Station Pass Support

First, check that Station Pass can use your location (iOS Settings → Station Pass → Location), or pick a saved spot from the list header. The ISS is only visible when it's lit by the Sun while your sky is dark, so it's seen in the hours after sunset or before sunrise. Depending on the orbit there can be a week or more with no visible passes at all, then several a night. Lowering Min peak elevation or widening the Search window in Settings also shows more passes.

Each pass gets a score from 0 to 100. Brightness compared with your sky, how high it climbs, how long it's visible and how well it catches the sunlight add to the score. A bright Moon and cloud cover take points away. Open any pass and scroll to Why this score to see the breakdown.

Predictions use the latest orbital data from CelesTrak, refreshed every 12 hours. Passes in the next few days are usually accurate to a few seconds. Further out they can drift, especially after the station adjusts its orbit, so check again the day of the pass.

Cloud forecasts come from Apple Weather and reach about 10 days ahead. Passes further out than that are scored without clouds until a forecast becomes available. You'll also see "no forecast" if your device is offline.

Station Pass includes an offline light-pollution map built from NASA satellite imagery of night lights, and estimates the Bortle class for your spot. It's usually within one class. If you know your sky better, turn off Auto-detect in Settings and choose the class yourself.

Yes. Tap the place name under the title, or go to Settings → Location, and search for any place to save it. Passes, scores and alerts follow whichever spot is selected.

Yes, once it has been online recently. Passes, scores, alerts, Sky view, the light-pollution map, planets and meteor showers are all calculated on your device from the last orbit data it downloaded. Without a connection you won't get cloud forecasts or place search, and after about three days the predictions start to drift, so the app shows a reminder to refresh.

Heading somewhere with no signal? Open the app with internet first, and save the place you're going to. Wi-Fi-only iPads have no GPS and can't find their location offline, so the saved place keeps everything working.

Sky view relies on your phone's compass, which is easily thrown off by cars, metal railings and magnetic phone cases. Move away from metal, and wave the phone in a figure eight to recalibrate. You can also drag the sky until a star or the Moon sits where it really is; Sky view keeps that correction until you close it.

No. The camera feed is only shown on screen behind the drawing of the pass. Nothing is recorded, saved or sent anywhere.

It draws the whole app in deep red so your eyes stay adapted to the dark. Turn it on in Settings → Display or with the moon button in Sky view, and turn your screen brightness down too.

Open any pass and tap the share button at the top. You can send the pass card to friends, or choose Save Image to keep it in Photos. The first time you save, iOS asks for permission to add photos; Station Pass can only add the card, not see your other pictures.

Make sure notifications are allowed in iOS Settings → Station Pass → Notifications. In the app's Settings, alerts only go out for passes at or above the score you've set, so lower Passes only if score ≥ to hear about more of them. Alerts for twilight launches, Moon crossings and meteor shower nights can be switched on separately.

A Live Activity starts automatically when a high-scoring pass is within six hours, or tap Track on Lock Screen on any pass. Live Activities need to be allowed in iOS Settings → Station Pass.

Touch and hold your Home Screen, tap Edit → Add Widget, and search for Station Pass. The Up Next widget shows the next good pass, or anything you've pinned with Show on widget.

No. Every feature in Station Pass is free. If you'd like to support the app, you can leave a one-time tip from Settings → Support Station Pass. Tips aren't subscriptions, so you're never charged again.

Tips are processed by Apple, so refunds are handled by Apple too. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com. We can't see or refund payments ourselves.

No. There's no sign-up. Your settings, saved spots and brightness reports are stored only on your device.

Delete the app. Everything Station Pass stores lives on your device and is removed with it. Our Privacy Policy has the details.