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Year-Round: Best for permanent installations. Sets a fixed angle optimized for annual production.

Seasonal: For adjustable mounts. Provides summer and winter angles if you're willing to adjust 2-4 times per year.

Daily: For portable panels, camping, or RV setups. Updates every minute based on current sun position.

TiltSync's accuracy depends on your device's sensors. Most modern smartphones have accelerometers accurate to within 1-2° and magnetometers accurate to within 3-5°. For best results, ensure your device is calibrated (wave it in a figure-8 pattern before use) and avoid magnetic interference.

Yes! TiltSync works completely offline by default. GPS location is obtained from your device (not a network lookup), and all calculations happen on-device.

Exception: If you enable the optional "PVWatts Live" feature in Settings, the app will make network requests to NREL's API for industry-standard calculations. This feature is disabled by default.

TiltSync has three modes and six calculation formulas. Here's how they interact:

Year-Round mode: Your selected formula is used directly to calculate the optimal fixed tilt angle for maximum annual energy production.

Seasonal mode: Your formula provides a base angle, then TiltSync applies a ±15° seasonal adjustment. In summer, tilt is reduced to capture higher sun angles. In winter, tilt is increased to capture lower sun angles.

Daily mode: The formula is not used. Instead, TiltSync calculates the optimal angle based on the sun's current position in the sky (90° minus solar altitude). This updates every minute throughout the day.

Tip: In the formula picker, you'll see all formulas show the same value in Daily mode — that's the current sun-based angle.

PVWatts Live is an optional feature that connects to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) PVWatts API — the same tool used by solar professionals worldwide.

How it works:
• When enabled, TiltSync sends your approximate location (latitude/longitude rounded to ~1km precision) to NREL
• NREL calculates the optimal tilt using real solar irradiance data for your region
• The result is cached locally for 24 hours to minimize network requests

Privacy: This feature is opt-in and disabled by default. Your exact location is never sent — coordinates are rounded to 2 decimal places (~1.1 km precision). No other data is transmitted.

Enable it in Settings → PVWatts Live API.

TiltSync uses your latitude to calculate the optimal panel angle. The sun's path across the sky varies by latitude — a panel in Texas needs a different angle than one in Minnesota. Your location data is never transmitted and stays on your device.

● Green: Optimal alignment (within 2° of target)
● Amber/Yellow: Close (within 5° of target)
● Red: Needs adjustment (more than 5° off target)

As you approach the target angle, your phone will vibrate with increasing frequency:

• Far from target: No vibration
• Approaching (5-10°): Slow pulse
• Close (2-5°): Medium pulse
• Very close (<2°): Rapid pulse
• Locked on target: Single strong confirmation buzz