Privacy Policy

1. Overview

WhatToPack ("WhatToPack," "we," "us," or "our") is a mobile app that helps you build a packing checklist for your trips. This Privacy Policy explains what information the app collects, how it's used, and the choices available to you. It applies to the WhatToPack Android app and this website.

WhatToPack is built to work mostly offline and keep your trip data on your own device. You never need to create a cloud account to use the app — an anonymous, no-signup account is created automatically only if you choose to use the optional shared checklist feature described below.

2. Information we collect

Information you provide

WhatToPack offers a simple on-device profile so the app can greet you by name and personalize reminders. If you set this up, we store your name and phone number directly on your device. This information is not sent to us or to any server — it stays in local app storage on your phone and is used only to identify you within the app.

Trip and packing data

Details you enter to build a checklist — such as destination, travel dates, trip type, and the packing items themselves — are stored in a local database on your device. We do not upload this information to our own servers.

Destination search

When you search for a destination, your search text is sent to the Google Places API to return matching place results. We do not access your device's GPS location to do this — you type the place name yourself.

Weather data

To tailor your checklist to local conditions, the coordinates of the destination you selected are sent to a third-party weather service (Open-Meteo) to retrieve a forecast. No account information or personal identifiers are sent as part of this request.

Advertising identifiers

WhatToPack is free to use and supported by ads served through Google AdMob. AdMob and its partners may collect information such as your device's advertising ID, general device information, and approximate ad-interaction data to serve and measure ads. See the Advertising section below for details and your choices.

Information we do not collect

We do not currently use analytics or crash-reporting services. We do not operate our own backend servers — the only exception is the optional shared checklist feature described below, which uses Google Firebase. If this changes further in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy accordingly.

3. How we use information

• To generate and personalize your packing checklists (destination, dates, trip type, and weather).
• To show your name and greet you within the app, if you've set up a local profile.
• To schedule and display packing reminder notifications for your upcoming trips.
• To serve and measure ads that keep the app free (via Google AdMob).
• To sync a shared checklist between the people you've invited, if you choose to use that feature.
• To maintain and improve the app's reliability and features.

4. Third-party services

WhatToPack relies on a small number of third-party services to function. Each operates under its own privacy policy:

• Google Places API — powers destination search. See Google's Privacy Policy.
• Google AdMob — serves in-app advertising. See Google's Ads Policy and Privacy Policy.
• Open-Meteo — provides weather forecast data used to tailor checklists. See Open-Meteo's Terms.
• Google Firebase (Authentication & Firestore) — powers the optional shared checklist feature. See Firebase's Privacy and Security and Google's Privacy Policy.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

5. Shared checklists

WhatToPack lets you share a packing checklist with other people — for example, your family or travel group — so that everyone sees the same list and can check off items together in real time.

This feature is entirely optional and off by default. It only activates if you tap "Share" on a trip or enter someone else's invite code.

• Anonymous account: Starting or joining a shared checklist creates an anonymous account via Firebase Authentication, identified only by a random ID. This is separate from, and does not use, the on-device name and phone number described above — your phone number is never sent to us or to Firebase.
• What is stored: The trip's destination, dates, and packing items, along with which items are checked off and by whom (identified by display name only), are stored in Google Firestore for as long as the checklist stays shared.
• Who can see it: Only people who have the invite code, or who have already joined, can read or write a shared checklist. Security rules enforced on our Firestore database prevent anyone else from listing, reading, or modifying shared checklists.
• Stopping a share: Any participant can leave, and the person who started the share can end it for everyone at any time from within the app. Ending a share permanently deletes the checklist from Firestore.
• Encryption: Data sent to and from Firestore is encrypted in transit.

6. Advertising

WhatToPack shows banner, interstitial, and native ads through Google AdMob. To do this, AdMob (and its advertising partners) may collect and use identifiers such as your device's advertising ID, along with general device and interaction data, to select and measure ads — including, where applicable, personalized ads.

7. Data storage & retention

Your profile, trips, and packing lists are stored locally on your device using standard Android app storage. We do not retain copies of this data on our own servers. If you uninstall the app or clear its storage from Android Settings, this locally stored data is permanently deleted from your device.

The exception is a checklist you've actively shared: while sharing is on, that checklist's data lives in Google Firestore (see Shared checklists) so it can sync between devices. It is deleted from Firestore as soon as the share is ended.

8. Notifications

WhatToPack schedules local reminder notifications (for example, the day before and the day of a trip) directly on your device using Android's built-in scheduling tools. These reminders are generated and delivered on-device and are not sent through an external push notification server.

9. Your choices

• Notifications: You can disable packing reminders at any time from the app's settings or from your device's Android notification settings for WhatToPack.
• Ad personalization: You can opt out of personalized ads and reset your advertising ID from your device settings.
• Deleting your data: Because your data is stored on-device, you can delete it at any time by clearing the app's storage or uninstalling WhatToPack from your device.
• Shared checklists: You can leave a shared checklist, or end it for everyone if you started it, at any time from within the app — this deletes it from our Firestore database.

10. Children's privacy

WhatToPack is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can address it.

11. Security

We take reasonable measures to protect information handled by the app. However, no method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the app or applicable law. We'll update the "Effective date" at the top of this page when changes are made. Continued use of the app after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, contact us at whattopack.support@gmail.com.