Frequently asked questions

Can I use SimpleAvWx for flight planning?

No. SimpleAvWx is not an FAA-approved source of weather or flight information. Use it for a quick look, then get an official briefing from a source such as 1800wxbrief.com or aviationweather.gov. See the Terms of Use.

Where does the weather come from?

METARs and TAFs come from the NOAA / National Weather Service Aviation Weather Center. D-ATIS and RVR come from FAA data feeds. The hourly and 10-day outlook comes from Apple Weather. Radar comes from the National Weather Service and the Iowa Environmental Mesonet, and lightning from NOAA's GOES satellites. Weather goes through the SimpleAvWx server first, so it can be a few minutes behind the original source.

Why is an airport square gray?

Gray means there's no current METAR for that airport, or the report is missing what's needed to set a flight category. Not every airport reports weather. In Low Data Mode, airports outside My Trip stay gray until you tap them.

Why is there no TAF, D-ATIS, or RVR for my airport?

Only some airports issue TAFs, and only some publish D-ATIS or RVR. Search results show which of these each airport has.

What's the difference between My Trip and My Airports?

My Trip is for the airports on your current trip. My Airports holds everything else you've saved. Double-tap a square to move it between them. See Airport Grid.

How do I delete an airport?

Long-press its square and tap Delete, or open it and choose ⋯ → Delete Airport. To delete several, use ⋯ → Select Airports.

Why does the “Not For Navigation” warning come back?

The app asks you to acknowledge the warning again from time to time as a reminder. Tap Agree to continue.

Do I need to allow location access?

No. Location is only used on the map (Near Me and showing where you are), and it never leaves your iPhone. You can change this any time in the iPhone Settings app → Privacy & Security → Location Services → SimpleAvWx.

Does SimpleAvWx collect my data or show ads?

There are no ads, no analytics, no tracking, and no account. To get weather, the app sends airport codes and airport search text to our server, which keeps them with your IP address in its logs for 14 days for security and operations, then deletes them. Your location never leaves your iPhone. Your saved airports sync through your own private iCloud, which we can't access. See the Privacy Policy for exactly what is sent where.

How much data does it use?

Weather reports are small text files. The radar map uses more because it downloads map images. Turn on Low Data Mode in Settings to download weather only for My Trip and the airports you tap.

Which devices does it run on?

SimpleAvWx is for iPhone. [[TODO: confirm iPad support and the minimum iOS version for the release build (project currently targets iOS 26.0, iPhone + iPad)]]

Will SimpleAvWx show NOTAMs or airport delays?

NOTAMs and airport delay / EDCT information are planned for a later version. They aren't in the app yet.

How much does it cost?

[[TODO: price / free / in-app purchases — none in the current code]]

Something's wrong or missing. How do I tell you?

Please contact support. Include the airport code and the time (UTC) if it's about a weather report.