# SQM Mobile — Sky Brightness Companion > Sky Brightness Companion (iPhone/iPad app by GerSpatial.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sqm-mobile/id6753923113 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [GerSpatial](https://appshunter.io/developer/504662245) - Category: Utilities, Education - Price: Free - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.6 · 42 MB - Languages: British English, Dutch, French (France), German (Germany), Italian - Released: 2026-04-22 - Data updated: 2026-07-20 - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sqm-mobile/id6753923113/reviews.md ## What is SQM Mobile? Bring all your sky quality measurements together in one place. SQM Mobile is the ideal companion for handheld Sky Quality Meters, automatically synchronizing field measurements with SQM Toolbox on your Mac. It also imports measurements exported from Dark Sky Meter Pro, making it easy to build a single long-term archive of all your observations. KEY FEATURES Field-Ready Data Collection * Quick and easy measurement entry for handheld SQM devices * Manual entry of measurements from Dark Sky Meter * Automatic GPS location recording for each measurement * Timestamp for accurate astronomical correlation * Offline measurement storage – sync whenever a connection becomes available * Bubble level for accurate zenith pointing * Import measurements exported from Dark Sky Meter Pro Smart Location Features * Automatic GPS coordinate capture * Manual location override (to define local sky-background conditions during site surveys) * Perfect for camping trips, dark-sky site surveys and travel observations Automatic Cloud Sync * Seamlessly sync measurements to SQM Toolbox on your Mac via iCloud * Private, secure storage – only you can access your measurements * Works anywhere with an internet connection – no complex setup required * Real-time synchronization across all your Apple devices Quick Analysis * Instant Bortle classification for every measurement * On-device light pollution assessment * Comparison with natural sky-background brightness * Simple graphical display including twilight conditions * Measurement validation and quality indicators * Clean, intuitive interface designed for field use Astronomical Context * Automatic twilight condition detection * Moon phase information for every measurement * Sun elevation calculations Simple and Reliable * Designed for easy use in the dark * Large, clear controls for nighttime operation * No account setup required – simply use your existing iCloud account Perfect for * Amateur astronomers and citizen scientists carrying out site surveys * Researchers monitoring light pollution * Dark-sky organizations documenting observing conditions * Anyone using handheld SQM instruments or Dark Sky Meter who wants long-term storage, synchronization and analysis of their measurements Requires: iOS 17.0 or later, iCloud account Works with: Unihedron Sky Quality Meter (SQM, SQM-L), Dark Sky Meter Pro imports, and manual entry from Dark Sky Meter. Companion to: SQM Toolbox for macOS (available separately) ## Version history (last 4 releases) ### 1.3 — 2026-07-12 VERSION 1.1 Version 1.1 focused on improving the user interface and overall user experience: * introduced numerous user interface improvements for entering metadata, including: * additional metadata fields; * metadata are retained between entries, avoiding the need to re-enter them unless necessary; * timestamps now remain set to the current time unless explicitly overridden using the new **Set Time** toggle. * added a field for the SQM serial number in Settings, which is then synchronized via CloudKit. * significantly improved the workflow for using the zenith alignment guide / bubble level, including: * added a shortcut button on the main screen for direct access to the bubble level; * improved the behavior and presentation of the bubble level; * improved the bubble-level calibration instructions. * added standardized cloud-condition descriptions via a drop-down menu to ensure consistent terminology. * added a button to retrieve air temperature from Apple Weather (automatically falling back to Open-Meteo if Apple Weather is unavailable, which is currently the case pending an update that is already in development). * improved the reliability of CloudKit uploads with better acknowledgment and retry handling, along with a more accessible CloudKit synchronization status display and **Fix** button. * added a keyboard **Done** button to prevent the keyboard from blocking further actions while entering metadata. * added a link to a 3D-printable mounting fixture on Thingiverse. VERSION 1.2 Version 1.2 improves usability and performance: * fixed retrieval of air temperature from WeatherKit / Apple Weather. * added warnings when no weather data can be downloaded. * added calibration of the bubble level's third axis (perpendicular to the screen). * expanded the calibration instructions and added scrolling so the entire guide is visible. * modified the instant sky-quality feedback to adapt to daylight and twilight conditions. * replaced most cryptic CloudKit messages with clear, meaningful messages. * made the CloudKit upload mechanism more robust, allowing individual upload failures without blocking the upload queue. * fixed the **No GPS** location screen: the **Find** button could not be used because it was hidden behind the **Use** button. * removed automatic capitalization of every word in Notes. VERSION 1.3 Version 1.3 introduces localization in German, French, Italian, Dutch, and U.S. English. It also adds: * an export feature, eliminating the need for a Mac running SQM Toolbox when exporting data. * ability to import CSV data from Dark Sky Meter Pro and add these to your CloudKit database ### 1.2 — 2026-05-29 This update improves usability and performance. • fixed WeatherKit air temperature fetch from Apple Weather • added some warnings if no weather download is available at all • added bubble-level calibration of the third axis (normal to the screen) • extended the calibration instructions and added scrolling so it's all visible • modified the instant feedback on sky quality to adapt to daylight and twilight • rendered most of the cryptic CloudKit messages into meaningful messages • made a more robust upload scheme for CloudKit, able to tolerate single failed uploads without blocking the queue. • fixed the "no GPS" location screen: can't use find as it's hidden by the Use button • removed the auto-capitalisation of all the words in Notes ### 1.1 — 2026-05-18 This update is focused on improving the user interface and experience of using the app. These are the improvements: • introduced many user interface improvements when entering metadata, including: • more metadata fields; • data persistence between entries to avoid re-entering unless necessary; • timestamp remains current time unless explicitly overridden using a new toggle "Set Time". • added a field for SQM serial number in Settings, which is then propagated via CloudKit • significantly improved the workflow when using the zenith alignment guide / bubble level, including: • added a short-cut button on the main screen to access the bubble-level directly • improved bubble-level behaviour and presentation • improved bubble-level calibration instructions • added consistent cloud descriptions via a drop-down menu to avoid divergence of descriptions • added a button to get air temperature from Apple Weather (it falls back to Open-Meteo if Apple Weather isn't available, which it is not at the moment pending an update which we are working on) • improved robustness of CloudKit upload with better acknowledge/retry functions, and more accessible CloudKit Sync status and Fix button. • added keyboard 'Done' button to prevent it blocking further actions when entering metadata • added a link to a 3d printed mounting fixture on thingiverse.com ### 1.0 — 2026-04-22 No release notes. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-20.*