Privacy policy

Location and forecasts

You can search for a city or choose a place on a map. If you use the current-location feature, AirAhead asks for system permission and requests a location fix; it does not continuously track your movements in the background. You can decline location access and select places manually.

For air quality requests, the app rounds coordinates to two decimal places before sending them to AirAhead’s backend—approximately a one-kilometer area, depending on latitude. The request also includes the time zone, country code, and AQI display preference. Custom place names are not included in these forecast requests. If you enable alerts for a place, its name is sent to the backend so the notification identifies the location.

The backend uses the approximate area to obtain modeled air quality information from Google’s Air Quality API. It also receives the map tile areas you request when you browse the heatmap. Forecast and heatmap data are cached to reduce repeated requests; backend cache entries expire at the next UTC-hour boundary.

Pollen and personal guidance

If you select pollen allergens or open the Allergens section, AirAhead requests a daily pollen forecast from Google’s Pollen API through its backend, using the same approximate location. Pollen responses are shared among nearby users and cached for no more than 24 hours. No pollen request is made for a collapsed section when you have selected no allergens.

Respiratory health, sensitivity, and allergen preferences are stored on your device and shared with your paired Apple Watch. They are not sent to AirAhead’s backend, Google, or analytics services, and are not included in AirAhead’s iCloud settings sync. Your device’s backup behavior may still apply.

Maps and search

AirAhead uses platform map and search services to find and display places. The iPhone and iPad heatmap uses Google Maps; the Mac map uses Apple Maps. These providers receive information needed to operate their services, such as searches, viewed map areas, network information, and relevant device or diagnostic information. Their privacy policies also apply.

Regional particle, smoke, and fire map layers request map areas and times through AirAhead’s backend from Copernicus CAMS, NOAA, and NASA. These providers do not receive your health preferences.

AirAhead does not use your app location or map activity for advertising.

Saved places, settings, and alerts

Saved places, display settings, and alert preferences are stored on your device. Where available, they may sync through your private iCloud account. Widgets use the app’s shared data and service access to display forecasts for the places you choose.

If you enable alerts, AirAhead requests notification permission and sends the backend an Apple or Firebase push token, an installation identifier, approximate coordinates, place display names, time zones, and selected alert preferences. This lets the service check forecasts and send relevant notifications through Apple or Google Firebase Cloud Messaging. Forecast content is not kept beyond the hourly air quality cache. These records relate to an installation, even though you have not created an AirAhead account.

Turning off all alerts removes the backend subscription when AirAhead next connects successfully. Subscriptions also expire after 90 days without renewal. Limited delivery records help prevent duplicate alerts. Uninstalling the app alone does not immediately notify the backend to delete a subscription.

Device-tilt information used for the app’s particle effect is processed on your device and is not sent to AirAhead’s backend.

Service security and operation

AirAhead verifies genuine installations to protect the service from abuse. On iPhone and iPad this uses Apple App Attest; on Mac it uses a signed App Store app transaction. Security records can include an installation identifier, public-key verification information, counters, an Apple verification receipt, and a one-way hash of a renewable access credential. The signed Mac app transaction itself is not stored.

On Android, Firebase Authentication creates an anonymous installation identity without asking for an email or password, and Firebase App Check verifies requests from the app. Google processes the installation information needed for those services. AirAhead verifies these tokens without storing them. AirAhead does not include Firebase Analytics.

These installation security records expire after 180 days without successful verification or credential refresh. They are used to authorize requests and protect the service, not for advertising.

Cloudflare hosts and secures the website and backend. It processes IP addresses, request metadata, and operational information needed to deliver content, diagnose problems, and prevent abuse. Operational logs are subject to the relevant Cloudflare service settings and retention policies. We use safeguards such as HTTPS and restricted service access, but no service can guarantee absolute security.

Website analytics and cookies

The website uses Google Analytics to understand visits and interactions, including page views, opening the download chooser, store link clicks, feature navigation, the best window demo, and questions opened in the FAQ. Google Analytics uses cookies and related browser identifiers and receives information such as browser and device details, page information, approximate geographic information, and interaction events. Your browser also sends Google network information, including your IP address, when connecting to its services.

Our configuration disables Google Signals and advertising personalization. The page address configured by our analytics integration excludes query strings and fragments, and the configured referring address is reduced to its origin. We do not send saved app places or push tokens to website analytics.

Our Google Analytics integration does not load when your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal or enables Do Not Track. You can also manage or delete cookies in your browser or use Google’s Analytics opt-out browser add-on. Blocking analytics does not prevent you from browsing the site.

Cloudflare Web Analytics also measures website traffic and page-loading performance. It does not use analytics cookies or track people across different websites. This is separate from Cloudflare’s delivery and security processing.

Analytics retention depends on the service and property settings; aggregate reporting can be retained separately from individual event data. Read Google’s analytics retention information, how Google uses information from partner sites, and Cloudflare’s analytics collection information for details.

Service providers and other disclosures

Information is processed by providers needed to operate AirAhead: Google for air quality and pollen data, iPhone and iPad maps, Android verification and notification delivery, and website analytics; Cloudflare for hosting, security, and website performance measurement; Copernicus CAMS, NOAA, and NASA for map layer data; and Apple for platform services such as maps and search, iCloud, notifications, app verification, and App Store distribution. Processing may take place outside your country.

We may also disclose information when required by law or reasonably necessary to protect the security and rights of AirAhead and its users. If ownership of AirAhead changes, relevant information may transfer with the service, subject to applicable privacy obligations.

Your choices and requests

• Remove saved places and change alert preferences in AirAhead.
• Manage location and notification permissions in system Settings. To remove an alert subscription promptly, turn off alerts in the app while it is connected.
• Manage synced app data and backups through your Apple account and device settings. Removing the app deletes local app data, subject to backup and iCloud behavior; installation security records follow the retention period above.
• Use the browser privacy and cookie controls described above for website analytics.

You can contact us to request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information we hold. We may need enough information to locate the relevant records and verify a request. Applicable law may provide additional rights; some records may need to be kept for security or legal reasons.

Contact and policy changes

For privacy questions or requests, email support@airahead.app. If you contact us, we receive your email address and the information you choose to include, and use it to respond and resolve your request. Please do not send unnecessary sensitive information.

We update this page when our practices change and revise the effective date above. Where required, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent for material changes.