Privacy policy

Effective October 1, 2026 · Cosmic Journey Into Space for iPhone and iPad, version 1.3.0 and later

Cosmic Journey does not require an account and does not include advertising, tracking or third-party analytics SDKs.

Information on your device

The app calculates its universe on your iPhone or iPad. It stores downloaded astronomy data and images locally so they can be reused. We do not operate a server that stores your flight history or location.

So that you can pick up where you left off, the app also keeps the following on your device and nowhere else:

• Your settings, such as whether sound and labels are on.
• Your last launch site, rounded to a hundredth of a degree, which is about a kilometre. See Optional location below.
• A journey log: the places you have reached, when you reached them, the real distances you have passed and how far you have flown.
• The route of your current journey, for the map shown when you finish. It is measured from the centre of the Earth, so it does not record where on Earth you were standing.

None of this is sent to us or to anyone else. Clear journey log, at the bottom of the journey log, erases the log and the route. Deleting the app erases everything it has stored.

Nearby discoveries are calculated from your simulated position on the device. The bundled Gaia/HYG catalogs and featured field guides do not require an online lookup. Your route, detour choices and simulated position are not sent to astronomy services.

Optional location

If you choose Use my location and grant permission, the app uses your location on the device to place your launch site on Earth and align your local sky. Guided journeys can also use your location to calculate visible destinations. Location is not sent to us or included in the app’s astronomy API requests. You can decline access or change it in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Cosmic Journey. You can choose a launch site manually without location permission.

The app remembers your last launch site on your device so that it can start there next time. What it keeps is rounded to a hundredth of a degree, about a kilometre, which is enough to place a sky and coarser than a street address. It is not sent to us or to anyone else. If that site came from your location and location access is still allowed, the app asks iOS for a fresh position when it opens instead of relying on the remembered one. Deleting the app erases it.

When you arrive somewhere, the app works out where that place is in the sky over your launch site at that moment. This is calculated on your device from the launch site and the clock; nothing is sent anywhere to do it.

Optional motion and compass

Phone aiming uses Core Motion and a true-north compass to match the modeled sky to the direction you point your device. Sensor readings are processed on-device and are not recorded, uploaded or included in astronomy requests. Drag aiming works without sensors. Sensor updates stop when the app goes into the background.

Choosing a place on the map

The launch-site picker uses Apple Maps. Map requests are handled by Apple under its Maps privacy information. You can enter coordinates manually without loading map content. We do not operate a server that receives your chosen launch point.

Online astronomy services

Some features connect directly to public services:

• NASA JPL Horizons: a requested object name or identifier and the modeled date are sent to obtain a trajectory.
• SIMBAD, operated by CDS: a requested object name or identifier is sent to retrieve a catalog position and distance.
• NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: the app requests the picture information and downloads the associated image from the source returned by that service.

Like other internet connections, these services and image hosts receive your IP address and technical request information. Their own privacy policies apply. The app does not attach an account identifier, advertising identifier or your device location to these requests. Opening source links or videos may take you to external websites or apps with their own policies.

See NASA’s privacy policy and information about CDS.

Support requests

If you contact support, the information you choose to send, such as your email address and a description of a problem, is used to respond and troubleshoot. Please avoid including sensitive personal information in screenshots or messages.

This website

These support pages use no analytics scripts, advertising or application cookies. The hosting provider processes ordinary web requests, including IP addresses, to deliver and protect the website.

Changes

This page will be updated when the app’s data practices change. The effective date above identifies the current policy.

Contact

For help or questions about this policy, email 34_chess_claques@icloud.com or visit the support page.