How it works
Where your travel data lives: on your device, in your account and nowhere else
In Kokai, everything you save lives on your device first, which is why it works offline. Your trips also have a copy in your account, on by default, which you can turn off in Settings, and then it’s deleted from the server. Your location, your route, your document files, and your passports, ID cards and health documents, not even their details, never leave the device. There are no ads and no analytics.
In a nutshell
- Where your trip lives
- On your device, in a database of its own for your account. It opens offline.
- Copy in your account
- On by default. Turning it off deletes the copy from the server immediately.
- Never leaves
- Your location, your route, your document files and your AI key.
- Passport, ID card and health
- Not copied to your account, neither the file nor its details: number, holder, dates and notes stay on the device.
- Ads and analytics
- None, neither in the app nor on this website.
- Export
- Each trip, as a JSON file from its settings (in the browser, for now).
- Delete the account
- From Settings, under «Cuenta» (“Account”), instantly and without writing to anyone.
The principle: your trip lives on your device
You check a trip on a plane, in the boarding queue or in a country where your phone has no data. That’s why Kokai saves everything you write on the device itself: in the browser, in its local database (IndexedDB), one per account; on your phone, in the app’s storage. You don’t have to wait for a server to answer to open the plan or show the booking.
On top of that there’s a second layer, optional but on by default: a copy of your trips in your account, so you have them on every device you sign in on and don’t lose them if you lose one. And there are things that never leave the device under any circumstances.
This page is practical: it explains what happens to each piece of data. The legally binding text (who is responsible, on what legal basis, for how long, your rights) is the privacy policy, and what is stored in your browser is in the cookie policy. If anything here doesn’t match them, they prevail, and we’d be grateful if you told us through the contact form.
Signing out doesn’t delete anything from the device: that way you can sign back in and carry on offline. On a shared computer, delete the account or the browser data when you’re done.
Each piece of data, where it lives and who else gets it
The full table, item by item. “Your account” means the copy on the Kokai server, while it’s on.
| Data | On your device | In your account | Who else gets it, and when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips (name, destination, dates, travellers, description, notes, tags) | Yes | Yes | Nominatim, the destination text, when placing it on the map. The AI you choose, without the notes, when you ask it something. |
| Places (name, category, coordinates, notes, priority, alert) | Yes | Yes, with photos and links as references, not the images | Wikipedia, Wikidata, Commons and OpenStreetMap, the name and coordinates, to find photos. The AI, up to 60, without their notes unless you ask about that place. |
| Plan (days, times, order, transfers) | Yes | Yes | The AI, when chatting or asking for the plan. Google Calendar, the timed items, if you turn it on (soon). |
| AI plan draft | Yes, only on that device | No | Nobody, until you save it to the plan. |
| Accommodation (nights, times, price, cancellation, notes) | Yes | Yes | The AI, the nights, name, location and times; never the price, the booking or the notes. Google Calendar, check-in and check-out, if you turn it on (soon). |
| Packing list | Yes | Yes | The AI, the current list, when you ask it for suggestions. |
| Interests (area, question, conversation with the AI, suggestions) | Yes | Yes | The AI you choose, when you ask. A conversation larger than about 500 KB stays only on the device, and the app warns you. |
| Travel documents: tickets, bookings, entry tickets, visas, insurance, car hire, other (type, title, holder, booking reference, dates, expiry, notes) | Yes | Yes, their details | Nobody. They never go to the AI. Google Calendar, the title and reference of dated tickets and bookings, if you turn it on (soon). |
| Document files (the PDF, the photo) | Yes, only on the device where you add them | Never | Your Google Drive, if you turn it on (soon). A PDF’s text is read on the device; only the address of a stay that isn’t on the map goes to Nominatim. |
| Passports, identity documents, and health and vaccination records | Yes, only on the device where you add them | Never, not even their details | Nobody, except their files to your Google Drive if you turn it on (soon). Never to Google Calendar or the AI. |
| Location | Only while it’s being used | Never | Nobody. The map service receives the area you’re looking at, not your position. |
| Route recorded on the road | Yes, only on that device | Never | Nobody. It isn’t exported either. Details in On the road. |
| Alerts triggered when passing nearby | Yes, only on that device | Never | Nobody. |
| Device settings (theme, map view, chosen AI, permissions given) | Yes | No | Nobody. |
| Your AI provider’s key | Yes: on your phone, in the system’s secure storage; in the browser, in its local storage | Never | Only that provider, with each request, straight from your device. |
| Account (email, name, password as a cryptographic hash, accepted terms) | Name and email | Yes, it’s the account | Google, if you sign in with Google: it confirms your email. |
| Open sessions | The session key | Label, dates and a cryptographic hash of the key | Nobody. You see and close them in Settings, under «Cuenta» (“Account”). |
| Push notification identifier | Yes | Yes, tied to its session | Apple (APNs) or Google (Firebase Cloud Messaging), to deliver account notifications. Only in the iPhone and Android app (soon). |
| Google Drive and Calendar permission | Yes, on each device | Only the identifier of the calendar it creates | Google, what gets copied. Soon. |
The copy in your account
It comes switched on. In Settings, under «Cuenta» (“Account”), the «Dónde se guardan tus viajes» (“Where your trips are saved”) section has the «Guardar una copia en tu cuenta de Kokai» (“Save a copy in your Kokai account”) switch. What it includes, in the app’s own words: «Tus viajes, sitios, plan, alojamientos, intereses, maleta y los datos de los documentos» (“Your trips, places, plan, accommodation, interests, packing list and document details”). Tags too.
- When it uploads: 2 seconds after each change, in a single batch if you make several in a row.
- When it downloads: when you open the app, when the connection or the tab comes back, and every minute while the app is on screen.
- If you change the same thing on two devices: it’s merged field by field and the most recent change to each field wins. Renaming a place on your phone and editing its notes on your computer keeps both.
- Offline: changes wait on the device («Sin conexión: 3 cambios esperan para subir.», “Offline: 3 changes waiting to upload.”) and upload when the network is back.
- What you delete disappears from the copy at that moment. Only a marker remains, with none of its content, so it’s deleted on your other devices too.
- Where: in an SQLite database on the Kokai server, in the European Union, outside what the website publishes. It travels encrypted over https.
- How much fits: by default the server allows up to 50 MB per account, which is a lot for text data. Files don’t count, because they aren’t uploaded.
Whoever administers the server sees how many records your copy has and how much space they take, but not their content.
- To turn it off, in Settings, under «Cuenta», switch off «Guardar una copia en tu cuenta de Kokai».
- «Guardar solo en los dispositivos» (“Save only on devices”) opens, explaining what happens: the copy is deleted from the server; what’s on each device stays there, but changes stop passing from one to another.
- Tap «Borrar la copia del servidor» (“Delete the copy from the server”). It applies to all devices on your account.
With the copy off, if you lose the device, you lose what was on it: the server no longer keeps anything that can be recovered. You can turn it back on whenever you like, and the device uploads everything it has again.
Passports, ID cards and health: not even their details
Documents have two parts: their details (title, holder, booking reference, dates) and their files (the PDF, the photo). Files are never uploaded to the Kokai server. The details of a ticket or a booking do go to the copy, so that on your phone you can see the booking reference you noted on your computer.
Three document types go further: Pasaporte (“Passport”), Documento de identidad (“Identity document”) and Salud y vacunas (“Health and vaccinations”) are not copied to your account in any form. Not the number, the holder, the dates or the notes. They stay whole on the device where you add them.
The trade-off: if you add your passport on your phone, you won’t see it on your computer. If you want its photo in the cloud, the only way is to turn on Google Drive (soon), which copies the files of all your documents to your own Drive.
Which outside services receive anything
A travel app needs maps, a place search and, if you want, photos. Kokai uses open services and doesn’t pass them your name or your account, although, like any server you request something from, they see your connection’s IP address.
| Service | What it receives | When | Your choice? |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenFreeMap | The area of the map being viewed (the tiles) | When looking at a map | No: without it there’s no map |
| Photon, by komoot | What you type in the search box and the centre of the map | When searching for a place or an interest’s area | Yes, when searching |
| Nominatim, by the OpenStreetMap Foundation | The destination text (“Lisbon and Sintra”) or the address of a stay read from a PDF | When placing a trip’s destination, and when adding the booking of a stay that isn’t on the map | No, but that’s all it receives |
| Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons; OpenStreetMap | The place’s name and coordinates | When creating a place, or when opening its card if photos were never searched for | No, but that’s all it receives |
| The place’s official website | The request for its home page | In the mobile app (soon), to get its image | No |
| Anthropic or OpenAI | What AI interests explains | Every time you ask it something, after giving permission | Yes: with your key, or nothing |
| Google (Drive and Calendar) | Your document files; the trip, timed plan items and dated bookings | With the app open, after each change | Yes. Soon |
| Booking.com, Airbnb and other accommodation sites; Google Maps | The place, dates and travellers; or the coordinates of where you’re going | Only when you tap their link | Yes |
Until you tap an accommodation link or «Cómo llegar» (“Directions”), that website receives nothing. When you tap it, it opens its page with the details in the address, and what it does with them is set out in its terms. If a link is ever an affiliate link, it will say so next to it. More in Finding accommodation.
The website also loads Google reCAPTCHA on the contact form and on the form for requesting a sign-up code, to stop spam. The iPhone, Android and computer apps don’t use it.
No ads, no analytics
Kokai has no advertising, doesn’t sell or share data and doesn’t use third-party analytics or tracking cookies, neither in the app nor on this website. The only thing the website stores in your browser is your language, and only if you choose one.
The app is ready to measure which screens are used with Google Analytics, but it’s switched off today: it has no measurement ID, so it doesn’t ask, doesn’t load anything and doesn’t send anything. If it’s ever turned on, it will follow these rules, which are already written into the code:
- Nothing before you accept, not even a cookieless visit. «Aceptar» (“Accept”) and «Rechazar» (“Decline”), side by side.
- Never anything about the trip: screens are counted without identifiers (“a trip’s map”, not which one), without your account or your location.
- Permission is withdrawn in Settings, under «Avisos y permisos» (“Alerts and permissions”), and withdrawing it deletes the identifier.
- This page, the privacy policy and the cookie policy will change before it’s turned on.
Exporting a trip
Your data is yours, including to take it elsewhere. In each trip, under «Ajustes del viaje» (“Trip settings”), the «Exportar» (“Export”) section has «Descargar la copia» (“Download the copy”): a JSON file named after the trip, readable by any program. It works in the browser today; on your phone, exporting through the system share sheet is still pending.
These are its top-level keys:
{
"formato": "kokai-viaje",
"version": 1,
"exportado": "2026-09-17T10:30:00.000Z",
"viaje": { … },
"sitios": [ … ],
"plan": [ … ],
"documentos": [ … ],
"intereses": [ … ],
"maleta": [ … ],
"estancias": [ … ],
"etiquetas": [ … ]
}estanciasare the stays: nights, times, price and cancellation.documentosholds the details of the trip’s documents, without their files: the PDF and the photos are stored separately.interesesincludes the conversation with the AI and the suggested places.- It doesn’t include the recorded route or the triggered alerts.
Deleting: a document, a trip, the copy or the account
| What you delete | Where | What disappears |
|---|---|---|
| A document | In the document, «Borrar el documento» (“Delete the document”) | The document and its files, for real: the photo of a passport doesn’t linger on the device. From your account, immediately. With Google Drive, its copy goes to the Drive bin. |
| A trip | «Ajustes del viaje» (“Trip settings”), «Borrar este viaje» (“Delete this trip”) | Its places, the plan, the documents with their files, the interests, the packing list and the route. Documents in the wallet stay. |
| The copy in your account | Settings, «Cuenta» (“Account”), «Dónde se guardan tus viajes» (“Where your trips are saved”) | Everything about your trips on the server. What’s on each device stays. |
| The account | Settings, «Cuenta», «Borrar la cuenta» (“Delete the account”) | On the server, the account, the copy of your trips, the sessions, the devices for notifications and the link with Google. On that device, all your trips and documents. |
- If you want to keep anything, export each trip first.
- In Settings, under «Cuenta», tap «Borrar mi cuenta» (“Delete my account”).
- Confirm with your password and «Borrar para siempre» (“Delete forever”), or with «Confirmar con Google y borrar» (“Confirm with Google and delete”) if your account has no password. It needs a connection and can’t be undone.
What isn’t deleted, because it isn’t on the server: what’s saved on other devices you signed in on, until you delete the app or its data there; what’s in your Google Drive or Google Calendar; and what your AI provider keeps under its policy. Without the app, you can request deletion as explained in the privacy policy.
Offline
Since everything is on the device, without a network you can open trips, the plan, accommodation, the packing list and documents with their files. The bar says so: «Sin conexión: todo sigue en este dispositivo» (“Offline: everything is still on this device”). Only the first sign-in on each device needs a connection.
| Works offline | Doesn’t work offline |
|---|---|
| Viewing and changing trips, places, plan, accommodation, packing list and documents | The background map, which shows up blank (offline maps by area are pending) |
| Reading a booking PDF | Placing a new stay on the map |
| Alerts when passing nearby and reminders | Searching for places, photos and links |
| The route in On the road mode | AI |
| Changes, which wait to upload to your account | Deleting the account |
Frequently asked questions
Who can read my trips on the server?
The copy is on the Kokai server, in the European Union. Whoever administers it sees the list of accounts and how much space each copy takes, but the admin panel doesn’t show the content of trips. If you don’t want them there, turn off the copy in Settings and it’s deleted immediately.
Is the photo of my passport uploaded?
No. Document files are never uploaded to the Kokai server, and for passports, ID cards and health documents not even the details are uploaded. They only leave the device if you turn on Google Drive (soon), and then they go to your own Drive.
If I turn off the copy, do I lose my trips?
No: the copy on the server is deleted, but what’s on each device stays. What changes is that changes on one device stop reaching the others, and if you lose one there’s no copy to recover it from.
What does the AI know about me?
What it needs for the question: the destination, the dates, your places, the plan and where you sleep, without your name or your email. Never your documents, your location or your route. The full table is in AI interests.
Does signing out delete my data from the device?
No, so you can sign back in and carry on offline. To delete it, delete the account from that device, or clear the app’s or the browser’s data.
Can I take my data to another app?
Yes: each trip exports as JSON with its places, plan, accommodation, documents (without files), interests, packing list and tags. For now, from the browser.
Sources and references
The original documentation for what is cited here, checked on this page’s review date.
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Spanish Official State Gazette (BOE), from the Official Journal of the EU
- Know your rights Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD)
- IndexedDB API MDN Web Docs
- Nominatim Usage Policy OpenStreetMap Foundation
- Privacy Policy OpenStreetMap Foundation
- Privacy policy Wikimedia Foundation
- Google API Services User Data Policy Google for Developers
Keep reading
- AI interestsHow Kokai uses Anthropic or OpenAI with your own key: areas from 100 m to 500 km, suggested places you accept, web search and what data is sent.
- DocumentsHow Kokai keeps tickets, bookings and passport as PDF or photo to open offline, what it warns you about before they expire and what stays on your device.
- On the roadHow Kokai alerts you near a saved place: the radii it uses, how it avoids false GPS alerts, what it records of your route and what it does with your location.
- GlossaryTravel glossary: what a geofence, a stay, a booking reference, GPS hysteresis or PMTiles is. 35 travel and map terms, with the figures Kokai uses.