Privacy Policy
1. Who we are
This Privacy Policy describes how TripEase (“TripEase”, “we”, “us”) handles information when you use the TripEase mobile application for iOS, Android, and iPad, and when you visit this website. For privacy questions, contact us at apptripease@gmail.com.
2. Summary
- TripEase does not require you to create an account.
- We do not use a third-party analytics SDK, do not show ads in the app, and do not track your device location.
- Your optional travel profile (passport details), trips and checklists are stored only on your device. Passport details are kept in the device’s secure storage (iOS Keychain / Android Keystore). We never receive them.
- Passport scanning reads the machine-readable lines entirely on your device and sends nothing to anyone: no photo, no text, no diagnostics. No photo is taken or stored.
- TripEase never fills in, sends or stores a government form for you. Visa and arrival-form buttons open the official sites.
- Travel content (countries, airports, forms, advisories) is loaded from Firebase / Firestore operated by Google.
- Optional TripEase Pro subscriptions are processed by Apple or Google via RevenueCat. We receive an anonymous purchase identifier and purchase status — not your full payment card details.
- Map tiles may be requested from OpenStreetMap (which can see your IP address).
- If you open a partner recommendation, you leave TripEase and that partner’s own privacy policy applies.
3. Information we collect
3.1 Information you provide
If you email us (for support, partnerships, or privacy requests), we receive the content of your message and your email address so we can reply. We do not operate in-app user accounts or profiles.
3.2 App content and configuration
The app downloads travel reference data (for example country notes, airport guides, arrival-form links, and partner listings) from Firebase / Cloud Firestore. That content is the same travel information published for users; it is not a personal travel journal tied to your identity.
Preferences you set on your device stay on your device unless a future feature explicitly syncs them — in which case we will update this policy before that happens.
3.3 Travel profile, trips and reminders (stored on your device only)
These features are optional. Everything below stays on your device; TripEase has no server copy and cannot see it.
- Travel profile. If you add a passport, TripEase stores the details you enter or scan — passport country (nationality), names as printed, passport number, date of birth, sex, expiry date and issuing country — in your device’s secure storage (iOS Keychain, “this device only”; Android Keystore-backed encrypted storage). They are used to show the entry rules for your passport and so you can copy them into official forms yourself. They are excluded from Android cloud backups and device-to-device transfers and, on iOS, are not moved to another device.
- Trip details. Flights (flight number, airline, airports, dates and times, seat, booking reference) and your stay (name, address, phone, check-in/out, and an optional local-script address) that you add to a trip are stored in the same secure storage.
- Importing a booking (Pro). If you import a booking confirmation (screenshot, photo, PDF or pasted text), it is read entirely on your device (Apple Vision on iPhone/iPad, bundled Tesseract on Android). You review the result before saving. The file and its recognised text are not kept and nothing is sent anywhere.
- Form helper (Pro). Opens the official government form in your browser and shows your saved details with copy buttons. TripEase never fills in, injects into or submits a government form.
- Travel wallet (Pro). Documents you add (for example visa approvals, insurance, e-tickets) are encrypted on your device (AES-256-GCM) with a key kept in secure storage, excluded from backups and never uploaded. They are deleted when you delete them, use “Delete everything”, or delete the app.
- Home Screen widget and Lock Screen countdown (Pro). To show your next trip’s countdown and next step, the app saves the destination name, the countdown and the step title (no passport or booking details) to an area on your device that only TripEase and its widget can read (iOS App Group / Android widget storage). The iOS Lock Screen countdown (Live Activity) starts only when you tap it and is updated locally; no push service is used.
- Stamp map. Built on your device from your past trips. A shareable image is created only when you tap Share, and contains country names and flags only.
- Trips and checklists. Destination, arrival airport, dates, the passport country used for a trip, and which checklist items you have ticked are stored in the app’s local storage on your device. On Android this is excluded from cloud backups; on iOS it may be included in your own encrypted device backup.
- Optional lock. If you turn on Face ID / Touch ID / fingerprint lock, the check is done by your device’s operating system. TripEase never receives your biometric data.
- Copy buttons. When you copy a field, it is placed on your device’s clipboard marked as sensitive and set to clear after about 2 minutes (iOS: this device only, not Universal Clipboard).
- Reminders (Pro). If you turn on a reminder for an arrival form, a notification is scheduled locally on your device. Notification permission is asked only when you turn on your first reminder. No push server is used.
3.3a Country reference data
Emergency numbers, plug types and voltages (Wikidata, CC0), exchange rates (Exchange Rate API) and customs/embassy links are bundled with the app and refreshed by our data pipeline. The app does not contact these services and sends nothing about you to them. Opening an official link (embassy finder, customs page) takes you to that government site in your browser, under its own privacy policy.
3.4 Camera and passport scanning
The camera is used only when you tap “Scan passport”, to read the two machine-readable lines at the bottom of your passport photo page. Recognition runs entirely on your device: on iPhone and iPad with Apple’s built-in Vision text recognition, and on Android with the open-source Tesseract OCR engine bundled in the app. The scanner makes no network requests and sends nothing to us, Google, Apple or anyone else: no images, no recognised text and no diagnostic or usage data. No photo is taken, saved or uploaded; camera frames are processed in memory and discarded. You review and edit every field before anything is saved, and you can always type the details instead. TripEase does not record audio and does not read the passport chip (NFC).
3.5 Purchases (TripEase Pro)
If you subscribe to TripEase Pro, Apple App Store or Google Play processes the payment. We use RevenueCat to manage entitlements. In connection with that, we may process:
- An anonymous app user / purchase identifier
- Subscription product, status, renewal, and expiration information
- Platform (Apple or Google) and related purchase metadata needed to unlock Pro features
We do not receive your full credit or debit card number. Payment details are handled by Apple or Google under their terms and privacy policies.
3.6 Technical data from network requests
When the app loads content or map tiles, standard network information such as IP address and device/user-agent details may be processed by the providers listed in section 5 (for example Google Firebase, OpenStreetMap). We do not use that traffic to build advertising profiles.
3.7 What we do not collect
- No account registration or social login
- No advertising identifiers for ads (the app has no ads)
- No continuous location tracking or background GPS logging
- No third-party analytics SDK for behavioral tracking
- No passport details, trip details, passport images or biometric data on our servers — we never receive them
4. How we use information
We use the information described above to:
- Deliver and update travel content in the app
- Provide optional TripEase Pro features and restore purchases
- Respond to support and privacy emails
- Maintain security, fix bugs, and improve reliability
- Comply with legal obligations where applicable
5. Sharing and third parties
We do not sell your personal information. We share data only with service providers needed to run TripEase, or when you choose to open an external link.
5.1 Firebase / Firestore (Google)
Used to host and deliver app content (countries, airports, forms, advisories, and related listings). Google may process technical data such as IP address when the app fetches this content. See Google’s privacy documentation for Firebase / Google Cloud.
5.2 RevenueCat, Apple, and Google Play
Used for subscription management and payment processing for TripEase Pro. RevenueCat receives anonymous identifiers and purchase history needed for entitlements. Apple and Google process payments under their own policies.
5.3 OpenStreetMap
If the app displays map tiles from OpenStreetMap, requests go to OpenStreetMap’s tile infrastructure (or a configured tile provider). Those requests typically include your IP address. OpenStreetMap’s usage policies and privacy notices apply to that traffic.
5.4 Website hosting
This website is hosted on GitHub Pages. When you visit the site, GitHub may process standard server logs (such as IP address and browser type) under GitHub’s privacy policy.
5.5 Legal requirements
We may disclose information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or to protect the rights, safety, and integrity of TripEase and its users.
6. Affiliate and partner links
Partner recommendations in TripEase may include affiliate links to third-party services such as Airalo, Booking.com, Klook, GetYourGuide, Wise, ExpressVPN, Agoda, and similar travel-related providers. If you tap a partner link, you leave the TripEase app and that company’s privacy policy and terms apply. If you complete a qualifying booking or purchase, TripEase may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate partners may receive technical information (for example that you arrived from TripEase) according to their own practices.
7. Retention
Support emails are kept only as long as needed to handle your request and for reasonable follow-up or legal records. Purchase entitlement data is retained as needed to provide Pro access, prevent abuse, and meet accounting or tax requirements. On-device data (travel profile, trips, checklists and preferences) remains on your device until you delete it. You can remove all passport and trip details at any time with “Delete all details” in Your travel profile, delete a single trip from its page, or uninstall the app. On a fresh install TripEase clears any secure-storage data left on the device by a previous install.
8. Security
We use industry-standard measures appropriate to a small consumer app (including HTTPS for network traffic and reliance on established providers for content and payments). No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure; please use a current OS and app version.
9. Your choices and rights
- Email us at apptripease@gmail.com to access, correct, or delete personal information we hold about you from support correspondence, subject to legal exceptions.
- Your on-device data: view, edit or delete your passport and trip details in the app at any time (Your travel profile → Delete all details). Because we never receive this data, we cannot access or delete it for you — it is fully under your control on your device.
- Permissions: camera (only for scanning), notifications (only for reminders) and Face ID / biometrics (only for the optional lock) are each optional and can be turned off in your device settings. TripEase works without them; you can always type details by hand.
- Subscriptions: manage or cancel TripEase Pro in your Apple ID or Google Play subscription settings.
- Partner links: you can use TripEase without tapping partner recommendations.
- Depending on where you live (for example the EEA, UK, or certain US states), you may have additional rights such as access, deletion, restriction, or objection. Contact us to exercise them. You may also lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
10. Children
TripEase is not directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age required in your country). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact apptripease@gmail.com and we will take appropriate steps.
11. International transfers
Our service providers (including Google, Apple, Google Play / RevenueCat infrastructure, and GitHub) may process data in countries other than your own. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards offered by those providers’ terms and transfer mechanisms.
12. Changes
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top will change when we do. Material changes will be reflected on this page; continued use of the app or site after an update means you acknowledge the revised policy.