AstroSpherePrivacy Policy
Last updated 26 September 2026
- We collect what you need to run an account and share posts, and nothing more.
- We don’t show adverts, and we never sell or rent your personal data.
- You can make your account private, choose your notifications, and delete your account from inside the app.
Who we are
AstroSphere (“AstroSphere”, “we”, “us”) is a social app for the astronomy community, operated by [Your name or company], based in the United Kingdom. We are the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.
Contact us about privacy at support@astro-sphere.co.uk.
What we collect
| Data | Examples | Why we need it |
|---|---|---|
| Account details | Email address, full name, username, password (stored securely by our sign-in provider), or your Google account name and email if you sign in with Google | To create your account, sign you in, and contact you about your account |
| Profile | Display name, profile photo, bio, the location you type in, private/public setting | To show your profile to other members |
| Content you post | Photos, captions, categories, comments, replies, likes, and the equipment you tag | To publish your posts and conversations |
| Equipment list | Telescopes, cameras, eyepieces, mounts, filters, Barlows/reducers and accessories you add | To show your kit on your profile and let you tag posts |
| Connections | Crewmates, who you follow, your followers, Squads you own, join or request to join | To build your feed and run Squads |
| Notifications | Your notification settings, and a device token if you allow push notifications | To send only the notifications you’ve chosen |
We do not collect your precise GPS location, contacts, or browsing activity, and we do not use advertising identifiers.
Who can see your information
- Public accounts: your profile, posts, equipment list and connections are visible to other signed-in AstroSphere members.
- Private accounts: only people you approve can see your posts. Your display name and profile photo stay visible so people can find you.
- Squads: posts in a Squad are visible only to its members. Squad owners and moderators can see who has asked to join.
- Your email address is never shown to other members.
Our legal basis
Under UK GDPR we process your data because it is needed to provide the service you signed up for (contract), and for our legitimate interest in keeping AstroSphere safe and working properly. Where we rely on consent, such as push notifications, you can withdraw it at any time in the app or your phone’s settings.
Services we use
We use trusted providers to host AstroSphere. They process data only on our instructions:
- Cloud hosting, database and sign-in: [e.g. Google Firebase], which stores your account, profile, posts and images.
- Google Sign-In: if you choose it, Google shares your name and email with us.
- NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: the app fetches the daily image from NASA. No personal data is sent to NASA.
Some providers may store data outside the UK. Where they do, they are covered by appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or an adequacy decision.
We don’t sell your data, share it with advertisers, or use it to profile you for marketing.
How long we keep it
We keep your data while your account is open. When you delete your account, your profile, posts, comments, likes, equipment list and connections are deleted. Copies in backups are removed as those backups expire. We may keep limited records longer if the law requires it or to deal with a safety report.
Your rights
You can edit your profile, delete posts, change your privacy setting, turn notifications off and delete your account from inside the app. Under UK GDPR you also have the right to:
- ask for a copy of your data
- ask us to correct or delete it
- object to or restrict how we use it
- ask for your data in a portable format
Email support@astro-sphere.co.uk to use any of these rights. We’ll respond within one month. If you’re unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.
Deleting your account
In the app, go to My Page → Edit Profile → Delete account. If you can’t sign in, email us from the address linked to your account and we’ll delete it for you.
Children
AstroSphere is not intended for anyone under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
Security
Data is sent over encrypted connections and stored with our hosting provider’s security controls. No service can be completely secure, so please use a strong, unique password.
Changes to this policy
If we make significant changes we’ll tell you in the app before they take effect. The date at the top shows when this policy was last updated.