Your sky, your data
Last updated October 20, 2026
PocketSkies needs very little to work: an email to sign in and a rough idea of where you are. Here is exactly what we keep, what we never keep, and how to delete all of it.
The short version
- We store your email, your pilot name, your friend code, and your card collection.
- Your exact location never leaves your phone. Before any request goes out, your position is rounded to two decimal places, about 1 km (0.6 nautical miles).
- We do not sell your data. We show no ads. There are no trackers from ad networks.
- You can delete your account and everything in it by emailing us.
What we store about you
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Email and password | To sign you in. The password is hashed by our sign-in provider, Supabase. We never see it. |
| Pilot name | The name on your cards. Friends and anyone you share a card with can see it. |
| Friend code | A six-letter code you can give to friends so they can add you. |
| Cards | Each plane type you catch, with a snapshot of that plane at the moment of the catch: its callsign, altitude, speed, route, and the time. Not your position. |
| Catch days | The calendar days you caught something, for your streak. Just the date. |
| Friends list | Who you have added and who has added you, so you can compare albums. |
| Share links | When you share a card, we create a public page for it showing the card and your pilot name. Anyone with the link can see it. |
| Where you signed up from | If you arrived through a shared link, we note which link, so we know what brought you here. It is a short code, not a person. |
| Pro interest | If you tap “tell me when Pro opens”, we note the date you tapped it. |
| Receivers | If you connect your own ADS-B receiver, we store its name, the location you type in for it, and the planes it hears. |
| Alert device (iOS app, when alerts are available) | If you turn on rare-plane alerts in the app, we store a push token for your phone, your time zone, and your rounded location so we know which sky to watch. Turn alerts off and we stop watching. Sign out and the token is deleted. |
Your location
PocketSkies shows the planes flying over you, so it asks for your location. Here is the rule, and it is enforced in the code on both the website and the app:
Before any request leaves your device, your latitude and longitude are rounded to two decimal places. That is about 1 km. We never receive, log, or store anything finer.
- The rounded position is used to fetch the planes near you and to check that a plane you catch is really overhead. It is not saved with your card.
- The only time a rounded position is stored is if you turn on rare-plane alerts in the iOS app, so we know which sky to watch for you. It is refreshed while you use the app and deleted when you sign out.
- You can say no to location. You can still browse the catalog and your album.
Cookies and storage on your device
- A sign-in cookie from Supabase keeps you signed in on the website.
- If you arrive through a shared link, a small cookie remembers that link for 30 days so we can credit it when you sign up.
- The iOS app keeps a few settings, like whether alerts are on, on your phone.
Analytics
The website can run Google Analytics. When it is turned on, Google records which pages are visited and basic device information, the same way it does on most websites. It is not tied to your PocketSkies account, and the iOS app does not include it. There is no advertising tracking anywhere in PocketSkies.
Where the planes come from
Live aircraft positions come from community networks, and your device fetches aircraft photos directly from Wikipedia. Each source has its own rules, and we follow them.
- adsb.lol, our main source, under the Open Database License. Our server sends it your rounded position to ask what is overhead.
- adsb.fi, a fallback used only when adsb.lol is down, with the same rounded position.
- adsbdb, for a flight’s route and airline. We send it the plane’s callsign, nothing about you.
- Wikipedia, for aircraft photos. Your device loads these straight from Wikimedia, so Wikimedia sees your IP address the way any website you visit does.
None of these sources receive your email, name, or account. Their data is provided as is, with no promise it is right. See our terms.
Who runs the servers
Who can see what
- Only you can see your email.
- Friends you have accepted can see your pilot name, your album, and your star count.
- Anyone with a share link can see that one card and your pilot name.
- We do not sell or rent your data to anyone, and we do not share it with advertisers.
Kids
PocketSkies is made to be enjoyed by plane fans of every age, and there are no ads. To create an account you must be at least 13. Younger pilots can play on an account a parent or guardian creates and keeps. If you believe a child under 13 has made their own account, email us and we will delete it.
Deleting your account
Email hello@pocketskies.com from the address on your account and say “delete my account”. We delete your account, your cards, your catch days, your friendships, your share pages, and any alert token. Everything tied to your account goes with it. There is no in-app delete button yet; this page will change when there is.
Changes
If we change what we collect, we update this page and the date at the top. If a change is big, we will tell you in the app or by email.
Questions
Write to hello@pocketskies.com. A person reads it.