App Privacy Policy
App Privacy Policy
Effective date: October 28, 2026
This policy covers two Android apps made by Orange County Telescope, Inc.: MessierGenius and Lunar CraterFinder. The short version: our apps do not collect, store on our servers, or share any personal information. Everything happens on your phone.
What the apps use, and how
- Location (MessierGenius only). If you tap "My location," the app asks for your phone's location so it can show which objects are in your sky. Your location is saved only on your phone so you don't have to set it again. It is never sent to us or anyone else. You can choose a place from the list instead.
- Camera and photos. You can take or pick a night-sky or Moon photo. The app analyzes the photo right on your phone to identify objects or craters. Photos are not uploaded anywhere, and the apps don't save copies to your gallery.
- Motion sensors (MessierGenius). The compass and tilt sensors help point you toward objects in real time. This sensor data isn't stored or sent anywhere.
- Settings and progress. Your marathon checklist, quiz scores, telescope settings, display choices and Pro unlock status are stored only on your phone.
- Internet. The apps come with their star charts, maps and images built in, so they don't need to contact any server. If you tap a link (for example to octelescope.com, Wikipedia or NASA), it opens in your web browser, and that website's own privacy policy applies.
The apps contain no ads, no analytics, no tracking and no crash-reporting tools, and they don't ask for an account.
Pro upgrades and unlock codes
- Google Play purchases. If you buy Pro inside the app, Google Play handles the payment. We never see your card or payment details; Google only tells the app that the purchase went through. Google's privacy policy applies: policies.google.com/privacy.
- Unlock codes. Codes bought on octelescope.com are checked on your phone without contacting any server. Purchases on octelescope.com are covered by our store's privacy policy.
Sharing with third parties
We don't sell, rent or share any information from the apps, because the apps don't send us any. The only outside company involved is Google, for app downloads, updates and in-app payments through Google Play.
Children's privacy
Our apps are made for amateur astronomers and are not directed at children under 13. They don't collect personal information from anyone, including children.
Keeping and deleting your data
All app data stays on your phone. To delete it, clear the app's data in your phone's Settings or uninstall the app. There's nothing on our side to delete. Location and camera access can be turned off anytime in your phone's Settings.
Changes to this policy
If we add features that change how data is handled, we'll update this page and the effective date before those features are released.
Contact us
Orange County Telescope, Inc.
2216 N Main St, Santa Ana, CA 92706
Phone: 888-471-9991
Email: octelescope@gmail.com
octelescope.com
