Golden Hour Finder — Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2026-09-30
This privacy policy applies to the mobile app "Golden Hour Finder" on Android and iOS:
- Google Play: package com.moon.goldenhour, developer "janey-moon"
- Apple App Store: bundle ID com.moon.goldenhour, seller "Heekyung Moon"
The app is developed and operated by Heekyung Moon (Google Play developer name: janey-moon).
Contact: ansgml2100@gmail.com
OVERVIEW
Golden Hour Finder does not require an account, and we do not sell personal information. The app calculates sun and moon positions, golden hour and blue hour, and times when the sun or moon lines up with a direction you choose, for photo spots you save. These calculations run on your device using a city list bundled with the app (GeoNames, CC BY 4.0). Your spots, saved shoots, and reminder settings are stored locally on your device. The app also uses Google services for analytics, crash reporting, remote configuration, and advertising.
LOCATION AND COMPASS
The app asks for location permission (while using the app) only when you tap "Use my location" while adding a spot. It then reads one position, and that position becomes the spot's coordinates. On Android the app declares both approximate and precise location; on either platform you can choose to grant only approximate location. The app does not track your location in the background. It reads a new spot position only when you tap the button again; the compass (below) may also use the device location on the device. If you decline, you can still add spots by searching for a city or typing coordinates.
The compass is used only while you switch it on (the compass toggle on the Light screen, or "Aim phone" on the Find screen), to show which way the phone points. It uses the operating system's heading, which needs the location permission; without it the compass stays unavailable. While the compass is on, the operating system may use your last known or current location on the device to correct magnetic north to true north. This position is not saved by the app, not added to a spot, and not sent anywhere by the app. Heading readings are not stored, except that on the Find screen you can copy the current heading into the direction you are searching for.
Your coordinates and headings are not sent to the developer and are not included in analytics events.
NOTIFICATIONS
The app asks for notification permission when you save a shoot for a spot whose time zone is confirmed, when you turn on the daily golden hour reminder, or when you tap the permission button on the Alerts screen. Reminders are local notifications scheduled on your device (up to 60 at a time, covering about the next 14 days). They show the spot name and the time. If you decline, nothing is scheduled; you can change this in your device Settings.
INFORMATION STORED ON YOUR DEVICE
The app stores:
- up to 100 spots: the name you give each spot (up to 40 characters), its latitude and longitude, its time zone and whether you confirmed it, the time it was created, and an optional subject point (its latitude and longitude, a label of up to 40 characters, and an optional height difference);
- up to 300 saved shoots: the spot, sun or moon, the type (golden hour, blue hour, or a found window), the start, end and best times, and the direction and height of the sun or moon. Shoots that ended more than 2 days ago are removed when the app loads;
- your reminder settings (how long before a shoot to remind you, and the optional daily reminder for one spot, morning and/or evening) and which spot is selected.
If saved data is found to be damaged, a copy of it is kept on the device so it is not silently lost.
The app may also store basic operating information such as app-use count, whether the review prompt was shown, and cached advertising or More Apps configuration.
The developer does not run a server that receives your spots or shoots. The app reads developer-controlled advertising settings and a More Apps list from Google Cloud Firestore, and loads the More Apps icons from their web addresses; it does not upload your spots, coordinates, or shoots.
ANALYTICS, CRASH REPORTING, AND ADS
Google Firebase Analytics may process limited app-usage and technical information, such as app launches, session counts, screen and menu interactions (for example which tab you open, or opening the credits or More Apps page), your answer to the iOS tracking prompt, app version, device type, and app-instance identifiers. When you add a spot, an event records only how its time zone was set (from a city, suggested, or chosen by you). When you save a shoot, an event records only its type and whether it is for the sun or the moon. These events do not include spot names, coordinates, or times. Ad revenue events record the ad format and the reported value and currency.
Google Firebase Crashlytics may process crash reports and related technical information needed to diagnose app problems.
The app shows ads through Google AdMob. Google may process advertising identifiers and device, app, consent, network, and ad-performance information to provide and measure ads, and may use an IP address to estimate an approximate location. This is separate from the location permission described above; the app does not pass your coordinates to the ad service.
Banner ads appear only on the Spots and Alerts screens, not on the Light or Find screens. A full-screen ad may appear after you save a shoot, but not if you have done anything else since saving, and not while a search is running or the compass is on. An app-open ad may appear when the app starts or when you return to it, but not over a running search or while the compass is on. On Android, the exit dialog may show an ad.
PERMISSIONS AND ADVERTISING CHOICES
Feature permissions: location (while using the app) and notifications, as described above. The app does not request camera, microphone, contacts, photos, Bluetooth, or health data.
Where required (for example in the EEA and UK), Google's consent message (UMP) is shown first, and in those regions personalized advertising stays off unless your choice allows it. On iOS, the App Tracking Transparency prompt is shown only after that step and only when personalized advertising is allowed. If tracking is not allowed, the IDFA is not available to the app or its ad partners. If the consent message cannot be loaded, the app may still show non-personalized ads and does not ask for tracking permission. The app works whatever you choose.
You can change location, notification, and tracking permissions in your device Settings at any time. Where Google requires it, the app menu shows "Privacy choices", which reopens the consent message so you can change your advertising choice.
STORAGE AND YOUR CONTROL
On the Spots screen you can delete a spot (this also deletes its saved shoots and turns off a daily reminder for it) or delete a single saved shoot (its reminder is then removed). You can turn the daily reminder off on the Alerts screen, or turn off all notifications for the app in your device Settings. You can also clear the app's data on Android or delete the app. Local data may be included in an Apple, Google, or device backup depending on your backup settings; uninstalling normally removes the active copy but may not remove an older backup.
Because we do not receive your spots or shoots, we cannot delete them for you; the controls above remove them from your device. For questions about data processed by Google, or to ask us for help with a privacy request, contact us at the address below.
Data processed by Google is retained according to its service settings and policies:
- Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
- Firebase privacy information: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy
- Google advertising technologies: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads
We use these services under their applicable terms, and we ensure that third-party service providers with whom we share user data provide the same or equal protection of that data as stated in this policy.
The credits page in the menu links to geonames.org and to the Creative Commons licence page. Those websites open in your browser and have their own privacy practices.
SECURITY
Your saved data is kept in the app's private storage on your device, which the operating system protects from other apps; it is not separately encrypted by the app, so protect your device with a passcode. Apart from the limited analytics events described above, the app does not upload your saved data. Communication between the app and Google services uses encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS). No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, but we limit what the app collects to what is described in this policy.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Sun and moon times and positions are calculated estimates for the coordinates and time zone of each spot. They do not account for hills, buildings, or trees on the horizon, and the app does not predict weather or cloud cover. A suggested time zone may differ from the one actually used at that place until you confirm or change it. Phone compasses can be disturbed by metal and magnets. Plan with a margin, and take care when shooting outdoors, near roads, or on high ground.
CHILDREN
The app is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
CHANGES
We may update this policy if the app or its services change. The date above shows the latest revision.
CONTACT
Heekyung Moon (Google Play developer: janey-moon)
Email: ansgml2100@gmail.com