Tanning Assistant

Support

Need help? You're in the right place.

We're a small team and we read every message. This page covers the most common questions. If you can't find what you need, send us an email and we'll usually respond within 24 hours.

📬 Get in touch

The fastest way to reach us is by email. When writing in, please include your iOS device model, your iOS version, and a brief description of the issue (with a screenshot if you have one). If your question is about a subscription or scan history, please include your anonymous user ID — you can copy it from the App's Settings screen.

Quick navigation
  1. Important safety notice
  2. Getting started
  3. Scanning and bronzed preview
  4. Your tanning routine
  5. Subscription and billing
  6. Privacy and data
  7. Troubleshooting
  8. Reporting abuse
  9. Legal

Important safety notice

Tanning Assistant is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice. Sun exposure carries real risks. The App's routines are general wellness guidance, not a safe-exposure guarantee. Always wear broad-spectrum sunscreen, seek shade during peak UV hours, and consult a dermatologist if you have fair skin, a personal or family history of skin cancer, moles or skin lesions, photosensitivity, or if you take photosensitizing medication.

If you notice a new or changing mole, persistent redness, blistering, or any unusual skin change, please see a qualified dermatologist — not this App. Full legal details are in our Terms of Service → Skin Safety Disclaimer.

Getting started

What does Tanning Assistant do?

In three steps: (1) you answer five quick questions about your skin, hair, and eyes; (2) you scan a selfie so the AI can estimate your Fitzpatrick skin type and generate a bronzed preview; (3) the App combines your skin type with the live UV index to give you a personalized, step-by-step tanning routine.

How accurate is the Fitzpatrick estimate?

Our estimate blends your onboarding answers with a lightweight analysis of your selfie. It's meant as a helpful starting point, not a clinical diagnosis. If you have doubts, or if your skin has any history of burns/lesions, a dermatologist is the right source for a definitive assessment.

Do I need to give camera, photos, or location permission?

Camera or photo library access is needed to scan your selfie. Location is optional; it lets the App pull the live UV index for your area via Apple WeatherKit. If you decline location, the App uses a time-of-day estimate instead. You can change permissions anytime in iOS Settings → Privacy.

Does the App work offline?

The onboarding and Fitzpatrick estimate work offline. The AI bronzed preview and the live UV index need an internet connection.

Scanning and bronzed preview

What kind of selfie works best?

A clear, well-lit selfie facing the camera, with no filters and minimal makeup, produces the most accurate Fitzpatrick estimate and the cleanest bronzed preview. Natural daylight works better than indoor lighting. Avoid sunglasses, heavy shadows, or selfies taken from unusual angles.

Is the bronzed preview medically accurate?

No. The bronzed preview is an AI-generated artistic visualization meant to motivate — it's not a medical forecast or a promise of any particular tan outcome. Actual tan results depend on many factors including UV dose, genetics, hydration, and SPF use.

Can I scan a photo that isn't of me?

No. You must only upload selfies or photos of yourself, or of a person who has given you explicit consent. Uploading photos of anyone without their consent — or photos of minors — violates our Terms of Service.

Where do my selfies go? Are they stored?

Your selfie is sent over an encrypted connection to our AI provider (FAL.ai) to generate the bronzed preview, and is not stored on our servers. Your selfie is never used to train AI models. See the full breakdown in our Privacy Policy.

Can I download or share the bronzed preview?

Yes — you can save the generated preview to your iOS Photos app or share it. Please don't use it to impersonate a real person or make medical/commercial claims. The image includes an AI-generated provenance marker and must stay identifiable as AI art.

Your tanning routine

How is the recommended duration calculated?

The App combines your Fitzpatrick type with the live UV index to estimate a reasonable session length for gradual tanning. It is a wellness guideline, not a medical safe-dose. Every person's skin is different, so use the routine as a starting point and always err on the shorter side, especially the first few days.

What do the steps mean?

A typical routine has three phases:

Which SPF does the App recommend?

SPF recommendations depend on your Fitzpatrick type. Very fair skin typically needs SPF 50, while darker skin may be protected by SPF 15–30. These are guidelines only — choose an SPF that feels right for you and your dermatologist's advice.

Why does the App suggest body oil?

For medium-and-deeper skin types, a tanning oil can help retain moisture during gradual sun exposure, which supports an even tan. We still recommend SPF underneath. For very fair skin, we suggest a hydrating lotion instead of an oil.

Can I tan without burning?

Gradual, low-UV sessions with high-SPF protection greatly reduce burn risk, but no App can guarantee you won't burn. Your skin is your best signal — if it starts to pink or feel hot, stop and get out of the sun immediately.

Subscription and billing

What's included with Premium?

How much does Premium cost?

Your local price is set by Apple based on their currency conversion tiers and may differ slightly from the USD amount.

How do I cancel my subscription?

iOS Settings → tap your name at the top → Subscriptions → Tanning Assistant → Cancel Subscription. Your access continues until the end of your billing period. (We can't cancel subscriptions for you — Apple manages this directly.)

How do I get a refund?

All purchases are processed by Apple, so refund requests must be submitted directly to Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com. We don't have the ability to issue refunds ourselves. If a scan fails because of a verified technical error on our side, email us and we'll help you get it sorted with Apple.

I purchased Premium but it isn't showing up.

Tap "Restore" on the paywall or in Settings. This re-syncs your purchases from Apple. If Premium still doesn't appear after a minute, email us with your purchase confirmation from Apple and your anonymous user ID.

Can I upgrade from Weekly to Yearly?

Yes — you can switch plans at any time from iOS Settings → Subscriptions → Tanning Assistant. Apple handles the proration automatically.

Does my subscription carry across devices?

Yes. Your subscription is tied to your Apple ID, so signing in with the same Apple ID on another iOS device and tapping "Restore" will transfer Premium. Your anonymous scan history, however, lives on the device that made it — we don't sync scans across devices because there's no account to link them to.

Privacy and data

What happens to my selfie after I upload it?

Your selfie is sent to our AI provider (FAL.ai) over an encrypted connection so it can be used to generate the bronzed preview. We do not store your selfie on our own servers, and your selfie is never used to train AI models. See our Privacy Policy for the full breakdown.

Does the App use my location?

Only if you grant permission, and only to fetch the UV index for your area via Apple WeatherKit. Your coordinates never touch our servers.

How do I delete all my data?

Email us at [email protected] with the subject "Tanning Assistant — Data Deletion Request" and include your anonymous user ID. We'll delete all data associated with your installation within 7 business days. Note: uninstalling the App alone does not delete server-side data — you need to email us if you want everything wiped.

How do I disable notifications?

iOS Settings → Notifications → Tanning Assistant → Allow Notifications: Off. Routine timers still run inside the App; you just won't get push reminders for "flip" and "reapply SPF".

Do you sell my data?

No. We don't sell, rent, or share your data with advertisers. We don't run ads in the App. Our only revenue is from Tanning Assistant Premium subscriptions.

Troubleshooting

My scan has been stuck for more than a minute.

Sometimes our AI provider experiences high load. If your scan has been pending for more than 2 minutes, the App will mark it as failed and you can retry for free. If the issue keeps happening, email us so we can investigate.

The App crashed when I tried to scan.

Please email us with your iOS version, your iPhone model, and a description of what you were doing when the crash occurred. The more detail, the faster we can fix it.

"Could not load image" or a similar error.

Make sure you have an active internet connection and try restarting the App. If you're on cellular, check that the App has Mobile Data permission in iOS Settings.

The bronzed preview looks orange, patchy, or weird.

This usually happens when the selfie is blurry, too dark, or heavily filtered. Try a brighter, front-facing selfie with no filters and no sunglasses. If the issue persists after a clear selfie, email us the first and last frames so we can look.

The UV index looks wrong for my area.

The App uses Apple WeatherKit, which occasionally has small gaps in coverage or up to a 1-hour delay. If the value looks far off, toggle the location permission off/on in iOS Settings and pull-to-refresh inside the App.

The routine isn't counting down.

iOS pauses timers when the App is backgrounded for a long time. For active tanning sessions, keep the App in the foreground. We also support background notifications — enable them in iOS Settings → Notifications → Tanning Assistant.

Reporting abuse

If you believe someone is using Tanning Assistant to upload photos of people without consent, to impersonate anyone, or for any other harmful purpose, please report it to us immediately.

Email [email protected] with the subject "Tanning Assistant — Abuse Report" and as much detail as you can share. We take every report seriously and will investigate within 48 hours.

For sexual content involving minors (CSAM), we are required by law to report to the appropriate authorities and we cooperate fully with law enforcement.

Thank you ☀️

We built Tanning Assistant because getting a smart, even tan shouldn't be a guessing game. Your feedback shapes what we build next. If you enjoy the App, a quick review on the App Store helps other people find us.

If you have an idea for a feature — a body scan mode, shared routines, tan-progress tracking — send it our way. We read everything.