SkyMate ("SkyMate", "the app", "we", "us") is a flight-tracking app published by AppVerge Technologies. This policy explains what information SkyMate collects, why, and how you can control or delete it.
01 Information we collect
SkyMate collects only what it needs to run the features you use. Here is exactly what that is:
| Data | Source | Why we collect it |
|---|---|---|
| Name & email | Google Sign‑In | Create your account, show your profile |
| Phone number | Phone/OTP sign‑in | Currently disabled in the app; the code path exists but is switched off, so no phone number is collected today |
| Location (GPS) | Device, with your permission | Show your position on the map, find nearby aircraft (Radar), and track your flight offline once airborne |
| Search & tracking history | Your activity in the app | Power the "Search History" list on your Account screen so you can quickly re‑track a flight |
| Push notification token | Firebase Cloud Messaging | Send gate‑change, boarding, and delay alerts for flights you track |
| Advertising identifiers | Google AdMob | Show ads that keep the app free; consent is requested first where required (EEA/UK/similar) |
SkyMate does not collect payment details, photos, contacts, health, fitness, or biometric data of any kind, and does not use any analytics or crash‑reporting SDK (no Firebase Analytics, no Crashlytics).
02 Location data, specifically
Because location is a sensitive permission, here's the detail:
- Foreground use: your coordinates are read to center the map and to query nearby live aircraft (Radar). This query is sent to our server only for the moment it's needed — it is not stored in our database.
- Background use: when you're actively tracking a flight you're on, SkyMate can read your position while the app is backgrounded so the offline in‑flight map keeps working without signal. This stops when you stop tracking.
- Your raw coordinates may appear briefly in short‑lived server request logs (rotated automatically, kept for a few days) but are never added to any persistent record tied to your account.
03 How we use Firebase
SkyMate uses three Firebase services, and no others:
- Firebase Authentication — verifies your Google sign‑in and issues the token that identifies you to our servers.
- Firebase Cloud Messaging — delivers push notifications for flight alerts.
- Firebase Admin SDK (server‑side) — lets our backend revoke your sign‑in identity when you delete your account.
We do not use Firebase Analytics, Crashlytics, Performance Monitoring, or Remote Config.
04 AI‑assisted forecasts
Turbulence and delay forecasts are generated by sending anonymized flight data (weather reports, aircraft type, schedule) — never your name, email, or account identifiers — to a third‑party language model provider (via OpenRouter) for analysis. If that service is unavailable, SkyMate falls back to a rule‑based estimate computed on our own servers.
05 Advertising
SkyMate shows ads through Google AdMob to keep the app free. Where required by law (for example, users in the EEA and UK), we show a consent form before any personalized ads load, and you can choose non‑personalized ads or withdraw consent at any time from that same prompt.
06 Data sharing
We share data only with the service providers needed to run the app — Google (Firebase, Sign‑In, AdMob), our flight‑data providers (used only to answer your flight queries, not to identify you), and our LLM provider for AI forecasts as described above. We do not sell your data, and we do not share it for any other party's marketing.
07 How long we keep data
Your account record and search history are kept for as long as your account exists. Push tokens expire automatically after 24 hours of inactivity. Server logs rotate automatically and are not kept long‑term.
08 Deleting your account and data
You're always in control of your data. There are two ways to permanently delete your account:
- In the app: open the gear icon on Home → Delete account → confirm twice. This immediately deletes your account row, your entire search history, and revokes your Firebase sign‑in — you cannot sign back into the same account afterwards.
- By email: if you'd rather not use the app, email appvergetechnologies@gmail.com with the subject "Delete my SkyMate account" from the address you signed up with, and we'll delete it within 7 days.
09 Children's privacy
SkyMate is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect data from them.
10 Changes to this policy
If we make a material change to this policy, we'll update the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of SkyMate after a change means you accept the update.