Support
Email support@cleartoswim.com and a person will answer. Tell us your iPhone model, your iOS version, and what the app showed when the problem happened. If it is a wrong verdict, the time and your rough location help us trace it.
Reporting a wrong verdict
This is the report we care about most. If the app said open when a storm was on top of you, or stayed closed long after the sky cleared, send it in. Include the time, the radius and wait time you had set, and a screenshot if you have one.
Common questions
When can I get it?
A beta through Apple's TestFlight app comes first, then the App Store. There is no public release date yet. Email us if you want to be told when the beta opens.
What does it run on?
iPhone. There is no Android version and no web version, and the lock-screen countdown depends on iPhone features that have no equivalent elsewhere.
Where does the lightning data come from?
From a lightning detection network. The app asks our server for strikes near your pool, and the server talks to the network. Coverage and detection rates vary by region and by network, which is why no app can promise it sees every strike.
Can I change the radius and the wait time?
Yes. The defaults are 10 miles and 30 minutes, which follow National Weather Service guidance and common aquatic-facility practice. You can set the radius to 5, 8, 10, or 15 miles and the wait to 15, 30, or 45 minutes. 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.
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 a stale verdict 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. See the privacy policy for what happens to that location.
Is this a replacement for a lifeguard or an official warning?
No. It is one more thing to look at, not a replacement for either. If you see lightning or hear thunder, get out of the water and go inside, whatever the app says.
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.