Totality asks for your location so it can compute the eclipse circumstances for exactly where you are standing — contact times, percentage coverage, totality duration, and which way to face.
That computation happens locally on your device, against an eclipse ephemeris bundled inside the app. Your coordinates are never transmitted to us, never sent to any server, never stored off-device, and never shared with or sold to anyone. There is no code path in Totality that uploads your location.
The augmented-reality view uses your camera so the app can overlay the sun and moon paths on the live view in front of you. The camera feed is rendered on screen in real time and is never recorded, stored, or transmitted. Totality does not save photos or video.
You can use every eclipse feature in Totality without an account — just tap “Continue without an account.”
If you choose to sign in (with Apple, or with an email link), an account is created for you so your saved viewing spots can sync between your devices. In that case the following is stored on our authentication backend, which is hosted on Supabase:
| Data | Why | When |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | To identify your account and send the sign-in link | Only if you sign in |
| Account identifier | To link your saved spots to your account | Only if you sign in |
| Saved viewing spots | So they appear on your other devices | Only if you sign in and save one |
If you use Sign in with Apple and choose “Hide My Email,” we only ever receive Apple’s private relay address — not your real one.
This data is used solely to make the account work. It is not used for advertising, not used to track you across apps or websites, not profiled, and not sold or shared with third parties.
Totality is rated 4+ and is safe for all ages. It does not knowingly collect personal information from children. Since the app is fully usable with no account at all, a child can use every feature without providing any personal information whatsoever.
If you created an account, you may ask us to delete it and everything associated with it. Email gundeep.upenn@gmail.com from the address on the account and we will delete it, permanently, within 30 days.
If you never signed in, we hold no data about you at all — there is nothing to request or delete.
Under GDPR (EU/UK) and CCPA (California), you have rights of access, correction, deletion, and portability. Because the only personal data we ever hold is an email address, an account ID, and any spots you saved, these requests are simple; we honour them at the address above.
Totality is a planning and orientation tool, not eye protection. Never look at the sun without certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses, except during the brief moments of total eclipse. Do not look at the sun through the phone’s camera. You are responsible for your own safety when observing.
If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this URL with a new “last updated” date.
Questions about privacy: gundeep.upenn@gmail.com