Ghost Weather Privacy Policy
Ghost Weather does not ask you to create an account, does not use analytics or advertising, and does not sell or share your data. The only personal information it handles is the location you ask it to show weather for.
This policy applies to the Ghost Weather apps for Android and iOS, and to the Ghost Weather server they connect to. It is effective as of October 9, 2026.
Information we collect
| Information | When | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Device location (latitude and longitude) | Only if you grant location permission and use "current location" | Sent to the Ghost Weather server to find your local forecast area; also sent to the National Weather Service if the server is unavailable |
| Saved locations | When you save a place | Stored only on your device |
| Place search text (e.g. a city name or ZIP code) | When you search | Sent to the Ghost Weather server to find matching places |
| Map area you view | When you open the radar map | Map tiles are requested from the map providers listed below |
| IP address and standard request details | Any time the app connects to the internet | Seen by any server the app contacts, as with all internet traffic |
We do not collect your name, email, contacts, device identifiers, or advertising IDs. The app contains no analytics, crash-reporting, or advertising software.
How we use information
We use your location and searches only to show you weather and outdoor conditions for the places you choose. Specifically, the server:
- Rounds your coordinates to about 1 km (two decimal places) and looks up the matching National Weather Service forecast area.
- Fetches and caches public weather data for that area, which it returns to the app.
- Matches search text against a built-in list of US places and ZIP codes.
The app refreshes weather in the background a few times a day for your saved locations. We do not use your information for advertising, profiling, or any purpose other than providing the app.
Third-party services
The app talks directly to a few public services. Each receives your IP address and the location or map area requested, and is governed by its own privacy policy.
| Service | What it receives | Why |
|---|---|---|
| National Weather Service (weather.gov) | Your location's coordinates | Backup weather source when the Ghost Weather server is unavailable |
| NOAA map services (opengeo.ncep.noaa.gov, mapservices.weather.noaa.gov, nowcoast.noaa.gov) | The map area you view | Radar, satellite, warnings and smoke map layers |
| OpenFreeMap | The map area you view | Base map |
| USGS National Map | The map area you view | Map thumbnail |
The Ghost Weather server also requests data from US government sources (NWS, NOAA, EPA, AirNow, USDA, USGS, NIFC and the National Park Service) using the rounded location of the forecast area. These requests come from our server, not your device, and do not include your IP address or any information about you.
Data retention and security
- On your device: saved locations, your last known location and up to 14 days of weather data are stored in the app. They stay until you remove them or uninstall the app.
- On our server: the server caches weather data for forecast areas for up to 14 days. It also caches the rounded (about 1 km) coordinates of requested areas so it doesn't have to look them up again. None of this is linked to you, your device or your IP address.
- Logs: the server does not keep request logs of searches, locations or IP addresses.
All connections between the app and our server use HTTPS encryption.
Your choices
- Location permission is optional. You can deny or revoke it at any time in your device settings and still use the app by searching for places.
- Delete your data by removing saved locations in the app or uninstalling it. Because we hold no data linked to you, there is nothing for us to delete on our side.
Children's privacy
Ghost Weather is a general-audience app. It does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
Changes and contact
If this policy changes, we will update it here and change the effective date above.
Questions? Contact GhostApps at ghost@ghostapps.rocks.