The short version
AstroLoupe runs entirely on your Mac and entirely offline. It has no accounts, no analytics, no telemetry, no advertising and no network access of any kind. Your images, your measurements and your catalog never leave your machine, because the app has no way to send them anywhere.
Data we collect
None. AstroLoupe does not collect, transmit, store remotely, sell or share any personal data or usage data. There is nothing to opt in or out of.
The app contains no analytics or crash-reporting frameworks, no third-party SDKs, and makes no network connections. Plate solving runs against star catalogues bundled inside the app itself, so even that works with no internet connection at all.
Your images
AstroLoupe reads image files (FITS, XISF, TIFF, PNG, JPEG and camera RAW) only from folders and files you explicitly choose via the standard macOS open dialog. Access is governed by Apple's App Sandbox: the app can see only what you grant it.
Indexing is read-only - AstroLoupe never modifies your image files. The only file operations it performs are the ones you ask for by name: moving rejected frames into a subfolder you choose, or moving frames to the macOS Trash (recoverable).
Data stored on your Mac
To make your library searchable, AstroLoupe keeps a small local catalog (an SQLite database of frame metadata such as object names, equipment and exposure details read from your files' headers). It lives inside the app's sandbox container on your Mac:
~/Library/Containers/com.cambridgeaiworks.astroloupe/
It also remembers the last folder you opened (as a security-scoped bookmark) so it can reopen your library on launch. All of this stays on your machine and is deleted if you delete the app and its container. No copy exists anywhere else.
Purchases
AstroLoupe is sold through the Mac App Store. Payment, receipts and any associated account information are handled entirely by Apple under Apple's Privacy Policy. Cambridge AI Works Ltd receives no personal information about purchasers.
Children's privacy
AstroLoupe collects no data from anyone, including children.
Changes to this policy
If a future version of AstroLoupe ever changes any of the above (for example, an optional online feature), this policy will be updated before that version ships, with the change noted prominently here and in the app's release notes.
Contact
AstroLoupe is made by Cambridge AI Works Ltd, registered in England and Wales. Questions about this policy or anything else: [email protected].