Support

Frequently asked questions

How does Planely know when a flight is overhead?

Planely watches live flight data for the sky above wherever you are. When a commercial flight passes within your radius, it sends a push notification telling you which flight it is and where to look — even when the app is closed. Tap the notification and the sky compass points you to the plane.

I’m not getting notifications.

Check these, in order:

Notifications are allowed for Planely in your iPhone’s Settings.
Plane alerts aren’t paused. The Watch tab should say “Watching for flights.” If one of your settings is keeping alerts away, the Watch tab says so and shows you where to change it.
Your filters aren’t too narrow. A small radius, a tight altitude range, or airlines switched off in Settings can mean fewer alerts.

If all of that looks right, the sky may simply be quiet. Only commercial flights trigger alerts — private jets, business aircraft, and military flights don’t.

Which flights trigger an alert?

Commercial flights from major airlines, including international carriers. Planely Pro adds regional and cargo airlines, such as SkyWest and FedEx. Aircraft on the ground never trigger an alert.

I’m getting too many notifications.

The quickest fix is Only uncommon flights in Settings, under “Which flights alert you.” It alerts you only for aircraft types and airlines you rarely see, and gets quieter as Planely learns what’s normal in your sky. It’s free, and switches on once you’ve had 100 alerts — until then, every flight is new to Planely.

You can also shrink your radius, set an altitude range, switch off airlines you don’t care about, or use the direction filter to hear only about the part of the sky you can see. To stop plane alerts entirely for a while, use the switch on the Watch tab.

Why does Planely need my location?

Your location is how we know which aircraft are passing over you. Planely only reads it while the app is open — it never tracks you in the background. When you open the app after moving more than a mile, it updates the spot it watches. You can also refresh it anytime in Settings under Watching from.

Does Planely work outside the US?

Yes. Alerts work worldwide, wherever volunteer receivers pick up aircraft. Coverage is strongest across North America and Europe, and thinner over open ocean and in parts of Asia and Africa, where you may get fewer alerts than flights actually overhead.

If alerts seem sparse where you are, please email us — it helps us see where coverage needs work.

Does it work on Apple Watch?

Yes. Planely’s notifications appear on your paired Apple Watch automatically, so you can glance at your wrist and look up. There’s no separate watch app to install.

Where does the flight data come from?

Two sources, combined. adsb.lol is a community network of volunteer-run aircraft receivers; its data is made available under the Open Database License (ODbL) v1.0. Alongside it we use air-traffic surveillance feeds published through the United States Federal Aviation Administration’s System Wide Information Management (SWIM) program.

Planely is not affiliated with, endorsed by, certified by, or connected to the FAA. What you see in the app is our own processed and reformatted product — it is not FAA data, and the FAA makes no representation about it and bears no responsibility for it.

Aircraft photos come from Planespotters.net and Airport-Data.com, credited to each photographer.

Is flight data always available?

No. Planely depends entirely on outside data sources, and they can be delayed, incomplete, or temporarily unavailable — a receiver network goes quiet, a feed is interrupted, or a source is taken down for maintenance. When that happens you may get fewer alerts than usual, or none at all, until it comes back.

There is nothing to fix on your end and nothing to reinstall; alerts resume on their own. This is also why Planely must never be used for navigation, flight planning, or any operational or safety-related purpose — it is for general interest only.

What do I get with Planely Pro?

Planely Pro adds the route — where each plane came from and where it’s going — on every flight over the US, a larger watch radius (up to 25 miles), regional and cargo airlines, and the 24-hr cloud-cover forecast. Free users see the route on their First and Rare flights. New subscribers start with a 7-day free trial.

How do I manage or cancel my subscription?

Subscriptions are managed through your Apple ID. Open the Settings app on your device, tap your name, then Subscriptions, and select Planely to change or cancel. See the Terms of Use for details.

How do I delete my account?

In Planely, go to Settings → Account → Delete account. This permanently deletes your account, settings, and flight history, and we’ll email you a confirmation.

Deleting your account doesn’t cancel a Planely Pro subscription. Cancel it in your iPhone’s Settings (see above) so you’re not billed again.

Can’t sign in? Email [email protected] from your account email and we’ll delete it for you.