Get back to spotting.

1. Open the app and select Change beside your watching spot. Choose a spot on the map, or use your location if you want to share it.
2. Open Nearby. If a search or filter hides the results, use Show all nearby aircraft.
3. If the app says it is loading, leave it open briefly. A new area needs its first live snapshot. If it reports an offline relay or an unavailable feed, return later; repeated refreshes cannot restore the data source.

An empty sky can be a real result. Coverage depends on aircraft signals, and some aircraft are missing. The free app does not guarantee that every overhead aircraft will appear.

Predicted passes update as planes move. Flight routes, photos and aircraft details are shown when available; they can be incomplete. Open the aircraft again for the latest information. Planecast is for recreational spotting, not navigation or safety decisions.

In Settings, check Heads-up alerts for alerts while the app is open, or Background alerts for supported notifications while it is closed. A browser can block notifications, and the service has limited beta capacity. Alerts are estimates and are not a paid guarantee. Turn Background alerts off in Settings to unsubscribe; clearing browser data alone may not cancel that subscription.

For a journal copy, open Spotted → Journal tools. Choose Back up JSON to save a restorable journal, or Export CSV for a spreadsheet copy. Use Import backup to restore a saved journal JSON file.

For sightings, aircraft collection, wishlist and watching spots together, open Your account → Back up or move this device’s records. Choose Download full device backup. This works without creating an account and does not upload the backup. On the other device, use Import device backup and check the restored records.

Keep backups private: notes and saved watching spots can contain personal information.

Use the same browser and browser profile where you saved the records. A different device, private window or another browser has separate local records. If you saved a backup, import it through the matching journal or device-backup tool. A Planecast sign-in by itself does not restore local records or enable cloud sync. Records removed without a backup may not be recoverable.

Keep the original file. Return to the journal or device-backup screen and check what is already present before retrying. Use a Planecast JSON backup with the matching import tool; a CSV export is a spreadsheet copy, not an import backup. If storage is unavailable or the file is rejected, keep both your current records and backup instead of clearing the browser.

Open Your account on the device or password manager where the passkey was saved, then choose Sign in with a passkey. If that key is unavailable, select Use a backup code and use an unused code you saved at signup. Recovery gives you five minutes to add a replacement passkey.

Without a working passkey or an unused backup code, the account cannot be recovered. Planecast does not collect a recovery email. You can still use the free app and the local records that remain in this browser.

Open Your account. Under Permissions & account security, verify with your passkey before changing access. You can sign out other sessions, manage passkeys and delete your account. Export records you want to keep first. Account deletion does not clear local records or cancel separate background-alert subscriptions.