Space Station Alarm

Support

Help with alarms, the compass, and the watch.

Space Station Alarm wakes you a minute before the International Space Station or China's Tiangong climbs high enough over you to be worth watching, and shows you where to look. Here are the things people ask.

I set it up but I'm not getting any alarms.

Visible passes are rarer than you might think — the station has to be sunlit while your sky is dark, and high enough to clear the rooftops. That can mean a run of good evenings, then two or three weeks of nothing. Open the app and check the Upcoming list: it shows when each station is next worth seeing, up to 30 days out. Also make sure notifications and location are allowed for the app in Settings.

Which way do I look?

In the last minutes before a pass, hold up your phone (or raise your wrist). A glowing dot rides the ring, pointing at the real spot in the sky. Turn until it sits at the top, then look up. The station moves fast and bright, in a straight line, without blinking — that is how you tell it from a plane.

Does the Apple Watch work on its own?

Yes. The watch receives the schedule from your phone and then rings and points on its own, even when the phone is in another room. Open the watch app once so it can ask permission to alert you.

Why 45°? Can I change it?

The app alerts only for passes that climb high overhead, where the station is bright and clear of buildings. Lower passes are dim and usually hidden by the city, so they are left out on purpose.

Do you track my location?

No. Your location is used only on your device, to work out your passes. It never leaves the phone. See the privacy policy.

Still stuck?

Email support@rytex.app with your device and what happened, and you'll get a reply.