Support
Email support@blika.app and a person will read it. Blika is made by one person, so a reply usually takes a day or two rather than an hour — but it will be from someone who can actually change the app.
Reporting a wrong verdict? The three reasons are on the screen under the answer. Tell me which one looked off and roughly where and when you were, and that is enough to reproduce it — everything Blika does is a pure function of your location and the clock.
Why does it say “Not tonight” when the aurora forecast elsewhere looks good?
Almost always because of cloud, or because it is not dark enough where you are. Most aurora apps report geomagnetic activity and stop there — which is a real number, but it is the answer to a different question. A 90% probability under thick overcast is a wasted drive at two in the morning.
Blika names the binding factor for exactly this reason. If it says “Overcast”, the aurora may well be blazing above the cloud deck; you still will not see it.
What do the three verdicts mean?
- Go now — all three factors are favourable. This is the one that should get you off the sofa.
- Keep an eye out — one factor is marginal. Broken cloud with gaps, or activity that has not quite arrived. Worth another look in an hour.
- Not tonight — one factor is decisively against it, and Blika says which.
There is deliberately no score out of 100. A number invites you to argue with it; a verdict tells you which thing is in the way, which is the part that actually changes your evening.
What is Kp, and why is it not the verdict?
Kp is the planetary K index: a single global figure, published in three-hour blocks, measuring geomagnetic disturbance across the whole Earth. It is genuinely useful and it is the number every aurora forum quotes.
It is not an answer to “should I go outside”, because it says nothing about whether there is cloud over your head, whether the sun has set, or whether the aurora oval has actually reached your latitude. Blika shows Kp on a card of its own as context, and uses NOAA's OVATION probability at your own grid square for the verdict.
Why is there no aurora forecast for next weekend?
Because nobody has one. Aurora depends on the solar wind arriving at Earth, and the useful warning is roughly the 30–60 minutes it takes that wind to travel from the DSCOVR satellite at L1 to the atmosphere. Anything presented as an aurora forecast a week out is a probability derived from the solar rotation, not a prediction of your Saturday night.
Blika's three-night outlook covers cloud and darkness — the two factors that genuinely are forecast that far ahead — and says so on the card. Which is still useful: it tells you which of the next three nights is worth being ready for.
Why does it need my location, and how precise is it?
All three factors are local: the aurora probability at your grid cell, the cloud above you, and how far the sun has set where you are standing. Blika asks for location only while you are using the app, at kilometre accuracy.
Only one request ever leaves with it — the cloud forecast, to Open-Meteo. The aurora data is downloaded as a global grid and read on the device, so NOAA never learns where you are. Full detail on the privacy page.
I declined the location prompt. Is the app broken?
No — declining is supported. Blika will show “Location off” and point you at Settings. To change your mind: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Blika, and choose “While Using the App”. Or find Blika directly at the bottom of the main Settings list.
What does the purchase unlock, and is it a subscription?
It is not a subscription. One payment, once, and there is nothing to cancel. The verdict and its three reasons stay free forever, with no account and no ads.
The purchase unlocks the dashboard: all eight widgets, chosen and ordered by you; solar wind and Bz from DSCOVR; tonight's window; and the three-night outlook.
How do I restore my purchase on a new phone?
Open the unlock screen and tap Restore. As long as you are signed in with the same Apple Account that bought it, it comes straight back — there is no account with us to log into, and nothing to recover on our side. If it does not, check the Apple Account in Settings first, then write to us.
A reading says it is stale. What does that mean?
That the feed it came from has not published anything recent. Blika says so rather than quietly showing you an old number. Usually it clears on its own within an hour; occasionally NOAA has an outage, and there is nothing either of us can do but wait.
Can I get an alert when it turns to “Go now”?
Not yet — it is the next thing being built. It is taking a while on purpose: an alert that fires because a number crossed a threshold on the other side of the planet trains you to ignore alerts, which is worse than having none.
How do I delete my data?
Delete the app. That is the whole procedure, because everything Blika stores — your widget choices and whether you have seen the introduction — is on the device. There is no account, no server, and nothing of yours held anywhere else.
Something else
Write to support@blika.app. Bug reports, disagreements with a verdict, and requests for a widget that does not exist yet are all welcome. Requires iOS 17 or later.