Storm Sensei

iOS Location & Alert Behavior

Golf Beta

Why this matters

Storm Sensei uses your phone's location to check for lightning risk near you on the course. On iOS, how location works depends on whether the app is open on your screen or sitting in the background — and knowing this difference matters for your safety out on the course.

What to Expect

When Storm Sensei is open on your screen:
Your location updates continuously, and alerts reflect exactly where you are right now.

When your phone is locked or in your pocket/bag between shots:
This is an Apple restriction on all web-based apps like ours — not something we can turn off. Location stops updating. Any alert you receive is based on your last known position from when the app was last open, not your current position on the course.

What this means in practice:
If you check the app on the 3rd tee and then play the next two holes without reopening it, an alert during that stretch reflects where you were on the 3rd tee — potentially a hole or two behind where you actually are.

What We Recommend During Your Round

Check the app between holes — bring it to the foreground at each tee box, especially once storms are in the forecast. This refreshes your location and pulls the latest lightning data.
Don't rely on background alerts alone. Treat Storm Sensei as one input alongside the course's horn/siren system and your own read of the sky — darkening clouds, distant thunder, wind shifts.
Keep notifications enabled and the app installed to your home screen — required for any alert to reach you at all.
Check Focus Mode / Do Not Disturb before you tee off. If Focus Mode is on, iOS may hold back or silence alerts even when they're delivered. Either turn it off for your round, or add Storm Sensei to your Focus Mode's allowed apps.
If conditions look questionable, open the app for a current read rather than trusting a stale alert from earlier in the round — especially before deciding whether to keep playing or head in.

Why This Is an iOS Limitation, Not a Storm Sensei Bug

Apple restricts background location and doesn't let web apps silently wake up and check your position the way App Store apps can. This is intentional on Apple's part (battery and privacy reasons) and applies to every browser-based app on iPhone, not just ours. We're evaluating a future native app version that would remove this limitation — this guide will be updated if that changes.

Questions or Issues During the Beta

Reach out to support@stormsens.ai with any alert timing concerns you notice during play — your feedback directly shapes what we prioritize next.