Solar Spotter is built for off-grid 4WD. We designed it to work with as little data collection as possible.
Your location stays on your device
We don't have accounts — nothing to log in to, nothing to breach
We don't track you or your behaviour. We dont want your data. We just want a cold one!
We don't sell anything about you
1. Who We Are
Solar Spotter is developed and operated by Solar Spotter. If you have any questions about this policy, contact us at or visit solarspotter.app.
2. Data We Collect and Why
Location (GPS)
What: Your device's latitude and longitude.
Why: To calculate the sun's position — azimuth, altitude, optimal panel tilt, and sun times including sunrise and sunset. This is the core function of the app.
How it's handled: The sun-position maths — azimuth, altitude, optimal tilt, sunrise and sunset — runs entirely on your device. To fetch a forecast for where you actually are, your coordinates are sent with the weather request and passed to the forecast provider. Nothing is written to a database and nothing is kept once the forecast comes back. We never sell your location, share it for marketing, or use it to build a profile — you give the app your location so the app can answer questions about where you are, and that is the only thing it is used for.
When: Only while the app is in use. We do not request background location access.
Compass / Device Orientation
Used to show real-time solar compass direction. Processed on-device only. Never transmitted or stored.
Weather Data
Used to estimate solar efficiency and peak charging windows via cloud cover, precipitation chance, and temperature.
Free tier: OpenWeather — the request carries the location being forecast and nothing else. No account, and nothing that identifies you or your device
Pro tier: Apple WeatherKit — the request carries the location being forecast and nothing else. No account, and nothing that identifies you or your device.
In-App Purchases
Pro upgrades are processed entirely by Apple (App Store) or Google (Google Play) depending on your platform. We do not see or store your payment information.
App Settings and Preferences
Panel configuration, unit settings, bush bash mode and haptic preferences are stored locally on your device. This data never leaves your device.
Trip Planner Data (Pro)
Trips you build in the Trip Planner — including stop locations, planned arrival times, per-stop notes, highlights, lowlights, and archived completed trips — are stored locally on your device. They are not synced to any cloud and are not shared with us or any third party. When the app fetches a forecast for a stop, that stop's coordinates are sent with the weather request in the same way as your own location (see Location above) — nothing is stored, and nothing else about your trip is ever sent. If you uninstall the app, your trips are removed with it.
Daily Battery Tracker Inputs (Pro)
The current battery charge percentage and current system draw you enter into the Daily Battery Tracker are used on-device to compute your sundown projection and sunrise check. These values are stored locally for your active session and recent history; they are not transmitted to our servers and are not shared with any third party.
Battery Bluetooth (Pro · BETA)
If you pair Solar Spotter with a compatible battery's built-in monitor (its battery management system, or BMS) over Bluetooth, the readings stay on your device. Specifically:
Live readings — state-of-charge, voltage, current, and power are read from your battery over Bluetooth in real time. Nothing about these readings is transmitted to our servers or any third party.
Draw history — a rolling 7-day record of power samples (timestamp + watts only) is stored locally so the Daily Battery Tracker can reflect your typical usage pattern. Cleared on uninstall.
Trip draw counter — when you have an active trip, the accumulated discharge in amp-hours is stored locally per trip. Cleared when you delete the trip.
Paired device — your battery's per-app device identifier (an iOS / Android obfuscated identifier, not a hardware MAC address) is stored locally so the app can reconnect when you're next in range. Tapping "Forget this battery" clears it.
Battery Bluetooth requires no account, no cloud, and no signal — once paired, everything happens between your phone and your battery within Bluetooth range.
3. Data We Do Not Collect
We do not collect your name or email address — with one opt-in exception: the optional reply email on our website's battery form, described below
We do not track your behaviour or usage patterns
We do not use crash reporting or analytics services
We do not use advertising SDKs or tracking pixels
We do not collect any personal information whatsoever
We do collect cold brews and good times to share with good mates
Website forms
Our website's feedback form and battery-setup form are anonymous by default — no login, no account, and nothing identifying is collected with a submission. The battery form offers one optional field: an email address, for one purpose — so we can reply to you about your battery's support. If you provide it, it is stored with that submission, used only for that reply, never used for marketing, and never shared with anyone. Leave it blank and your submission is completely anonymous.
4. Third-Party Services
Apple App Store — handles purchases on iOS. Governed by Apple's privacy policy.
Google Play Store — handles purchases on Android. Governed by Google's privacy policy.
RevenueCat — manages in-app purchase state across platforms. May process a device-level identifier to verify purchase status. No personal data is shared.
OpenWeather — free-tier forecast data. Receives the location being forecast and nothing else — no account, and nothing that identifies you or your device.
Apple WeatherKit — Pro-tier hyperlocal forecasting. Receives the location being forecast and nothing else. Governed by Apple's privacy policy.
Apple / Google place search (Trip Planner) — when you search for a place or address for a trip stop or your home location, the app uses your phone's built-in place lookup: Apple's on iPhone, Google's on Android. The text you type — or, to name a spot you have picked, its coordinates — goes to that service to be looked up. Nothing is sent to us, and the place you choose is stored only on your device. Governed by Apple's and Google's privacy policies.
Open-Meteo and NASA POWER (the website's solar sizer) — the sizer on our "What Size Solar Do You Actually Need?" guide runs in your browser. When you search for a town, the name you type is sent to Open-Meteo's place search; the coordinates of the town you pick are then sent to NASA's POWER service for that location's long-term sunshine figures. Nothing is sent to us and nothing is stored.
Apple Maps / Google Maps (Trip Planner navigation handoff) — when you tap the map button on a trip or stop in the Trip Planner, the app constructs a Maps URL on your device and opens it in your platform's native Maps app (Apple Maps on iOS, Google Maps on Android). Solar Spotter does not transmit any data to Apple, Google, or any third party as part of this handoff — only the destination coordinates you have already added to your trip are passed to the OS to open the Maps app. Once the Maps app is open, your interaction with it is governed by Apple's or Google's privacy policy, not ours.
5. Children
Solar Spotter is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will respond promptly.
6. Your Rights
If you are located in the European Union, California, or another jurisdiction with applicable privacy laws such as GDPR or CCPA, you have rights regarding your personal data. Since we collect virtually no personal data, there is very little to act on — but you have the right to ask us to stop. Contact us at .
7. Changes to This Policy
Significant changes will be communicated via an app update. The date at the top of this page reflects when the policy was last updated.