Support

Common questions

Where do I get it?

On the App Store. It is free to download.

Free. iPhone, iOS 15.1 or later.

What does it run on?

Made for iPhone, iOS 15.1 or later. It also runs on an iPad, in iPhone mode. There is no Android or web version.

Where in the world does it work?

North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Hawaii and the central and eastern Pacific, out to about 52 degrees north and south. Alaska, most of Saskatchewan and nearly all of New Zealand are outside it, as are Europe, mainland Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. You can add a pool anywhere; if it is outside the area, the app says so on the pool itself, so a pool with no lightning data never looks like a calm afternoon.

What comes with the free app, and what is Pro?

The free app is the red and green stoplight: red when lightning is detected inside your radius, green once the all-clear wait has run, and an alert for each. ClearToSwim Pro lights the amber lamp for two more states: OPEN, UNDER CAUTION, while lightning is near but outside your radius, and REOPENING SOON, the last minutes of the wait. The free app shows the first as open and the second as closed, so the light never turns green early. Pro also unlocks the radius, wait and caution settings, custom pool hours, more pools of your own, pool sharing invites, History, the full map, Lights, Today at the pool, Rain check and Pool care reminders, and no ads. The app's Pro screen lists everything.

Can I change the radius and the wait time?

With ClearToSwim Pro, yes. The defaults are 10 miles and 30 minutes, which follow National Weather Service guidance and common aquatic-facility practice, and the free app runs those defaults. Pro lets you set the radius from 1 to 35 miles in 1-mile steps and the wait from 10 to 60 minutes in 5-minute steps. If your facility has its own written policy, match it.

Why did the countdown restart?

Because a new strike landed inside your radius. That is the 30-minute rule working as intended: the clock runs from the last strike, not the first one. It is also the part that is easiest to get wrong when counting by hand.

How do I share a pool?

On the pool's page, tap the share button, choose Household or Visitor Pass, and tap Create invite code. Send the link, or let them scan the QR code. Household access lasts until you remove it; a visitor pass ends on its own. Creating invites is part of ClearToSwim Pro.

How do I join a pool someone shared with me?

Open the invite link on your iPhone, or tap Join a shared pool in the app and enter or scan the code. Joining with a code is free. The pool arrives with its own alerts, and you choose which ones you get.

What do pool hours do?

Outside your pool's hours the light goes dark and alerts pause, so nobody gets a 3am alert for an empty pool. Choose always on or sunrise to sunset; with Pro, set your own opening and closing times, either of which can follow the sun.

Can I get alerts by email?

Yes. Open the pool's Alerts and tick the email box beside each alert you want. Email goes to your account's address from alerts@cleartoswim.com. It is slower than a push alert, so treat it as a record, not a warning.

What is My location?

A map of the lightning around you, wherever your phone is, on every plan. Turn on its alerts and it tells you when lightning comes near you, even while the app is closed; with Always location, the alerts follow you. It uses the largest radius and the longest wait among your pools, or 10 miles and 30 minutes when you have none.

What else is on a pool's pages?

Swipe sideways on a pool. Beside the light and its map are History, the full map and Pool care. History and the full map come with Pro, and Pool care is on every plan.

What is Pool care?

Your pool's volume from its shape and size, the water ranges from public health sources, your season's opening and closing checklists, and a log of your water tests. With Pro, Rain check says what recent rain means for your pool and your chlorine type, and reminders tell you when the chores you choose are due. It is general information: follow your local code and your product labels.

Is there a pool safety guide?

Yes, under About in the app. It covers lightning, real shelter, the 30 minute wait and watching the water, from the agencies it names.

What does the temperature by the light do?

Tap it for Sun and heat: how hot it feels, and the UV index where the weather provider reports one. With Pro, Today at the pool shows the rest of the day hour by hour. That is a forecast for planning; only the light says whether to swim.

Can ClearToSwim set a light at my pool?

With Pro, yes. Open the pool's Lights and choose Connect IFTTT, or Use a web address for Home Assistant or your own server. Each time the light changes, ClearToSwim sends the new one. The automations page has the setup and what is sent.

How do I cancel Pro?

In your Apple Account settings, under Subscriptions. Deleting your ClearToSwim account does not cancel it.

Got a new phone?

Sign in with the same Apple or Google account and your pools follow. If Pro does not come back on its own, tap Restore purchases under Account.

How do I delete my account?

In the app, under Account, tap Delete account.

Do alerts work with the app closed?

Yes. Alerts arrive even when the app is closed.

Why didn't I get an alert?

Check that notifications are on for ClearToSwim in iPhone Settings, and switched on in the pool's alert settings. Alerts pause outside your pool hours, and a Focus mode can hold them.

Does it work without a data connection?

No. Lightning data arrives over the network. With no signal the app cannot update, and it will tell you that rather than show an old light as if it were current.

Does it need my location?

It needs a pool location to watch. You can grant location access once to put the pin where you are, or place it yourself. My location uses where you are, to show the lightning near you and, if you turn on its alerts, to tell you when it comes close; with Always location, the alerts follow you. See the privacy policy for what happens to each location.

Where does the lightning data come from?

From NOAA's GOES weather satellites, which map lightning from orbit across the Americas. Our servers read that public data and match it to your pool. A satellite sees flashes inside clouds as well as those that reach the ground, which gives early warning, and it places each flash close to where it was rather than exactly. No system sees every strike. NOAA does not endorse ClearToSwim.

Is this a replacement for a lifeguard or an official warning?

No. It gives you the rule and the alerts; a person at the pool still makes the call.

ClearToSwim is an informational aid, not a safety guarantee. Always follow official warnings. If you see lightning or hear thunder, get out of the water and take shelter in a substantial building or a hard-topped vehicle. Wait until 30 minutes after the last thunder before returning to the water.