Suncam terms of use
What Suncam does, what it does not promise, what is free and what is paid.
Last updated: 30 September 2026.
1. Purpose
These terms govern the use of the Suncam iPhone app. They are the app's licence agreement: downloading or using Suncam means you accept them. If you do not accept them, simply do not use the app.
2. What the service does
Suncam is a light planning tool for photographers. It calculates the position of the sun and the moon from a point placed on a map, draws the direction of sunrise and sunset, and estimates the time at which terrain puts that point in shade.
What Suncam is not:
- it is not a navigation or orienteering tool;
- it is not a mountain safety tool: never use it to decide on a route, a descent time or an exposed crossing;
- it is not a weather forecast.
3. Accuracy and limits
Sun and moon positions are calculated with published astronomical algorithms and compared against the US Naval Observatory ephemerides: the difference is a few seconds. Direct-light times also depend on terrain, and there the limits are real:
- terrain is known at a resolution of roughly 30 metres;
- weather and cloud are not taken into account;
- nearby obstacles (buildings, trees, walls) are not taken into account.
The information shown is indicative. Check on site before committing to a trip that matters.
4. No account
Suncam works without an account or sign-up. Your spots and settings stay on your iPhone: the privacy policy details the little that leaves it.
5. What is free, what is paid
- Suncam can be tried free for 7 days, with no commitment.
- After that, the app is unlocked by a one-time purchase, made once through the App Store. It is not a subscription: there is no renewal and no recurring charge.
- The price is €9.99 in France, taxes included. In other countries, Apple adapts it to the local currency and taxes: the price shown in the app by Apple at the time of purchase is the one that applies.
The trial start date is kept in the iOS Keychain: reinstalling the app does not restart the trial. Purchases are charged by Apple under the App Store terms, and Apple remains the only contact for billing and refunds (reportaproblem.apple.com).
To get your purchase back on another device or after a reinstall, use the "Restore purchases" button with the same Apple account. The purchase covers the updates I publish for the app.
6. Right of withdrawal
Unlocking Suncam is digital content supplied immediately. By starting the purchase, you ask for immediate performance and waive your right of withdrawal (Article L221-28, 13°, of the French Consumer Code). This does not take away your legal guarantee of conformity, nor the possibility of asking Apple for a refund.
7. Third-party services
The online features depend on services I do not control: Apple Maps for the map and place search, OpenTopoData for terrain elevation. When one of them is unavailable, the matching feature is too, while sun and moon calculations keep working offline. By using those features, you accept the terms of those services.
8. Licence to use
I grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable and revocable licence to use Suncam on the Apple devices you own or control, in line with the App Store usage rules. You agree not to decompile the app, extract its code, resell it or distribute a copy.
9. Provisions required by Apple
Since these terms stand as the licence agreement for the App Store, they include the minimum clauses Apple requires:
- this agreement is between you and me, not with Apple: Apple is not responsible for Suncam or its content;
- maintenance and support for the app are my responsibility, not Apple's;
- if the app fails to conform to a warranty, you can notify Apple, which may refund the purchase price; Apple has no other warranty obligation regarding the app;
- claims relating to the app (conformity, product liability, legal requirements) and third-party intellectual property claims are handled by me, not by Apple;
- you represent that you are not located in a country subject to a US embargo or designated by the US as supporting terrorism, and that you are not on any US list of prohibited or restricted parties;
- you comply with the terms of third-party services that apply to your use;
- Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these terms: by accepting them, you accept that Apple may, in that capacity, enforce them against you.
For any question or claim, my details are those of the legal notice below.
10. Availability and changes
Suncam is provided "as is". I do what is needed to keep it working, without guaranteeing uninterrupted availability, the total absence of errors, or compatibility with every future version of iOS. Features may change, be added or be removed.
11. Liability
You remain the only decision-maker for your travels. To the extent the law allows, I cannot be held liable for a missed photo, a wasted trip, an inaccurate shade or light time, or an accident that happens while following information from the app.
Nothing in these terms removes the rights French law gives consumers, in particular the legal guarantee of conformity.
12. Intellectual property
The app, its name, its visual identity, its screens, its texts and its code belong to me. The "Suncam" name is reserved. The data you enter stays yours, and it does not leave your iPhone.
13. Changes to these terms
These terms may be changed. The update date at the top of the page is the reference, and any significant change will be flagged in the app.
14. Governing law and disputes
These terms are governed by French law. In the event of a dispute, an amicable solution will be sought first: write to [email protected].
Failing agreement, any consumer may use a consumer mediator free of charge, or the European online dispute resolution platform. The French courts have jurisdiction, without prejudice to the consumer's right to bring proceedings before the court of their home.
Legal notice
Publisher: Teddy Verneuil, sole trader, 14 bis rue Magellan, 56860 Séné, France. SIRET 792 687 576 00043. Contact: [email protected].
Publication director: Teddy Verneuil.
Hosting of the app's data: none. Suncam has no server, your data stays on your iPhone.
Hosting of this website: Cloudflare, Inc.
App distribution: Apple Distribution International Ltd., Hollyhill Industrial Estate, Cork, Ireland.
Credits: Apple Maps cartography. Terrain data from OpenTopoData, based on ASTER GDEM, a product of METI and NASA.