight number, it is sent to our backend to resolve your route (departure and arrival airports). The resolved route is cached on our servers to improve performance for other users on the same flight. No personal identifier is attached to this request — we cannot determine who entered a particular flight number.
3. Anonymous Usage Analytics
We collect anonymous, aggregate analytics events to understand how the app is used and improve it. These events include:
- Session lifecycle events (session started, flight armed, arrived)
- Landmark interaction events (landmark surfaced, landmark viewed)
- Notification events (notification sent, opened, or ignored)
- App lifecycle events (foreground, background)
What analytics do NOT include:
- Your name, email, or any account identifier
- GPS coordinates or flight path recordings
- The specific landmarks you viewed or discovered
- Any information that could identify you personally
Analytics events are tagged with an anonymous session ID (regenerated each session), app version, iOS version, and device model (e.g., "iPhone").
Corridor Map Data
When you fly a route not bundled with the app, SkyWrit downloads a "corridor package" — a geographic dataset for your route — from our servers and caches it on your device. This download is associated with a route ID (e.g., "LAX_SEA"), not with your identity.
What We Do NOT Collect
- Names, email addresses, phone numbers, or any account credentials
- Payment information (SkyWrit does not process payments directly)
- Contacts, photos, camera, or microphone data
- Browsing history or data from other apps
- Precise GPS tracks or flight recordings stored on our servers
- Any data about minors
How We Use Data
| Data | Purpose |
| On-device location | Calculate landmark visibility in real time |
| Flight number | Resolve route; improve route cache hit rate |
| Anonymous analytics | Understand usage patterns; improve scoring and discovery |
| Downloaded corridor packages | Provide landmark data for your flight route |
We do not use your data for advertising. We do not sell your data to third parties. We do not share your data with third parties except as required to operate the service (see below).
Third-Party Services
Supabase
Our backend infrastructure is provided by Supabase, Inc. (United States). Flight resolution requests and analytics events are transmitted to Supabase-hosted servers. Supabase's privacy policy is available at [supabase.com/privacy](https://supabase.com/privacy).
Corridor package files are served from Supabase Storage via public URLs (no authentication required).
Apple
SkyWrit is distributed through the Apple App Store. Apple's privacy practices govern data collected through the App Store, purchases, and iOS system services. See [apple.com/privacy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/).
Data Retention
- On-device location: Never stored; computed in real time and discarded
- Downloaded corridor packages: Stored in your app's local cache; cleared when you use "Clear Cache" in settings or delete the app
- Flight resolution cache: Retained on our servers indefinitely to improve performance for all users; contains no personal information
- Analytics events: Retained on our servers for up to 12 months in aggregate form, then deleted
Your Rights and Controls
- Location access: Revoke at any time in iOS Settings → SkyWrit → Location
- Notifications: Disable in iOS Settings → SkyWrit → Notifications, or within the app
- Auto-download: Disable WiFi background downloads in SkyWrit → Settings
- Local cache: Clear all downloaded corridor data in SkyWrit → Settings → Clear Cache
- Delete the app: Removes all locally stored data from your device immediately
Because we do not collect any personal information, there is no personal data to request, correct, or delete from our servers.
Children's Privacy
SkyWrit does not knowingly collect any information from children under the age of 13. The app does not require account creation and collects no personal information, making it appropriate for all ages.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be noted with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact
Questions about this Privacy Policy? Contact us at:
