Privacy policy
Last updated 4 October 2026
Mihrab is an iPhone app that shows the direction of the Qibla indoors. It's made by Moath Asfour. This policy explains what the app does with your information.
In short: Mihrab has no accounts, no ads, no analytics and no tracking. Your location is used to calculate the Qibla, and it's sent only to OpenStreetMap servers to look up the buildings around you. Everything else stays on your phone.
What the app uses and why
Location. With your permission, Mihrab reads your precise location while the app is open. It uses it on your phone to calculate the Qibla direction and your distance to Makkah. When you measure with a wall, the app sends your coordinates to an OpenStreetMap server to get the outlines of the buildings around you (see “Who receives data” below). Your last location is saved on your phone so the app opens faster next time. Mihrab never uses your location in the background.
Motion sensors. The gyroscope, accelerometer and compass are read on your phone to measure directions. These readings are never saved or sent anywhere.
Camera. Only in “Use the sun” mode, the camera shows a live view so you can aim at the sun. The picture is processed on your phone as you look; nothing is recorded, saved or sent. The microphone is never used.
Saved rooms and settings. When you save a room, the app stores its name, the wall label you chose, the measured direction, the date and the location where you saved it. Your settings (language, digits, appearance and vibration) are stored too. All of this stays on your phone.
What the app doesn't do
- No account or sign-in, and the app never asks for your name, email or phone number.
- No analytics, advertising or crash-reporting services.
- No tracking across other apps or websites.
- Your data is never sold, rented or shared for marketing.
- I don't run any server for Mihrab, so I never receive or store your data.
Who receives data
To find the buildings around you, the app sends one request to a public OpenStreetMap Overpass server. The request contains your coordinates and asks for buildings within about 80 metres and streets within about 130 metres. Like any website, the server also sees your IP address. The request doesn't include your name, a device identifier or an advertising identifier.
The app tries these servers in order and uses the first one that answers:
- overpass-api.de
- overpass.private.coffee
- maps.mail.ru
- overpass.kumi.systems
They're run independently by their operators, who handle their own server logs under their own policies. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License.
Keeping and deleting your data
Everything Mihrab stores stays on your phone until you delete it. You can delete a saved room inside the app, and deleting the app removes all of its data from your phone.
Your choices
You can turn location or camera access off at any time in Settings > Privacy & Security on your iPhone. Without location, Mihrab can't calculate the Qibla. Without the camera, only the sun method stops working.
Children
Mihrab doesn't collect personal information from anyone, including children.
Changes
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted on this page with a new date.
Contact
Questions about privacy: moathasfoura712@gmail.com