Release Notes
Nov-21-2024 Version 7.18.5 — Under-the-hood improvements for performance.
Oct-29-2024 Version 7.18.4 — Fixed issue with some map markers not being visible in light or dark mode. Other UI tweaks. Bug fixes.
Oct-22-2024 Version 7.18.3 — Changed the default number of days for pass predictions to 15 from 10. Additional small globe rendering improvements. Bug fixes.
Oct-19-2024 Version 7.18.2 — Increased the luminosity of the OpenGL/Metal emission shader for night-side city lights. Internal improvements for performance.
Oct-02-2024 Version 7.18.1 — Improved the updating of the iOS and iPadOS widgets. Small user interface improvements throughout the app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
Oct-01-2024 Version 7.18 — The time until the pass starts (i.e., "T-minus") displayed in the watchOS app's pass details screen is now formatted in days, hours, and minutes instead of seconds. Internal improvements to better support iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and watchOS 11.
Sep-27-2024 Version 7.17.3 — Subsolar point algorithm performance enhancement.
Sep-21-2024 Version 7.17.2 — Performance improvements. Bug fixes. Added First Visibility time to the WatchOS app. Added First Visibility time to the WatchOS app.
Sep-18-2024 Version 7.17.1 — User interface improvements and bug fixes.
Sep-17-2024 Version 7.17 — API changes. Removed live video features.
Aug-30-2024 Version 7.16.12 — Updated the product support and app rating links in Settings.
Aug-27-2024 Version 7.16.11 — Minor UI tweaks and internal improvements.
Aug-15-2024 Version 7.16.10 — Fixed issue with 2D map marker not being rendered correctly when switching targets. Internal improvements.
Aug-05-2024 Version 7.16.9 — Updates and revisions to the User Guide and Help screens.
Jul-26-2024 Version 7.16.8 — Bug fixes and performance improvements. Fixed incorrect time units in the watch app pass duration.
Jul-19-2024 Version 7.16.7 — Fixed icon for magnitude in widget.
Jul-15-2024 Version 7.16.6 — iPhone and iPad widget tweaks.
Jul-06-2024 Version 7.16.5 — Pass rating system improvements. Under-the-hood and performance enhancements.
Jun-24-2024 Version 7.16.4 — UI tweaks in the Apple Watch app and medium widget.
Jun-19-2024 Version 7.16.3 — Added more pass data to the medium widget. Improved the formatting of the widgets. Improved the formatting of the Apple Watch pass details and crew details screens.
Jun-17-2024 Version 7.16.2 — Fixed a bug in the next pass widget that occasionally resulted in incorrect next pass data. Under-the-hood performance improvements. Watch and widget UI tweaks.
Jun-15-2024 Version 7.16.1 — Fixed a bug in the watch app that occasionally resulted in incorrect pass predictions. UI tweaks.
Jun-14-2024 Version 7.16 — Now, get pass predictions right on your Apple Watch for ISS, Tiangong, and Hubble. Tap the position details button, then tap either ISS, Tiangong, Hubble or the Subsolar Point. You'll get a list of your location's visible passes for the next 30 days. Tap any of the passes to get viewing details.
May-30-2024 Version 7.15.3 — Fixed some widget formatting inconsistencies.
May-29-2024 Version 7.15.2 — New circular Lock Screen widget. Improved small and medium-sized widgets. Bug fixes. Performance improvements.
May-27-2024 Version 7.15.1 — Fixed bug that prevented the widget from updating properly. Widget UI improvements.
May-25-2024 Version 7.15 — New widget now available for iPhone and iPad. Shows info for the next ISS pass. Numerous performance improvements.
May-02-2024 Version 7.14.1 — Watch app UI tweaks and general performance improvements.
Apr-30-2024 Version 7.14 — The Apple Watch app now includes ISS and Tiangong crew listings, stats, and bios.
Apr-16-2024 Version 7.13.11 — More under-the-hood tweaks.
Apr-06-2024 Version 7.13.10 — Just some under-the-hood stuff.
Mar-13-2024 Version 7.13.9 — Added Belarus to the list of countries sending astronauts to the ISS. Updated Twitter icon to X.
Feb-22-2024 Version 7.13.8 — UI-related bug fixes.
Jan-23-2024 Version 7.13.7 — Added Türkiye to the list of spacefaring nations. Performance improvements.
Jan-08-2024 Version 7.13.6 — Just some boring under-the-hood stuff to keep the app snappy.
Dec-29-2023 Version 7.13.5 — Internal stuff only.
Jul-24-2023 Version 7.13.4 — Just some under-the-hood techy stuff to get ready for iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.
May-11-2023 Version 7.13.3 — Added support for additional crew nationalities, including Saudi Arabia.
Apr-14-2023 Version 7.13.2 — Improved the functionality and performance of live TV playback.
Mar-10-2023 Version 7.13.1 — Updated built-in help and User's Guide.
Feb-22-2023 Version 7.13 — You can now select which target satellite to track on the 2D map. Tap the target button on the upper-left to select either the ISS, Tiangong, or Hubble. The fullscreen 3D globe view continues to show all three concurrently. Bug fixes.
Jan-23-2023 Version 7.12.3 — Some under-the-hood improvements.
Dec-27-2022 Version 7.12.2 — UI tweaks to the Apple Watch app.
Dec-16-2022 Version 7.12.1 — Under-the-hood improvements.
Nov-14-2022 Version 7.12 — Added autorotation toggle enable/disable button to the 3D globe screen.
Nov-08-2022 Version 7.11.5 — Squashed a small bug that crept into the last release.
Nov-06-2022 Version 7.11.4 — Added support for the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. Bug fixes
and performance improvements.
Oct-12-2022 Version 7.11.3 — Bug fixes and performance improvements.
Sep-16-2022 Version 7.11.2 — Some internal tweaks to support iOS 16 and WatchOS 9. New Apple Watch icon.
Sep-06-2022 Version 7.11.1 — Improved the Apple Watch complications iconography.
Sep-03-2022 Version 7.11 — Added the new James Webb Space Telescope Deep Field image as a new
3D globe background selection. Now, select from among six different backgrounds (see Help). A few small bug fixes.
Aug-31-2022 Version 7.10.10 — Added complications for the Apple Watch app.
Aug-29-2022 Version 7.10.9 — More under-the-hood tweaks for performance.
Aug-11-2022 Version 7.10.8 — Just some under-the-hood tweaks for performance.
Jul-31-2022 Version 7.10.7 — Updated the NORAD code for the newly expanded Tiangong space station. This fixes an issue where the watch app would not track anything if the Tiangong was not found.
Jul-21-2022 Version 7.10.6 — Performance improvements and bug fixes.
May-21-2022 Version 7.10.5 — Squashed a tiny little bug.
May-19-2022 Version 7.10.4 — The crew member table now reports when no crew members are present on the given station. Performance improvements and bug fixes.
May-09-2022 Version 7.10.3 — Performance improvements and bug fixes.
Mar-24-2022 Version 7.10.2 — Performance improvements and bug fixes.
Feb-25-2022 Version 7.10.1 — Improved the icons in the Apple Watch app.
Feb-16-2022 Version 7.10 — You can now get crew data for both the International Space Station and Tiangong! Tap the target button in the navigation bar to switch between the stations. Performance tweaks and bug fixes.
Feb-05-2022 Version 7.9.3 — Increased the size of the 3D globe overlay in map view.
Jan-09-2022 Version 7.9.2 — Updated the User Guide to include Apple Watch.
Jan-01-2022 Version 7.9.1 — Support for Macs with Apple silicon (i.e., M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max) running MacOS 12 and higher.
Dec-25-2021 Version 7.9 — Globe autorotation is now available in the watchOS app. Can be toggled on/off. Default is on. Performance improvements.
Dec-06-2021 Version 7.8.1 — Under-the-hood improvements.
Nov-13-2021 Version 7.8 — Added additional information to the crew table. Crew table UI tweaks.
Nov-12-2021 Version 7.7.5 — Bug fixes.
Nov-02-2021 Version 7.7.4 — Added reset buttons to the globe views. Enhanced the details screen in the watchOS app. Bug fixes and performance improvements.
Oct-28-2021 Version 7.7.3 — Reduced memory usage and improved performance of the watchOS app.
Oct-25-2021 Version 7.7.2 — Squashed a bug in the watchOS app that could prevent a fast recovery from an Internet connection error. More user interface enhancements.
Oct-21-2021 Version 7.7.1 — UI tweaks. Under-the-hood stuff.
Oct-16-2021 Version 7.7 — Now tracks and predicts passes for the Hubble Space Telescope, in addition to the ISS and Tiangong Space Station. Improved performance for the iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS apps. Bug fixes.
Oct-05-2021 Version 7.6.1 — Increased the font size in the watchOS app's details screen for better readability.
Oct-04-2021 Version 7.6 — The detail screen in the watchOS app now shows the altitude on a vertical scale. Added error checking in the watchOS app. Internal improvements to the iOS/iPadOS app. Updated code to utilize the latest versions of the SwiftUI and Combine frameworks. Performance improvements throughout.
Sep-28-2021 Version 7.5.2 — Fixed additional issues with navigation bar appearance on iPhone and iPad. Small tweaks to the watchOS app globe scene. Bug fixes.
Sep-23-2021 Version 7.5.1 — Fixed a couple of issues with navigation bar appearance on iPhone and iPad due to changes in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. Added an all-black background to the background image selections in Settings for full-screen globe view. Other bug fixes.
Sep-22-2021 Version 7.5 — Apple Watch app now also tracks the Chinese Space Station, Tiangong (TSS), added ISS and TSS footprint circles, and added reset button to globe view. Support for iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8. Bug fixes and other under-the-hood stuff.
Sep-16-2021 Version 7.4.1 — Added city lights, topography, and solar reflection to the globe in the watchOS app. More under-the-hood stuff.
Sep-12-2021 Version 7.4 — New Apple Watch app includes 3D interactive globe and details screen. Bug fixes and other internal improvements.
Sep-09-2021 Version 7.3 — The app for watchOS now features the 3D globe view showing the current ISS position, orbital track, and terminator. More watch features to come soon.
Sep-04-2021 Version 7.2 — Fixed an issue in the full-screen globe view that caused repeated alerts to pop up if the Chinese space station (TSS) location was not available. Will now display a notice instead. Other small improvements and bug fixes. Companion Apple Watch app displays real-time subsolar point coordinates (i.e., where the Sun is at the zenith).
Aug-19-2021 Version 7.1.5 — Improved some user messages, prompts, and labels.
Jul-06-2021 Version 7.1.4 — Changed copyright notice.
Jul-06-2021 Version 7.1.3 — User interface tweaks and more under-the-hood stuff.
Jun-22-2021 Version 7.1.2 — Performance improvements.
Jun-06-2021 Version 7.1.1 — Performance improvements and other tweaks.
Jun-02-2021 Version 7.1 — The all-new passes section provides ISS or TSS pass predictions (the latter without pass ratings; see User Guide and help). New card-style passes and crew table layout designs.
May-27-2021 Version 7.0.2 — Just some more under-the-hood stuff.
May-20-2021 Version 7.0.1 — Improved ISS and TSS markers and some under-the-hood cleanup and tweaks because I continuously seek perfection.
May-13-2021 Version 7 — This is a big release. Here's what's new — Now also tracks the Chinese Space Station, Tiangong, in real-time in the fullscreen 3D globe view. The fullscreen 3D Globe now plots the orbits of the ISS and Tiangong and their footprints. Bug fixes and performance improvements.
May-08-2021 Version 6.15.6 — Small improvements to the tracking map.
Apr-29-2021 Version 6.15.5 — Small performance improvements and bug fixes.
Apr-22-2021 Version 6.15.4 — This release focuses on the Crew table and features significant increases in its performance, as well as data formatting tweaks.
Apr-18-2021 Version 6.15.3 — More under-the-hood stuff to improve tracking performance.
Apr-11-2021 Version 6.15.2 — Under-the-hood stuff to improve the performance of the 3D Earth model.
Apr-05-2021 Version 6.15.1 — Beautiful new soundtrack. The soundtrack can now be played in the fullscreen Globe as well as the Tracking screen.
Apr-02-2021 Version 6.15 — New and improved tab bar icons. Performance enhancements, user interface improvements, and bug fixes.
Mar-28-2021 Version 6.14.24 — Squashed a tiny little bug.
Mar-20-2021 Version 6.14.23 — Just some more under-the-hood improvements.
Mar-16-2021 Version 6.14.22 — Improved table scrolling in Passes and Crew screens. Fixed some small UI issues. Bug fixes and other under-the-hood stuff.
Mar-06-2021 Version 6.14.21 — User interface tweaks.
Feb-27-2021 Version 6.14.20 — I improved on my previous subsolar point calculation algorithms. Increases the accuracy and efficiency of the calculations. It also uses more efficient algorithms for the equation of time, the mean anomaly, and the geometric mean longitude. The bottom line is that the real-time position of the Sun is now even more accurate.
Feb-24-2021 Version 6.14.19 — Fixed an issue in which Passes would ask for permission to access the user's location twice. The Location Access Denied pop-up now only appears if the user turned off location services for the app in their device's privacy settings.
Feb-20-2021 Version 6.14.18 — Tweaks to the astronomical algorithms used in the app. Added link to the "Science with Mikey" Facebook page in Settings.
Feb-08-2021 Version 6.14.17 — More under-the-hood stuff to make the app more responsive.
Feb-05-2021 Version 6.14.16 — Squashed a tiny bug that crept in with the last release.
Feb-03-2021 Version 6.14.15 — User interface tweaks. Under-the-hood performance improvements.
Jan-17-2021 Version 6.14.14 — Changed passes calendar reminder alerts to 60 minutes and 15 minutes before the start of the pass.
Jan-10-2021 Version 6.14.13 — Fixed a bug that could (very rarely) cause the background image in fullscreen 3D not to change when it's switched in Settings.
Dec-29-2020 Version 6.14.12 — Improved the help system and updated its content.
Dec-17-2020 Version 6.14.11 — Refreshed the launch screen animation. Fixed a bug in a full-screen 3D mode that could (rarely) cause an error when returning from the background during app switching.
Dec-14-2020 Version 6.14.10 — Squashed a bug that recently crawled in (sorry, little bug).
Dec-10-2020 Version 6.14.9 — Created a new "normal map," which is used as the bump map for topographical detail in the Earth model. New specular, metallic, and roughness maps as well. These improve the realism of the Earth globe. Improved globe background image switching performance. Improved tab bar iconography. Minor UI tweaks. Fixed two confusing error messages and a small bug.
Dec-06-2020 Version 6.14.8 — Additional bug fixes and under-the-hood stuff.
Dec 05-2020 Version 6.14.7 — Fixed a small bug that crawled into the last release (regression).
Dec-04-2020 Version 6.14.6 — Added running/not-running status label to the 3D globe overlay on the map screen.
Nov-27-2020 Version 6.14.5 — Choose your background. Select from four spectacular space images for your full-screen 3D Earth globe — Hubble Deep Field, Milky Way, Orion Nebula, and Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Numerous under-the-hood improvements and a couple of bug fixes.
Nov-22-2020 Version 6.14.4 — Squashed a bug that could (rarely) cause the 3D globe to report an error in app switching or when the app returns from the background.
Nov-18-2020 Version 6.14.3 — Significant improvements to gesture handling in the interactive 3D globe. Drag the globe with one finger to rotate the globe. Drag the globe with two fingers to move it around (translation). Use pinch gestures to zoom in/out of the globe. Rotate with two fingers to tilt the globe. In the full-screen globe, help has been improved.
Nov-14-2020 Version 6.14.2 — Fixed a minor bug in 3D globe panning. Performance enhancements.
Nov-10-2020 Version 6.14.1 — Added globe button to tab bar, providing another way to get to the full-screen 3D globe. Smoother 3D globe panning, rotating, and zooming. The full-screen 3D globe now fills the screen.
Nov-07-2020 Version 6.14 — This is a big update, introducing the photorealistic interactive 3D globe showing the real-time ISS position, orbital track, ground level sighting circle, tilt of the Earth, precise real-time location of the Sun at the subsolar point, solar reflection, terminator, topography, and artificial/city lights at night. App named changed to ISS Real-Time Tracker 3D.