Terms of Service

Tailspot is a free plane-spotting app made by one person. These terms are honest about what the app is, what it isn't, and what you agree to by using it.

1. What Tailspot is (and what it isn't)

Tailspot is a game. It uses publicly broadcast ADS-B radio signals, aggregated by community networks, to show you aircraft that are flying overhead. You point your phone at a plane, the app identifies it, and you collect it.

The aircraft data is community-sourced and may be wrong. ADS-B transponder data is broadcast by aircraft and aggregated by volunteers. Positions, altitudes, callsigns, and identifications can be delayed, inaccurate, spoofed, or simply absent. Tailspot makes no warranties about the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any flight data shown in the app.

Never use Tailspot for navigation, flight safety, or any safety-critical purpose. It is a game. It is not a flight-tracking service, an air-traffic tool, or an instrument of any kind. If you need accurate, authoritative aircraft information, use certified aviation systems.

2. The service — what we provide and don't promise

Tailspot is provided free of charge, as-is, with no warranty of any kind, express or implied. We do not promise:

• That the app will be available at any particular time or continuously.
• That the flight data will be accurate or up to date.
• That your catch collection, score, or handle will be preserved indefinitely.
• That the app will work on every device or iOS version.

This is a hobby project. It may go down, change substantially, or be discontinued. We will try to give notice before major changes, but we can't promise to.

3. Your handle

If you claim a public handle (display name for the leaderboard), you agree:

• No impersonation. Don't choose a name that impersonates another person, organization, or brand — real or fictional.
• No offensive content. Handles containing slurs, threats, or targeted harassment will be reset without warning.
• No reserved terms. We may reserve certain names (e.g., "Tailspot," "Admin") and deny or reset claims on them.

Handle uniqueness is enforced server-side. If you choose a handle that is already taken, you'll be asked to pick another. We may reset a handle that violates these rules; your catches and score are not affected by a handle reset.

4. Things you may not do

You agree not to:

• Attempt to manipulate the catch-validation system by submitting false GPS coordinates, replayed positions, or any fabricated sensor data.
• Reverse-engineer, scrape, or bulk-download data from the Tailspot backend for any purpose outside normal app use.
• Use the app in any way that violates applicable law.

We are not currently enforcing catch validation automatically — we're collecting data to understand what normal usage looks like before deciding what to reject. But submitting fake catches undermines a game that everyone else is playing honestly.

5. Intellectual property

The Tailspot app, its visual design, card art, and original content are owned by Noah Landesberg. Flight data displayed in the app comes from third-party sources (see the Attributions) and is subject to their respective licenses.

You retain ownership of any content you create. The app generates "catch" records from public flight data — you don't own the underlying flight data, but the record of your catch is yours.

6. Termination

We can stop providing the service at any time. If you violate these terms (particularly §4), we may block your device ID from the backend. Your local catch collection (stored on your device) is always yours to keep; we cannot delete it remotely.

7. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Noah Landesberg is not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of Tailspot — including, without limitation, any reliance on flight data displayed in the app.

Use of flight data in any safety-critical, navigational, or emergency context is entirely at your own risk and is explicitly disclaimed.

8. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally should be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in California.

9. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. Material changes will be noted with an updated effective date and, for significant changes, a notice in the app. Continued use of the app after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

10. Contact

Questions about these terms: privacy@tailspot.app