Last updated: October 12, 2026
SatExplorer ("we", "us", "our app") is an Android application that shows which satellites are currently passing over your location — on a map, in a list, and in a camera view of the sky. This Privacy Policy explains what data the app collects or processes, how it is used, and your rights regarding that data.
SatExplorer is developed and provided by an individual developer, contactable at w33kendapp@gmail.com. The app is available worldwide through the Google Play Store.
SatExplorer is built to do all of its work on your own device. We do not require you to create an account, and we do not collect your name, email address, or phone number. Your location and your camera image never leave your device.
| Category | Collected? |
|---|---|
| Account data (email, login, name) | No — no account or login is required |
| Location | Used on your device only, to calculate which satellites are above your horizon. Never transmitted to us or anyone else — see Section 2 |
| Camera | Used on your device only, as the live background of the sky view. No photos or videos are recorded, stored, or transmitted — see Section 2 |
| Motion and compass sensors | Used on your device only, to determine where your phone is pointing — see Section 2 |
| Download of satellite orbit data | Yes, automatically when the app is opened with an internet connection. The request contains no personal data beyond your IP address, which is technically required for any internet connection — see Section 3 |
| Download of translations | Only if your device language is not one of the languages built into the app and you have not chosen a language in the app. The request contains only the name of the app and the code of your language (for example "tr"), no personal data beyond your IP address — see Section 3 |
| App integrity check | Yes, automatically, to confirm that the request comes from the genuine app — see Section 4 |
| Contacts, microphone, photo library | No — never accessed |
| Advertising or analytics/tracking tools | No — we do not use Google Analytics, ad networks, crash reporting, or any tracking SDKs |
| Payments | No — the app does not process payments or sell anything |
| Data sale | No — we never sell your data to anyone |
If you grant the location permission, the app reads your device's location to calculate, on the device itself, which satellites are above your horizon, where they appear in the sky, and the difference between magnetic and true north at your position. Your location is never transmitted to us, to our backend, or to any third party. The last known position is saved in the app's local settings so the app can start quickly the next time. You can use the app without granting the location permission by setting your position manually on the map.
If you grant the camera permission, the sky view shows the live camera image as a background behind the satellite markers. The image is only displayed on your screen. The app does not take photos, record video, analyse the image, store it, or transmit it anywhere.
The sky view uses your device's orientation sensors to determine the direction your phone is pointing. This sensor data is processed in memory on your device only and is neither stored nor transmitted.
The app stores your settings (for example the selected satellite categories, the language, pass reminders and display options), your last known or manually set position, the downloaded satellite orbit data and, where applicable, a downloaded translation of the app's texts locally on your device. Reminders about satellite passes are calculated and shown by the app on your device; nothing is sent to us for this. If you uninstall the app or clear its data, this information is permanently deleted. If you have enabled Android's own device backup, Android may include the app's settings in the backup stored in your personal Google account; this backup is controlled by you and Google, and we have no access to it.
To calculate satellite positions, the app needs current orbit data. This data is public and contains no information about you. When the app is opened with an internet connection, it automatically downloads the current data files:
These requests are plain file downloads. The app sends no location, no user or device identifier, and no information about which satellites you look at. As with any internet connection, the server that delivers the files necessarily sees your IP address and standard technical request information (such as time of the request and the file requested). Requests to our backend additionally carry technical information about the app itself, which is the same for all users (the app's Firebase app ID and the version of the Firebase software library). We do not store, evaluate, or link this information to you, and we do not keep access logs of these downloads. Google and CelesTrak may process this technical information in their own server logs in accordance with their own privacy policies.
After the download, the app works without an internet connection.
The app contains its texts in several languages. If the language of your device is not one of them, and you have not chosen a language in the app's settings, the app asks our translation service once for the app's texts in your language and then offers you to switch to that language or to keep English. The translation is stored on your device; after that, the app checks at most once a day whether a newer version is available.
This request contains only the name of the app and the code of your language (for example "tr" for Turkish, without your country or region). It contains no location, no user or device identifier, and nothing you have entered or selected in the app. As with any internet connection, the server necessarily sees your IP address and standard technical request information.
Our translation service runs on Google Firebase (Cloud Functions, Cloud Firestore). The texts being translated are the app's own interface texts (labels, buttons, hints), which are the same for all users and stored on our server. The first time a language is requested, our server has these texts translated automatically by the Google Gemini API and stores the result, so that every later request for the same language is answered from this stored copy. Gemini receives only the app's texts and the language code — no information about you or your device. We count how often each language is requested in total, without any link to a user or device. Google's infrastructure records standard request logs for the service (including IP address and time of the request), which are deleted automatically after 30 days and which we use only to find errors.
You can prevent these requests by choosing one of the built-in languages (for example English) in the app's settings. Because the translations are created automatically, they may contain mistakes.
To protect our backend against abuse, downloads from our backend are restricted to the genuine SatExplorer app. For this purpose the app uses Firebase App Check together with the Google Play Integrity API. When the app requests data, Google checks on your device whether the app is the unmodified version distributed through Google Play and whether it is running on a genuine Android device. The result is a short-lived technical token that is attached to the download request.
For this check, Google processes information about the app (package name, version, and signing certificate), the app's Google Play license status for the Google accounts signed in on the device, and device information (a key attestation certificate and a device attestation token generated by Google Play services). According to Google, this data is encrypted, is not transferred to third parties, and is deleted after a fixed retention period.
This check is carried out by Google. We ourselves receive only the outcome (whether a request was verified) in aggregated form. We do not receive or store any device identifier, account information, or other personal data from this check.
The app and our backend rely on the following third-party services, solely for the purposes described in Sections 3 and 4. No other third-party services (no advertising networks, no analytics tools, no crash reporting SDKs) are integrated into the app.
| Provider | Purpose | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Google Firebase (Cloud Storage, App Check) |
Delivers the satellite orbit data files and verifies that requests come from the genuine app | firebase.google.com/support/privacy |
| Google Firebase (Cloud Functions, Cloud Firestore) |
Runs our translation service and stores the translated texts of the app | firebase.google.com/support/privacy |
| Google Gemini API | Translates the app's own interface texts on our server. Receives only these texts and a language code, never data about you or your device | ai.google.dev/gemini-api/terms |
| Google Play Integrity API | Checks the integrity of the app and the device as part of Firebase App Check | policies.google.com/privacy |
| CelesTrak | Public source of satellite orbit data; contacted directly by the app only as a fallback | celestrak.org |
These providers may process data on servers located outside your own country, including in the United States. Google provides appropriate safeguards for such international transfers (e.g. Standard Contractual Clauses) under its own data processing terms.
For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, our legal basis for the downloads described in Section 3 and the app integrity check described in Section 4 is legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR): the download of orbit data is technically necessary for the app to work, the download of a translation lets you use the app in your own language, and the integrity check protects our backend against abuse. Only technical connection data and, for translations, the code of your language are involved. You can object to the download of translations at any time by choosing a built-in language in the app's settings.
Your location, camera image, and sensor data are processed solely on your own device, based on the permissions you grant in Android, and are not "processed by us" in the legal sense, as we have no access to them. You can withdraw these permissions at any time in your device's settings.
Depending on your location, you may have the right to:
Because your settings and position are stored only on your own device, you can delete them at any time by clearing the app's data or by uninstalling the app — we have no copy and cannot restore or access them on your behalf.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at w33kendapp@gmail.com.
SatExplorer is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. The app requires no account and collects no age information.
Data stored on your device is protected by your device's own operating system security. Communication with our Firebase backend, our translation service and CelesTrak is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS). No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect the limited data we process.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example if we add new features that change what data is processed. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect the most recent revision. Continued use of the app after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact us at: