Privacy Policy
MoonExplorer is made by Jonathan Scott, an individual developer ("I", "me"). This policy explains what happens to your information when you use the app.
In short: I don't collect any of your data. MoonExplorer has no accounts, no advertising, no analytics and no tracking. It only reads your location if you turn on Topocentric orientation, and your location stays on your device. The one exception is a lookup of the nearest place name, which goes to your phone's built-in map service.
Information I collect
None. The app does not send me anything: no personal details, no usage statistics, no crash reports and no identifiers. I have no server that receives data from the app.
Your location
Location is used only by the optional Topocentric orientation setting, which turns the globe to match how the Moon looks from where you are. The setting is off whenever the app starts.
- When it's read. The app asks for permission the first time you turn the setting on, and only asks for access while the app is in use, never in the background. While the setting is off, the app does not read your location at all.
- How precisely. The app asks for a low-accuracy position, which is within a few kilometres. It uses a recent position your device already has when one is available.
- What it's used for. Your position is used on your device to calculate the Moon's orientation in your sky. It is also shown to you in the app's settings, as coordinates and a place name.
- Where it goes. To show the place name, such as a city and state, your coordinates are sent to the reverse-geocoding service built into your device's operating system. On Apple devices that service is run by Apple, under Apple's privacy policy. On Android it is usually run by Google, under Google's privacy policy. Your location is not sent anywhere else.
- How long it's kept. Your location is held in memory only while the setting is on. It is never saved to storage and never sent to me.
You can stop location access at any time by turning the setting off or by changing MoonExplorer's location permission in your device's Settings.
Moon imagery
When you zoom in, the app downloads imagery of the Moon from NASA's Moon Trek service at
trek.nasa.gov. These requests ask only for pieces of the Moon's surface. They
contain nothing about you or your location. As with any connection to a website, NASA's
servers can see your device's IP address and basic technical details of the request,
under NASA's privacy policy.
Downloaded imagery is kept in memory only and is discarded when the app closes.
Information stored on your device
MoonExplorer saves nothing to your device's storage. Your choice of imagery and settings reset each time the app starts.
Sharing and selling
I don't sell, rent or share your information, because I don't have any. The app contains no advertising or third-party analytics code.
Children
MoonExplorer is suitable for all ages. It does not collect personal information from anyone, including children.
This website
This website sets no cookies and runs no analytics. Like any website, the service that hosts it may keep standard access logs, such as IP addresses and the pages requested.
Changes to this policy
If the app's handling of information changes, I will update this page and its effective date before the change is released.
Contact
Questions about privacy? Email support@jonathanscott.dev.