The short version
GuideWatch only ever talks to the NINA or PHD2 instance you point it at, over your own local Wi-Fi network. When you are using NINA, the watch face widget extension can make the same kind of small read-only request on its own so the complication stays fresh when the app is not open. There are no accounts, no analytics, no telemetry, no advertising, and no server of our own. Nothing is sent anywhere except to the IP address and port you enter.
Data we collect
None. GuideWatch does not collect, transmit, store remotely, sell or share any personal data or usage data. There is nothing to opt in or out of, and no data ever leaves your local network.
The app contains no analytics or crash-reporting frameworks and no third-party SDKs. Its only network activity is the connection you configure: NINA's Advanced API, or PHD2's Event Server. The widget extension can refresh itself against NINA when that source is selected; in PHD2 mode it uses the snapshot the watch app already published.
The NINA or PHD2 connection
GuideWatch is a read-only guiding monitor. It requests guiding data from the NINA or PHD2 instance whose address you enter, and displays it - it never sends commands back to either, your mount, or any other equipment. This connection happens directly between your Apple Watch and your imaging PC over your local network; it does not pass through any server we operate, because we don't operate one.
Data stored on your Watch
GuideWatch remembers a small amount of configuration locally on-device, using standard iOS/watchOS app storage:
- which source you selected (NINA or PHD2), plus the host address and port for each;
- whether Simulation mode is enabled;
- your bad-guiding alert threshold, if you turn alerts on;
- your moon orientation preference (automatic, northern, or southern), and the resolved hemisphere used to draw the complication.
The watch app and its widget extension also share a small snapshot of guiding status and moon settings through Apple's App Group mechanism so the complication can show RMS or the moon phase correctly. That data stays on your devices.
Nothing here is synced to iCloud or anywhere else, and it is deleted if you delete the app.
Location
GuideWatch may ask for location permission when you open Settings. It uses that one-time fix only to decide which way up to draw the moon on the watch face complication. Only whether you are north or south of the equator is kept. No coordinates are stored, transmitted, or shared. You can decline permission and set northern or southern hemisphere manually instead.
The iPhone companion app
GuideWatch includes a minimal iPhone app that exists only because Apple requires an installable iPhone component for App Store distribution. It shows an animated preview of the watch UI running in simulation mode, explains what the watch app does, and installs GuideWatch on your Apple Watch. It collects no data and makes no network connections of its own.
Children's privacy
GuideWatch collects no data from anyone, including children.
Changes to this policy
If a future version of GuideWatch ever changes any of the above, this policy will be updated before that version ships, with the change noted prominently here.
Contact
GuideWatch is made by Cambridge AI Works Ltd, registered in England and Wales. Questions about this policy or anything else: [email protected].