Effective May 7, 2026
Passing By in Real Time (“the app”) is designed to do as little with your data as possible. There are no user accounts, no analytics, no advertising, and no third-party tracking. This page describes the small amount of data the app does use and how it is handled.
With your explicit permission, the app reads your device’s location to determine which vessels are near you. Your location is processed on your device. A bounding box derived from your location and chosen search radius is sent to aisstream.io as part of the vessel data subscription so the service knows which area of the ocean to stream to you. Your precise coordinates are not stored on any server controlled by us, and we do not operate a server that receives your coordinates.
If you choose to enter an AIS data key from aisstream.io, the key is stored in the
iOS Keychain on your device using expo-secure-store. It is transmitted only
to aisstream.io as required to authenticate your subscription. We do not have access to
your key.
Settings such as your unit preference (kilometers or nautical miles), search radius, and onboarding state are stored locally on your device using standard iOS storage. They are not transmitted anywhere.
The app communicates with one third-party service: aisstream.io, which provides the live AIS vessel data feed. When you use the app with an AIS key, your bounding box and key are transmitted to aisstream.io to subscribe to vessel updates in your area. Their handling of that data is governed by their privacy policy. All communication uses encrypted secure WebSocket (WSS).
The app is not directed to children under 13 and does not knowingly collect any information from children.
Because we do not operate a server that stores your data, there is nothing on our side to delete. To remove your AIS data key, open the app and tap Settings → Remove API Key, which removes the credential from the iOS Keychain. Deleting the app from your iPhone removes locally stored preferences and any cached vessel data; note that, depending on iOS backup and Keychain behavior, Keychain entries may in some cases persist across reinstall, which is why we recommend clearing the key from within the app first.
If we make material changes to this policy, we will update the effective date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, surface a notice in the app.
Questions about this policy or your privacy can be sent to support@passingbyapp.com.