Privacy Policy

Effective Date: October 4, 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to TripDiarist! TripDiarist is a travel journal app for iOS and Android that lets you plan trips, keep a diary of your journeys with photos, videos and places, and share them with friends and family.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have. It applies to the TripDiarist mobile apps and to our website at tripdiarist.com. By using TripDiarist, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following information:

  • Account information: your name, email address and profile photo. When you sign in with Google or Apple, we receive these from your Google account or Apple ID. If you use Apple's "Hide My Email" option, we receive a private relay email address instead of your real one.
  • Content you create: trips, trip names, destinations, dates, diary entries, notes, and the photos and videos you upload.
  • Location information: the places and coordinates you add to your trips and entries, and the place searches you make in the app. We do not track your location in the background.
  • Device and usage information: app interactions and usage events, device model, operating system, app version, language and similar technical information.
  • Push notification tokens: a device token that lets us send you notifications, if you allow them.
  • Diagnostics: crash reports, error reports and performance data (such as app start times and network request timings) that help us find and fix problems.
  • Website analytics: when you visit our website and accept analytics cookies, we collect information about how you use the website (see Section 7).
  • Messages you send us: if you contact us through our contact form or by email, we receive your name, email address and the content of your message.

3. Google User Data

TripDiarist offers "Sign in with Google". When you choose this option, we request only the following basic scopes:

  • openid: to identify your Google account and sign you in securely
  • email: your email address
  • profile: your name and profile photo

How we use it: we use this information only to create your TripDiarist account, sign you in, and show your name and profile photo in the app (for example, to friends you share your trips with). We also use your email address to send you important account-related messages.

How we store it: your Google account identifier, name, email address and profile photo are stored with your TripDiarist account on our secure servers. We verify Google sign-in on our servers and do not store your Google password.

What we don't do: we do not access any other data in your Google account (such as Gmail, Drive, Contacts, Calendar or Photos). We do not sell Google user data, do not use it for advertising, and do not use it to train artificial intelligence or machine learning models. We do not share Google user data with third parties except with the service providers listed in Section 5 that help us run the app, when required by law, or with your consent.

How to delete it: you can delete your account and all associated data, including data received from Google, as described on our Account Deletion page. You can also remove TripDiarist's access to your Google account at any time at myaccount.google.com/permissions.

TripDiarist's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Create and manage your account and sign you in
  • Provide the app's features, such as storing your trips, entries, photos and videos and showing them on a map
  • Find places and convert coordinates into place names when you add locations
  • Suggest cover images for your trips based on the trip name or destination
  • Let you share trips with the people you choose
  • Send you push notifications and account-related emails
  • Understand how the app is used, and diagnose crashes, errors and performance issues to improve TripDiarist
  • Respond to your questions and support requests
  • Keep TripDiarist secure, prevent abuse, and meet our legal obligations

We do not display advertisements and we do not use your data for advertising.

5. Sharing & Service Providers

We do not sell your data. We share data only with service providers that help us operate the app. They process data on our behalf and only for the purposes described below:

  • Authentication: Google Sign-In, Sign in with Apple and Firebase Authentication (Google), to sign you in securely. They process your account identity, name, email and authentication tokens.
  • Analytics & crash reporting: Google Analytics for Firebase, Firebase Crashlytics and Firebase Performance Monitoring (Google), and Sentry. They process usage events, device and app information, crash reports, error reports and performance data.
  • Maps & location: Google Maps SDK and Google Places / Geocoding APIs (Google), and OpenStreetMap Nominatim. They display maps, search for places, and turn coordinates into place names. They process the coordinates and search queries you enter.
  • Push notifications: Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google). It processes your device push token and notification content.
  • Content & media: Pexels and Unsplash, to find cover images for your trips. We send them only search terms such as a trip name or destination, never personal data. Google Fonts, which loads fonts in the app and may receive your device's IP address.
  • Infrastructure: Hetzner (server and database hosting), Amazon Web Services S3 (storage of uploaded photos, videos and backups), and SendPulse (delivery of transactional emails, which processes your email address and email content).

We may also share information:

  • With people you choose: trips and content you share are visible to the people you share them with.
  • For legal reasons: if required by law, court order or government request, or to protect the rights, safety and security of our users and TripDiarist.
  • In a business transfer: if TripDiarist is involved in a merger, acquisition or sale of assets. This policy will continue to apply to your data.

6. Data Retention & Deletion

We keep your information for as long as your account is active. You can delete your account at any time by following the steps on our Account Deletion page. Requests are processed within 7 business days, after which your account information, trips, entries and uploaded media are permanently deleted from our servers. Copies in backups are removed as they expire on their regular cycle. Some data may be kept for longer where required by law or for security purposes, as described on the Account Deletion page. Anonymous, aggregated statistics that cannot identify you may be kept.

7. Cookies & Website Analytics

The TripDiarist mobile app does not use cookies. Our website uses strictly necessary cookies to work properly. With your consent, it also uses Google Analytics cookies to understand how visitors use the website. Analytics cookies are only set after you accept them in the cookie banner, and you can change your choice at any time. For details, see our Cookie Policy.

8. Data Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect your data, including:

  • Encrypted HTTPS (TLS) connections between the app, the website and our servers
  • Encryption of sensitive data
  • Secure authentication and access controls that limit access to personal data

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work hard to protect your information.

9. International Data Transfers

Our servers are hosted in the European Union. Some of our service providers, such as Google, Amazon Web Services and Sentry, may process data in other countries, including the United States. When data is transferred outside your country, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.

10. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you
  • Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
  • Delete your data
  • Receive a copy of your data in a portable format
  • Object to or restrict certain processing
  • Withdraw your consent at any time, for example for notifications or website analytics
  • Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

TripDiarist complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). California residents can request details about the data we collect and request its deletion. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below.

11. Children’s Privacy

TripDiarist is not specifically targeted at children under 13. However, if a child under 13 wishes to use the app, parental consent is required before creating an account. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without parental approval. If you believe a child has given us personal information without consent, please contact us and we will delete it.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a new effective date, and we will notify users of significant updates.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us: