Lightning Alerts

Privacy, ads, and analytics

Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 9, 2026. This page explains optional exact alert areas, non-personalized ads on iOS, analytics controls, and support details for Lightning Alerts.

  • iOS: Non-personalized ads
  • Usage analytics controls
  • Pro removes ads
  • Support: lightning.alerts.live@gmail.com

Data Used By The App #data

Lightning Alerts uses only the data needed to show lightning, manage ads and Pro access, send optional alerts, and keep the app reliable.

  • Location is used to show nearby lightning. The app may store selected places on the device. Ordinary map viewing does not send your precise location. If you separately enable exact alert areas, the app sends the information described in Alert Areas and Lightning Notifications.
  • Google AdMob, Google User Messaging Platform, Firebase, Google Maps, and Google Play Billing may process device identifiers, app interactions, diagnostics, ad data, ad privacy status, map usage, cloud messaging tokens, and subscription status.
  • Firebase Crashlytics receives crash logs and diagnostics so we can find and fix app problems.
  • If you send feedback or a privacy request, your email app opens a draft addressed to support. The draft can include app version, device, system, and locale details, and you can edit or remove those details before sending.

Alert Areas and Lightning Notifications #alert-areas

Lightning Alerts lets you choose an exact alert distance. This section applies only after you choose an alert distance and enable radius alerts. Before you accept the in-app disclosure, this feature does not upload precise alert centers.

While you choose a Saved Place on Android, the app may ask the device's platform geocoder to suggest a place name. Depending on device services, candidate coordinates may be processed by the platform geocoding provider before Save. Lightning Alerts does not send those candidate coordinates to its own alert-registration backend.

If you enable an alert area, the app sends the selected center coordinates and radius to Lightning Alerts. For My Location, it also sends the location observation time and horizontal accuracy. Registration metadata includes the Firebase Installation ID. Lightning Alerts hashes the FID for the Firestore document key and retains the raw FID only in a consented active registration as the Firebase Cloud Messaging delivery address. Direct v4 delivery does not store a separate cloud-messaging registration token. Other metadata includes the platform and app build, configuration revision, disclosure version and acceptance time, whether notifications are currently enabled on the device, and update or last-seen timestamps. Saved Place names are kept on the device and are not sent.

Lightning Alerts and its Google Firebase and Google Cloud service providers use this data to maintain the alert registration, match detected lightning against the selected circle, deliver and update notifications, and prevent stale requests from restoring an older configuration. The registration is linked to an app installation, not to a Lightning Alerts account, name, email address, or advertising identifier. It is used for app functionality, not cross-app tracking.

Exact alert centers and radii are not sent to weather-data providers, advertising services, or analytics.

To diagnose registration and delivery problems, the app creates rotating random diagnostic references. Lightning Alerts and its Google service providers may use these references to connect registration attempts, the current active or legacy registration, delivery attempts, and cleanup outcomes in private diagnostic logs. The current reference may also be stored with active or legacy registrations. These references are not derived from the FID and are not used for advertising or cross-app tracking. References from successive attempts are linked only while the installation identity stays unchanged. The app clears its reference and previous-attempt link if that identity changes, you turn alerts off, or app data is reset.

Registration diagnostics include the app platform and build, processing stages, timing, and outcomes. They do not include raw FIDs or FID hashes, messaging tokens, precise coordinates or radii, place names, or notification contents. Server application logs are retained for 30 days. Firebase Crashlytics may receive a limited recent history with error reports; this is not a complete record of app activity, and the 30-day server-log retention does not apply to Crashlytics.

An active alert registration has a 365-day logical lease that the app refreshes when relevant settings, location, FID, or app activity changes. Uninstalling the app cannot immediately notify the server, so an active precise registration, including its raw delivery FID, may remain until the lease expires or Firebase reports the FID as invalid. Invalid-FID cleanup removes it only after the server verifies that the failed delivery still matches the current active registration.

Turning alerts off stops direct-alert intake in the app and sends a disable request. If the device is offline, server removal completes after a later successful sync or lease expiry. After the server confirms the disable request, the raw FID and precise alert centers and radii are removed. For service monitoring, Lightning Alerts may copy alert centers and radii, without FIDs, to a private map that only Lightning Alerts can view; the copy can outlast a disable request and is deleted automatically, usually within about an hour and otherwise typically within two days. Coordinate-free legacy-only records retain the FID hash and may include the current diagnostic reference. Disabled records retain the FID hash and minimal state needed to reject stale requests, without a diagnostic reference.

The disabled record has a logical expiry of 30 days and blocks requests from older registration generations. An app that currently confirms alerts are still enabled may restore the registration with a new generation. This recovery does not turn alerts back on after you turn them off. After the disabled record expires, Firestore deletes it asynchronously. Deletion is not immediate, is typically completed within 24 hours, and is not guaranteed within that period. For help with privacy or deletion, contact lightning.alerts.live@gmail.com.

Ads #ads

Lightning Alerts may show Google AdMob ads when ads are enabled. On iOS, free mode uses non-personalized ads only. On Android, ad personalization follows the current Google privacy choices. On iOS, the app does not request App Tracking Transparency permission and does not access IDFA.

  • iOS ad requests are sent as non-personalized ads. Android ad requests follow the current Google consent and privacy settings.
  • Google User Messaging Platform may be used to check ad privacy status and to present Google's European regulations consent or privacy-options form where required (EEA, UK, and Switzerland). iOS does not present a US-state sale/sharing UMP prompt. Android may present a configured US-state privacy message when required.
  • Google Mobile Ads may process IP address, general location, device identifiers, ad interactions, and diagnostics to serve ads, measure ads, prevent fraud, and comply with policy.
  • To report an ad issue, use Settings > Feedback in the app and include the ad details, or use any report controls shown in the ad.
  • If ad serving is not allowed based on your settings or region, ads may be limited or unavailable.

Analytics #analytics

Lightning Alerts uses Firebase Analytics to understand usage patterns and app stability. On iOS, Analytics is configured without IDFA collection or ad-personalization support.

  • Analytics uses an installation-specific app-instance identifier and is not intended to identify you directly.
  • We do not send direct personal identifiers such as your name or email in analytics events.
  • On iOS, analytics stays off until you choose during onboarding or in Settings. On Android, the initial state follows the regional default and can be changed in Settings.
  • The in-app usage analytics toggle controls Firebase Analytics collection.

In-App Privacy Controls

On iOS, free mode uses non-personalized ads. On Android, ad personalization follows the current Google privacy choices. When Google requires a privacy-options form, Settings > Ads & privacy shows Manage ad privacy choices. iOS does not show a US-state sale/sharing prompt; Android may show a configured one.

Settings > Ads & privacy > Anonymous analytics

Use this toggle to enable or disable usage analytics at any time.

Ad-Free Option (Pro)

Lightning Alerts Pro is available as an optional monthly subscription. The App Store or Google Play purchase screen shows the current localized price before you buy. Pro removes ads from the app while active.

Data Deletion #data-deletion

You can request deletion of developer-controlled support records and server-side records that we can reasonably identify by emailing lightning.alerts.live@gmail.com.

Uninstalling the app removes local app data stored on your device. It does not delete data that was already sent to us or to service providers.

Some data is controlled by Google services such as AdMob, Firebase, Google Maps, and Google Play Billing. You can manage that data through your Google account, Android advertising ID, Google Play, and device settings.

Support Contact

For support, feedback, privacy, and ads questions, contact: lightning.alerts.live@gmail.com