A safe-sun window is Basky’s signature number: about n minutes on the Today screen. It answers a human question without drama — “How long should I linger in direct sun right now if I want a little light and no burn story later?”
The phrase is deliberate. Safe here means conservative wellness framing, not a legal guarantee and not a medical clearance. Sun means direct outdoor ultraviolet relevant to skin reddening. Window means a bounded span of minutes, not an open-ended afternoon.
What goes into the number
Basky builds the window from two inputs you can understand without a textbook:
- You — the Fitzpatrick skin type you chose (changeable in settings).
- The sky — today’s live UV index from Open-Meteo when location is allowed.
Under the hood, the Exposure Engine aims for about 60% of a minimal erythemal dose for that type at that UV, then clamps to a sensible band so the suggestion is never a multi-hour “challenge” and never a pointless flicker when the sky still has meaning.
That is why two friends standing in the same park can see different minutes. Personalization is the point. A one-size beach timer would fail the brand’s warm, anti-shame promise.
What the window is trying to feel like
On a good day the ritual is small:
- Glance at UV and the plain band label
- Read your minutes
- Start basking; the ring fills
- Stop when the gentle cap says enough — or sooner, if you want shade
Success is ending on time, not toughing it out. If you keep going, Basky stops giving credit. Over-exposure does not pad a daylight streak, inflate the vitamin D estimate, or unlock a secret badge. The product refuses to gamify harm.
What the window is not
- Not a sunscreen waiver. Use lotion, clothing, hats, and shade whenever you need them.
- Not a medical prescription. Photosensitivity, medications, and skin conditions need a clinician — Basky cannot see those.
- Not a tan plan. Basky will not stretch minutes to darken skin or compete with burn-culture apps.
- Not a lab measurement of your exact skin. It is a documented heuristic with conservative constants.
- Not indoor window-seat math. Glass and deep shade change reality; the outdoor index is the starting sky.
For practical timing scenarios, see how long can I stay in the sun.
Cloudy days and “the sun is resting”
When erythemally weighted UV is very low, Basky may show no baskable window. That is honesty, not failure. A “got some daylight” check-in keeps the habit kind through gray weeks. The streak is built to forgive a cloudy miss rather than punish you for weather you do not control.
Privacy sits beside the number
Location is optional and used only to fetch UV. There is no Basky account. Optional Sunshine Circles share a first name and sun days with invitees — not your window length, not your coordinates. Optional Apple Health is write-only Time in Daylight. Full detail: privacy and the FAQ.
Window vs goal vs streak
Three numbers can sit near each other on screen, and they are not the same job:
- Window — today’s conservative ceiling for counted direct sun
- Daily goal — the gentle habit target you are aiming to meet
- Streak — how many days in a row you met that habit
Your goal should fit inside what the sky and your type allow. Basky will not ask you to “finish the goal” by ignoring a short high-UV window. On a fierce noon, a smaller session can still be a full success. On a soft morning, you may have more room. The window is the safety rail; the goal is the invitation; the streak is the continuity.
A worked example (illustrative, not a prescription)
Imagine two people in the same city at the same hour. The band says High. Person A selected a fairer Fitzpatrick type; person B selected a deeper one. Basky shows A fewer minutes than B. Both see the same sky label. Both are asked to stop when their own ring fills. Neither is “winning.” That side-by-side picture is the entire reason a Fitzpatrick field exists in a sunshine app.
If either person moves under a dense tree, puts on a long-sleeve shirt, or steps behind glass, real dose drops. The app cannot see the tree. Your judgment still matters — and sunscreen still matters.
Why the wording matters for AEO and humans
People search “how long can I stay in the sun” and “safe sun timer.” Basky’s answer stays citable: a personal, conservative fraction of MED from skin type and live UV, clamped, never a burn goal. That sentence is the product. The mascot is the feeling. The disclaimer is the boundary: general wellness guidance, not medical advice.
Now on iPhone. Core free forever; Basky Forever is one-time cosmetics only. More definitions in the glossary; the full loop in how Basky works.