Iridium Flares App Reviews

Ive used heavens-above for years and this is a great extension of the site. Very quick & easy. One suggestion, adding a link to show on the map where the center of a flare is when it reaches my current viewing location would be great. ISS passes would be cool, too, but, Im not getting greedy ;)

Hey, is it just me, or is anyone else having problems with this app not connecting and getting flare info?

it dosent work. i have been trying to connect for two months. it wont work. it cant find me. i wonder how it can find a satellite. i want it to work. i am very excited about the idea. i am waiting for the server to locate me. i turn it on and wait for 10 minutes for it to connect to no avail. i will keep trying. for now there is only one star in this galaxy.

This is a really fantastic app. Does just what it says it will. Ive caught 4 flares since installing it last week. It is lacking a few things though: 1) GPS coordinates of the point directly under the flare (and then a link to the google maps for it). 2) Ability to add reminders for flares. 3) Countdown timer to a flare occuring.

It doesnt work on my first generation iPhone. I would really like something like this..

I love this app... It works well for me, and reports its predictions pretty quickly. Nice job! Someday I hope to be able to convince some natives that Im a god with this info. Suggested improvements: I wish it could show me the times in countdown mode, and I wish it could help me find the right spot in the sky by using the angle sensor built into the iPhone (and the compass, if available).

I was initially dubious as it crashed twice right after purchase. But then it got better. Tried for a -6 last night but cloudy. Tonight two in a row as predicted--a -1 then a -2 right after. Brilliant! Simple app. No real complaints.

I saw my first flare tonight and it came exactly when it said it would. Great and simple app for cheap. I would pay extra for it to have a real time map of the sky so I could follow the iridium sat easier but I love this app anyway. I got a -8 coming tomorrow night. I hope its clear out. If you didnt know heavens-above it the premier website for satellite tracking so this apps info should never be wrong.

I love the idea of this app...very simple to use and works well. Like other people have said a count-down feature would be great. A push/alarm feature would be awesome. If those things were added it would easily be a five-star app. Im hoping for an update soon!

It works but is a little to simple. I would like to see a countdown or even a decent way to refresh it without going into the settings.

Totally worth the .99 cents! Works great! The kids and I frequently keep an eye out for these totally cool flares. Wait until you see one of the really bright ones -- amazing! Accurate to the second, and fun to show friends the flares. A cool option or two for the future use would be ability to type zip code or pick your location from a map. Being able to predict ISS passes would be handy, and maybe text message or beep on the phone 10 mins before a pass. Thanks for the cool app!!

Amazing ap. Still hoping for an alert prior to flare events!

This app works great, I would also like to see notifications before an event. Seen my first satellite reflection today!!

A great app in initial concept and implementation. Works well as currently designed. As others have mentioned, a few upgraded features would make it a 5-star app: - Night vision mode - An editable menu of observing sites (similar to ISS Passes) that can be selected and data updated before heading out to selected observing site - currently have to punch in lat/long each time desired site is not current location. Most dark sites dont have cell or wifi coverage. - Countdown timer or selectable alarm for selected flares. With above features it would probably be worth more than 99 cents to me.

Recent update is very nice. The map and reminders are a great addition. The app works great, but would personally like a little more colorful UI. But maybe im being picky. Over all for $.99 this app works VERY well. (Dec.20th edit) After thinking about it, the lack of color in the UI doesnt constitute a one star deduction. Edit to make a full 5 stars.

The 2.0 upgrade is awesome. Its a snap to have your phone give you a quick reminder when its time. I set it for ten minutes and one minute. After one minute it gives you a 60 second countdown. A real work of art, and worth every penny. If I were to make suggestions... 1) Red night-mode (Hey, its already monochromatic so it should be easy) 2) Allow me to remember more than one location - and the scheduled flares for those locations (for when Im out of net/cell range at an observing site) 3) When zooming into a particular flare, show the current time (hrs:min:sec) just above or below the flare (hrs:min:sec). So I can tell the difference between 1:10 to go and 1:50 to go. (In other words, so I can count down the seconds BEFORE the last 60 seconds, when there is a countdown.) Once again... awesome work! Version 2.0 is now my favorite astronomy app, just eeking out GoSatWatch.

With the 2.0 update, the app becomes unusable because of the glaring white background.

This app worked great and I was able to view a flare on the first try. However, when I try to "view on map" it closes the app. This is kind of annoying but it still is able provide the necessary info. I hope the map issue is fixed soon. Minus one star for that. *** Update *** reinstalling the app resolved the map crash issue. Well see how it goes.

I like that it points the direction using the compass, how about using the accelerometers for the angle?

Great potential, but crashes frequently ... Needs nighttime mode. It is only 99 cents but having said that, it uses data from a web service and google maps, so it is not like the app has to do much, really. Would be nice to save multiple locations and switch to them quickly. Again, great concept but needs a bit of work to make it great.