Look Up app icon
Look Up The ISS Tracker

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 24 June 2026

Summary

Look Up is built to need as little of your data as possible. It does not have user accounts, does not collect analytics or usage tracking, does not show ads, and does not sell or share your data with anyone. Your location is used only on your device to work out when the International Space Station will be visible from where you are – it is never sent to us or to any third party.

What information the app uses

Location

With your permission, Look Up uses your device’s location (“When In Use”) to calculate when and where the ISS will pass overhead, and to point you toward it using your device’s compass.

  • Your location is used on your device only.
  • Your most recent coordinates are stored locally on your device (in the app’s private storage and a shared app container) so that widgets, watch complications, and background refreshes can show accurate pass times without recomputing from scratch.
  • Your location is never transmitted to us or to any third-party server.

You can change or revoke location access at any time in Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services on your device. Without location access, the app cannot predict passes for your area and will show a “no location” state.

Motion and compass sensors

Look Up reads your device’s compass (magnetometer) and motion sensors (accelerometer/gyroscope) to point you toward the ISS and to drive the in-app sky-pointing and radar views. This sensor data is used in real time on your device only and is not stored or transmitted.

Notifications (optional)

If you enable pass alerts, Look Up schedules local notifications on your device to remind you before a visible pass. These are generated entirely on your device. We do not use push notifications and no notification data is sent to any server.

Purchases

Look Up offers an optional one-time in-app purchase, Look Up Pro, which unlocks features such as notifications, widgets, and the watch app. Purchases are handled entirely by Apple’s App Store and StoreKit. We do not receive or store your payment details. The app only stores a local flag indicating whether Pro has been unlocked. Apple’s handling of your purchase is governed by Apple’s Privacy Policy.

App settings

Your preferences – such as the selected theme, horizon/elevation threshold, quiet hours, and notification options – are stored locally on your device (and, where relevant, in a shared container so widgets and your Apple Watch can read them). They are not sent to us.

Information we collect about you

None. Look Up does not:

  • require an account, name, email, or sign-in;
  • include any analytics, crash-reporting, advertising, or tracking SDKs;
  • profile you or build an advertising identity;
  • sync your data to our servers or to iCloud.

Network connections the app makes

To predict ISS passes, Look Up needs the station’s current orbital data. It fetches this from CelesTrak (celestrak.org), a public source of satellite tracking (“TLE/OMM”) data maintained for the space-tracking community.

  • These requests ask only for the public orbital data of the ISS (catalog number 25544).
  • No personal data, location, or identifier is included in these requests.
  • The data is cached on your device and refreshed periodically to keep predictions accurate.

Your use of CelesTrak’s service through the app is incidental to retrieving public data; please refer to CelesTrak’s own terms and privacy practices for details of how they operate their service.

The app may also open standard App Store links (for example, to leave a review) in Apple’s App Store app.

Apple Watch and widgets

If you use the Look Up Apple Watch app, complications, or iPhone widgets, the app shares pass data, your most recent location-derived predictions, theme, and settings between your iPhone and these surfaces. On the watch, this happens directly between your paired devices using Apple’s WatchConnectivity framework. This data does not pass through our servers.

Data sharing

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties. Because the app does not collect personal data on our servers, there is nothing for us to share.

Data retention

All app data (location cache, settings, downloaded orbital data, scheduled notifications) lives on your device. You can remove it at any time by deleting the app, which clears its local storage.

Children’s privacy

Look Up is suitable for general audiences and does not knowingly collect any personal information from anyone, including children.

Your rights

Because Look Up stores data only on your device and does not collect personal data on our servers, you remain in control: you can revoke location access, disable notifications, or delete the app to remove all associated data. If you have questions about your rights under laws such as the GDPR or CCPA, contact us at privacy@justlookup.app.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.

Contact

Have a privacy question or request? Email us at privacy@justlookup.app.