Add Astrology to Your React Native App: Horoscopes, Birth Charts, and Compatibility
Complete guide to integrating astrology features into React Native apps. Daily horoscopes, birth chart generation, compatibility matching, and API patterns for mobile.
Add Astrology to Your React Native App: Horoscopes, Birth Charts, and Compatibility
Astrology features are the fastest-growing category in lifestyle mobile apps. Co-Star has 30 million users. The Pattern raised $40 million. NUiT built an entire dating app around zodiac compatibility. And all of them rely on astrology APIs to power their core features.
If you are building a React Native app, whether it is a wellness platform, dating app, daily planner, or dedicated astrology experience, adding astrology features is one of the highest-ROI feature additions you can make. Daily horoscopes drive retention. Birth charts drive engagement depth. Compatibility drives social sharing.
This guide covers the integration patterns, code architecture, and UX considerations for adding astrology to a React Native app.
Feature Planning: What to Build
Tier 1: Daily Horoscope (Highest ROI, Lowest Effort)
What it is: Personalized daily reading based on the user's zodiac sign.
Why it works: Creates a daily habit. Users open the app every morning for their horoscope. This single feature can increase DAU by 15-25%.
API call: One request per sign per day. Cache for 24 hours. 12 calls/day serves your entire user base.
User data needed: Birth date (for Sun sign).
Tier 2: Birth Chart (Medium Effort, High Engagement)
What it is: Full natal chart showing all planetary positions at the user's birth moment.
Why it works: Users spend 5-10 minutes exploring their chart. It creates the "this is eerily accurate" moment that drives word-of-mouth.
API call: One request per user (cached permanently).
User data needed: Birth date, birth time, birth location.
Tier 3: Compatibility (Medium Effort, Viral Potential)
What it is: Zodiac compatibility score and analysis between two people.
Why it works: Users share results with partners and friends. Social features drive organic growth.
API call: One request per user pair.
User data needed: Both users' birth dates (minimum), birth times and locations (for detailed synastry).
Tier 4: Transit Forecasts (Higher Effort, Premium Feature)
What it is: Personalized forecasts based on current planetary positions relative to the user's birth chart.
Why it works: Moves beyond generic Sun sign content to truly personalized readings. Justifies premium subscription pricing.
API call: Daily request per user (cacheable for 24 hours).
User data needed: Complete birth data (date, time, location).
React Native Integration Architecture
API Service Layer
Create a dedicated service for astrology API calls:
// services/astrology.ts
const API_BASE = 'https://api.roxyapi.com/api/v2';
class AstrologyService {
private apiKey: string;
constructor(apiKey: string) {
this.apiKey = apiKey;
}
private async request(endpoint: string, params?: Record<string, string>) {
const url = new URL(`${API_BASE}${endpoint}`);
if (params) {
Object.entries(params).forEach(([key, val]) =>
url.searchParams.set(key, val)
);
}
const response = await fetch(url.toString(), {
headers: {
'X-API-Key': this.apiKey,
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
},
});
if (!response.ok) {
throw new Error(`API error: ${response.status}`);
}
return response.json();
}
async getDailyHoroscope(sign: string) {
return this.request('/western-astrology/horoscope/daily', { sign });
}
async getBirthChart(date: string, time: string, lat: string, lng: string) {
return this.request('/western-astrology/birth-chart', {
date, time, latitude: lat, longitude: lng
});
}
async getCompatibility(sign1: string, sign2: string) {
return this.request('/western-astrology/compatibility', {
sign1, sign2
});
}
}
export const astrology = new AstrologyService(process.env.ROXYAPI_KEY);
Caching Layer
Astrology data is highly cacheable. Implement a caching strategy that minimizes API calls:
// services/cache.ts
import AsyncStorage from '@react-native-async-storage/async-storage';
export async function getCached<T>(
key: string,
ttlMs: number,
fetcher: () => Promise<T>
): Promise<T> {
const cached = await AsyncStorage.getItem(key);
if (cached) {
const { data, timestamp } = JSON.parse(cached);
if (Date.now() - timestamp < ttlMs) {
return data as T;
}
}
const fresh = await fetcher();
await AsyncStorage.setItem(key, JSON.stringify({
data: fresh,
timestamp: Date.now(),
}));
return fresh;
}
// Usage
const horoscope = await getCached(
`horoscope-aries-${todayStr}`,
24 * 60 * 60 * 1000, // 24 hours
() => astrology.getDailyHoroscope('aries')
);
Cache TTL Guidelines
| Data Type | TTL | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Daily horoscope | 24 hours | Changes daily |
| Birth chart | Forever | Never changes |
| Compatibility | 7 days | Static but refresh for freshness |
| Planetary positions | 1 hour | Positions change continuously |
| Transit forecast | 24 hours | Daily relevance |
Building Key Screens
Daily Horoscope Screen
The horoscope screen is your daily engagement driver. Design principles:
Above the fold: Show the reading immediately. No scrolling required to see today's horoscope.
Sign selector: Horizontal scrollable list of zodiac signs with the user's sign pre-selected.
Pull to refresh: Let users manually refresh (hits cache, not API).
Share button: One-tap sharing to social media or messaging. Format the horoscope as a shareable image or text snippet.
// screens/DailyHoroscope.tsx
function DailyHoroscope() {
const { userSign } = useUserProfile();
const [horoscope, setHoroscope] = useState(null);
const [selectedSign, setSelectedSign] = useState(userSign);
useEffect(() => {
loadHoroscope(selectedSign);
}, [selectedSign]);
async function loadHoroscope(sign: string) {
const today = new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0];
const data = await getCached(
`horoscope-${sign}-${today}`,
24 * 60 * 60 * 1000,
() => astrology.getDailyHoroscope(sign)
);
setHoroscope(data);
}
return (
<ScrollView>
<ZodiacSelector
selected={selectedSign}
onSelect={setSelectedSign}
/>
{horoscope && (
<HoroscopeCard
sign={selectedSign}
reading={horoscope.horoscope}
luckyNumber={horoscope.lucky_number}
mood={horoscope.mood}
/>
)}
<ShareButton content={horoscope?.horoscope} />
</ScrollView>
);
}
Birth Chart Screen
The birth chart screen is your depth engagement feature. Design principles:
Visual chart display. Show the circular natal chart diagram. Users expect to see the wheel. Libraries like react-native-svg can render chart graphics.
Progressive disclosure. Start with the Big Three (Sun, Moon, Rising) prominently displayed. Let users tap to explore individual planets, houses, and aspects.
Plain language. Translate astrological jargon into accessible language. "Your Moon in Pisces means you process emotions intuitively and empathetically" is better than "Moon in Pisces, Water element, Mutable quality."
Onboarding: Collecting Birth Data
Birth chart features require birth date, time, and location. Collect this during onboarding:
Screen 1: Birth date. Standard date picker. Every user can provide this.
Screen 2: Birth time. Time picker with a "I do not know my birth time" option. Explain that birth time affects Rising sign and house placements. If unknown, you can still calculate Sun and Moon signs.
Screen 3: Birth location. Search-enabled location picker with autocomplete. Store latitude and longitude for API calls.
Privacy note: Clearly explain why you need this data and how it is stored. Birth data is sensitive. Users are more willing to share it when they understand the personalization it enables.
Performance Optimization
Prefetching
When the user opens the app, prefetch their daily horoscope in the background before they navigate to the horoscope screen. By the time they tap, the data is already cached.
// On app launch
useEffect(() => {
prefetchDailyHoroscope(userProfile.sign);
}, []);
Batch Requests
If your app shows multiple signs (e.g., a compatibility feature showing both partners' horoscopes), batch the requests or use Promise.all:
const [sign1Data, sign2Data] = await Promise.all([
getCached(`horoscope-${sign1}-${today}`, TTL, () => astrology.getDailyHoroscope(sign1)),
getCached(`horoscope-${sign2}-${today}`, TTL, () => astrology.getDailyHoroscope(sign2)),
]);
Offline Support
Cache aggressively so the app works offline:
- Birth chart data is cached permanently
- Yesterday's horoscope is available even if today's has not loaded
- Compatibility results are cached per pair
- Show cached data with a "last updated" indicator when offline
API Cost Management
With smart caching, astrology features are remarkably API-efficient:
10,000 DAU scenario:
- Daily horoscopes: 12 calls/day (one per sign, shared across all users)
- Birth charts: 0 calls/day after initial calculation (cached permanently)
- Compatibility: ~50 calls/day (unique pairs, cached for 7 days)
- Tarot draws: ~200 calls/day (unique per draw, not cacheable)
Monthly total: ~8,000 requests. Well within RoxyAPI's Starter plan (5,000/month) for basic features, or Professional plan (50,000/month) with tarot included.
Cost as percentage of revenue: If your app charges $4.99/month and has 1,000 subscribers, revenue is ~$5,000/month. API cost at $39-149/month is under 3% of revenue. This is one of the highest-margin feature additions possible.
UX Best Practices for Astrology Features
Do Not Lead with Skepticism
Your users chose to engage with astrology. Do not qualify every reading with "of course, this is just entertainment." Present the content with confidence and let users form their own relationship with it.
Use Positive Framing
Frame challenging astrological content (difficult transits, tough compatibility aspects) as growth opportunities, not warnings. "This transit challenges you to develop patience" instead of "this transit brings problems."
Make It Social
Every screen should have a share option. Astrology is inherently social. Users want to compare signs, share readings, and discuss compatibility. Make sharing frictionless.
Respect the Daily Ritual
If your app includes a daily horoscope, protect the ritual. Do not interrupt it with ads, upsells, or notifications. Let the user read their horoscope in peace. Monetize elsewhere.
Show Your Sources
Users trust astrology apps more when they understand the methodology. Mention that calculations use real astronomical data, established astrological traditions, and precise planetary positions. This builds credibility.
Expanding to Other Domains
Once astrology is integrated, adding related features creates compounding engagement:
Tarot. Daily card draw as a second daily engagement touchpoint. Three-card spreads for specific questions. Visual card display creates shareable content.
Numerology. Life Path number and Personal Year calculations. Requires only a name and birth date (data you already have). Quick, high-impact personalization.
Dream interpretation. Dream journal feature with AI-powered interpretation. Users log dreams, the app provides symbolic analysis. Drives daily journaling habit.
RoxyAPI covers all six domains (Western astrology, Vedic astrology, tarot, numerology, I Ching, dream interpretation) under one API key. Every plan includes every domain. Adding a new feature is one new endpoint call, not a new vendor integration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much astrology knowledge do I need to build these features? A: Zero. The API returns structured data with descriptions, interpretations, and keywords. You design the screens and handle the user experience. The astrological content comes from the API. Check the API documentation for response structures and field descriptions.
Q: Should I build astrology features server-side or call the API directly from the app? A: Use a thin backend. Store your API key server-side (never in the app bundle), implement caching at the server level, and have your React Native app call your backend. This protects your API key, centralizes caching, and lets you add business logic (rate limiting, premium feature gating) without app updates.
Q: What if the user does not know their birth time? A: Provide a graceful degradation path. Without birth time, you can still calculate Sun sign, Moon sign (approximate), and basic compatibility. Without birth time, you cannot calculate the Rising sign, house placements, or precise Moon position. Clearly communicate what features require birth time and why.
Q: How do I handle different time zones in birth chart calculations? A: Send the birth time in the user's local time at their birth location. The API handles timezone conversion using the birth location's coordinates. Do not attempt to convert time zones client-side. Let the API and the birth location coordinates handle the conversion accurately.
Q: Can I use the same API for both Western and Vedic astrology features? A: Yes. RoxyAPI provides both Western and Vedic astrology endpoints under the same API key. If your app targets both Western audiences (daily horoscope, birth chart) and Indian audiences (kundli, panchang, dasha), you can serve both from a single integration.
Q: How do I A/B test astrology features? A: Start with a soft launch. Add a daily horoscope feature for users who have provided their birth date. Track DAU, session length, and retention for users who engage with the horoscope vs. those who do not. Most teams see a clear positive signal within 2 weeks.
Start adding astrology features to your React Native app. Get an API key at RoxyAPI pricing, explore the API documentation, or browse the full product suite.