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Updated on August 19, 2026

Privacy policy

Summary

TripStacks is built local-first. You can use the app without creating an account, and your trips, places, photos, checklists, and preferences are stored on your device by default. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not run a TripStacks user database of itineraries.

Optional features may send limited data off-device when you use them:

  • AI suggestions (Plan Day, Find Places, Create Trip) go through our lightweight AI proxy to Google Gemini
  • Sign in with Apple enables iCloud sync via your Apple ID / iCloud account
  • Location (optional) powers “near you” suggestions
  • Apple Maps / MapKit resolves places and map imagery on device with Apple
  • Unsplash may be used when you choose cover photos

These services only receive what’s needed for the feature you invoked, and that data is not used by TripStacks to build a marketing profile.

What we store on your device

TripStacks stores your travel data locally on your iPhone/iPad, including:

  • Trips, days, activities, travel, reminders, and checklists
  • Saved Places and related notes/photos
  • Optional food preferences, drink preferences, and interests used for AI personalization
  • App settings (for example appearance and map style)

If you never sign in and never use optional network features, this data stays on your device.

AI features (Plan Day, Find Places, Create Trip)

To generate suggestions, TripStacks sends a request to our AI proxy (/api/ai, hosted on our cloud provider), which forwards it to Google Gemini and returns the result to the app.

Depending on the feature, a request may include:

  • Your prompt or selected shortcut (for example “Best of Toronto” or “Plan a weekend near you”)
  • Preferences you saved in the app (food, interests, alcohol preference)
  • Limited trip context (destination, dates or unscheduled day count, rough map area) when relevant
  • Short summaries of existing places or trips, used only to personalize and avoid duplicates
  • Approximate location label/coordinates when you explicitly use a “near you” flow

We design these requests to include travel-planning context, not account credentials. AI responses are shown in the app for you to review, edit, save, or discard. TripStacks does not keep a permanent archive of your prompts or AI results on our own servers as a user profile; the proxy exists to call Gemini securely (including protecting API keys) and return suggestions to your device.

Google’s processing of prompts is governed by Google’s terms and privacy policy for the Gemini API.

How AI data travels

  1. On device: The app assembles your prompt, optional preferences, and relevant local context.
  2. Encrypted request: That payload is sent over HTTPS to our AI proxy.
  3. Model call: The proxy sends the request to Google Gemini and receives structured suggestions.
  4. Return to device: Results are returned to the app for display. Saving anything (a place, trip draft, or day items) happens locally (and in iCloud only if you are signed in and syncing).

Map matching, Look Around / map snapshots, and Apple Maps previews are handled with Apple MapKit on your device (and Apple’s map services), not by uploading your full itinerary to TripStacks.

Location

If you allow Location access, TripStacks may use your approximate current location only for features that need it (for example “near you” place or trip suggestions). You can deny or revoke Location access in iOS Settings; those features will be unavailable, and the rest of the app continues to work.

Maps and place imagery

When you search for or refine places, TripStacks may use Apple Maps / MapKit to look up addresses, coordinates, routes, and optional Look Around or map snapshot imagery. That processing is provided by Apple under Apple’s privacy terms.

Cover photos (Unsplash)

If you choose a cover image from Unsplash (or the app fetches a destination cover), a search/download request is made to Unsplash. Unsplash’s privacy policy applies to that service. Photos you attach yourself remain in your local (and, if signed in, iCloud) trip/place data.

Sign in with Apple and iCloud sync

Sign in with Apple is optional and is used to enable iCloud sync for your TripStacks data.

If you sign in, we may receive:

  • A unique Apple user identifier
  • On first sign-in only, your name and/or email if you choose to share them

Your trips, places, attached photos, and related stats sync through your iCloud account using Apple’s iCloud document/file services. That content is not stored in a TripStacks-operated itinerary database. Signing out stops iCloud syncing on that device; data already in iCloud or on device remains until you delete it.

Explore and other in-app content

Explore staff picks and similar editorial content are provided in the app for inspiration. Creating a trip or saving places from Explore stores that content locally (and in iCloud if sync is enabled), the same as other trips and places.

Analytics, advertising, and selling data

TripStacks does not sell your personal information. We do not use your itineraries for third-party advertising. Optional third-party services above (Google Gemini, Apple, Unsplash) receive only what is needed for the feature you use, under their own policies.

Your choices

  • Use the app without signing in
  • Sign out to stop iCloud sync
  • Clear or delete trips/places on device (and in iCloud if synced)
  • Revoke Location access
  • Avoid AI, Unsplash, or Maps features you don’t want to use

Last updated: August 19, 2026