Privacy Policy

Faraway ("the app", "we", "us") is a travel planning app for iOS and Android, developed by Noel Hermann, based in Austria. This policy explains what data the app handles and why. If anything here is unclear, contact us at noel.hmnn@gmail.com.

Faraway does not ask for your name, email address, phone number, or a password. On first launch the app creates a private account on your device, secured by a recovery phrase.

That recovery phrase is generated on your device using your device's secure random number generator and stored in the secure keychain on your device (iOS Keychain / Android Keystore). It is never sent to us, and we cannot see it or recover it for you. It is the key that lets you restore your trips on another device, so keep it safe.

Trip content you create. The trips, places, days, and notes you add are stored in Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore) so that they sync across your devices and with people you invite to a trip. For each saved place we store the Google place identifier, the fields you add yourself, and a short refreshable snapshot of the place name, coordinates, and address.

Location (on your device). If you grant location permission, the app uses your device location while the app is open to show how far saved places are from you and to place you on the trip map. Used this way, your location stays on your device. It is optional, the app works without it, and we never use it for advertising or tracking. We do not use background location.

Location sharing with your trip (opt-in). Faraway has an optional feature that lets trip members see each other on the map, in case you get separated. It is off by default. Only when you turn it on in Settings does the app send your current location to the trip, where the other members of that trip (and no one else) can see it as a marker while the app is open. We store a single, continuously overwritten point (your latitude, longitude, display name, and color); we keep no location history or trail. Turning the feature off, or leaving the trip, deletes your shared location immediately. Sharing is foreground-only.

Photos you add (Faraway Pro). If you buy Faraway Pro and add visit photos to a place, those images are stored in Google Firebase Storage so they sync with your trip across your devices and with people you invite. They are deleted when you remove them, or when you delete the trip or your account.

Place information. When you search for or open a place, the app requests details (such as name, address, opening hours, photos, and ratings) from Google Maps Platform. Rich place content is cached only on your own device and is refreshed from Google. We do not store this content on our servers.

Technical data. Connecting to Firebase and Google Maps Platform involves standard technical data such as your device's IP address, handled by those providers to deliver the service. We do not maintain our own analytics profile of you.

• — No advertising and no advertising identifiers.
• — No third-party analytics or tracking SDKs.
• — No tracking of you across other companies' apps or websites.
• — We never sell or rent your data.

We rely on a small number of third-party services to run the app. Your use of the app is also subject to their handling of data:

• Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore) stores and syncs your trip content. See Google's Firebase privacy information.
• Google Maps Platform (Places API and Routes API) powers place search, place details, and travel times. See the Google Privacy Policy.
• RevenueCat (RevenueCat, Inc.) processes your Faraway Pro purchase receipt and manages your entitlement. See the RevenueCat Privacy Policy.

Faraway Pro is an optional, one-time purchase that unlocks extra features. There is no subscription. Buying it is entirely your choice and the app works without it.

Payment is handled by Apple's App Store using your existing App Store account. We never see or store your card numbers or other payment details.

To confirm your purchase and unlock Pro, we use RevenueCat (RevenueCat, Inc.), which processes the purchase receipt from Apple and manages your entitlement. Your purchase is keyed to your anonymous app account identifier (your Firebase user id), not to your name or email address. See the RevenueCat Privacy Policy. None of this is used for advertising.

Your trip content stays in Firestore until you delete it, or until you leave or delete the trip. When you remove a place or a trip, it is removed from storage. The cached place snapshot has a short lifetime (no more than 30 days) and is then refreshed from Google. Rich place content cached on your device is cleared when you delete the app. You can also permanently delete your account and all associated trip data from within the app, in Settings under Delete account. This removes your account, the credential derived from your recovery phrase, and your trip data.

Because there is no account tied to your identity, most of your data stays under your direct control: you can edit or delete your trips and places in the app at any time, and uninstalling the app removes the on-device data and your recovery phrase. You can also permanently delete your account and all associated trip data from within the app, in Settings under Delete account.

If you are in the EU or another region with data protection laws (we are based in Austria and apply the GDPR), you may have rights to access, correct, or delete personal data. To make a request, or if you need help removing trip content you created, email noel.hmnn@gmail.com.

Faraway is not directed at children and we do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has provided data through the app, contact us and we will remove it.

Your recovery phrase is held in your device's secure keychain. Trip data in transit is encrypted using the security provided by Firebase and Google Maps Platform. No system is perfectly secure, but we keep the data we handle to the minimum the app needs.

We may update this policy as the app evolves. Material changes will be reflected by a new effective date at the top of this page. Continued use of the app after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Questions about privacy? Email noel.hmnn@gmail.com.