Last updated: 27 September 2026
Plainwx keeps your personal content on your device. The app has no accounts, and we can't see your airports or your location. We do use Google Firebase to collect anonymous, aggregated usage and diagnostic analytics so we can improve the app — never your saved airports, your searches, or anything that identifies you. This page explains exactly what stays private and what is measured.
Plainwx ("the app") is published by Ronak Vakhariya, an individual developer based in India. Plainwx turns official aviation weather (METAR and TAF reports) into plain English for pilots and aviation enthusiasts.
Questions about privacy? Email quickmate.apps@gmail.com.
Everything you create or set in Plainwx is stored locally on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch and is never sent to us:
Your saved airports ("Airports")
Recent searches
Category alert rules
Settings (units, appearance, and preferences)
Cached weather reports (so the app works offline and starts instantly)
We have no server, no database, and no way to read any of this.
If you are signed in to iCloud, your list of saved airports syncs across your own devices using Apple's iCloud Key-Value Store. This data lives in your personal iCloud account, protected by Apple, and is tied to your Apple ID. We cannot access it. If you sign out of iCloud or disable iCloud for Plainwx in your device settings, syncing stops.
Plainwx fetches weather reports from the NOAA Aviation Weather Center (aviationweather.gov), a service of the U.S. government. When the app refreshes, it requests reports by airport code. These requests are handled by NOAA under their own terms and privacy practices; they do not include your name, account, or any personal identifier, because Plainwx has none to send. Standard internet metadata (such as your IP address) is visible to NOAA the same as with any website you visit.
Plainwx can ask for your location only to find airports near you (the "Nearby" feature) and to show the correct local time for an airport. Location access is "While Using the App." Your coordinates are used on your device and are not sent to us or stored on any server. Determining an airport's local time zone uses Apple's on-device location services. You can decline location access and still use every other feature; you can change this any time in your device's Settings.
Plainwx Pro is sold as an auto-renewing subscription through Apple's App Store. All payments are processed by Apple. We never see or receive your card number, billing address, or Apple ID. Apple provides us only with anonymized information about whether a subscription is active, so the app can unlock Pro features. See Apple's Privacy Policy for how Apple handles payment data.
Plainwx uses Google Firebase (Analytics, Remote Config, Crashlytics and Performance Monitoring) to understand how the app is used in aggregate and to catch crashes and slowdowns. What this collects:
Usage events — anonymous counts and enum values such as "a paywall was shown", "an airport was added" (a count, not which airport), "a report refreshed". Never your saved airports, your search text, your location, or any free text.
Crash and performance diagnostics — stack traces, device model, OS version, app version, and timing, so we can fix problems.
A Firebase installation identifier and standard device/usage data that Firebase attaches to these measurements.
We do not collect the Advertising Identifier (IDFA), do not show ads, and do not track you across other companies' apps or websites. Because of the analytics above, our App Store privacy label is Data Collected (limited to app functionality and analytics, not linked to your identity and not used to track you). Firebase processes this data on Google's servers, which may be outside your country, including in the United States; see Google's Privacy Policy. You can reset the identifier by reinstalling the app.
Location (While Using the App) — to show nearby airports and correct local times. Optional.
Notifications — to deliver flight-category alerts you set up and an optional trial reminder. These are local notifications generated on your device; nothing is sent to a server. Optional.
Plainwx does not request access to your contacts, camera, microphone, photos, or health data.
Plainwx is not directed at children and does not knowingly collect any personal information from anyone, including children.
Your personal content (saved airports, searches, settings) never leaves your device, so there is nothing there for us to export or correct. The Firebase analytics we do collect are anonymous and aggregated and are not tied to your identity. You remain in control: delete your saved airports in the app, turn off iCloud sync in device settings, or delete the app to stop all further collection and remove local data. Depending on where you live (for example under the EU GDPR or California's CCPA/CPRA) you may have rights over personal data; contact us at the address above and we will help.
Local data stays on your device until you delete it or delete the app. Firebase retains the anonymous analytics/diagnostics under Google's standard retention (you can ask us to request deletion). We keep no personal profile of you, because we receive none.
If this policy changes, we will update the "Last updated" date above and post the new version at this URL. Material changes will be reflected in a future app update.
Ronak Vakhariya — quickmate.apps@gmail.com