OOT — App Requirements for Review

What OOT is

Getting trip planning out of the group chat

OOT is a collaborative group-trip planner. One host creates a trip and invites friends, and the group builds the destinations, accommodation, itinerary, and transportation together, votes with polls, splits expenses, and chats, all in one shared workspace. Instead of decisions getting buried in a group chat, the whole trip lives in one structured, visual, and fun place, with a collaborative "Planning" mode and a finalized state.

Who uses it

Roles, per trip

Roles are set per trip. Anyone who signs up can create their own trip (becoming its host) or be invited to someone else's (becoming a collaborator there).

Host

The trip creator

Creates the trip, invites friends, appoints a co-host, controls Planning vs Finalized mode, and can delete the trip. Full edit authority.

Co-host

Appointed helper

Given elevated edit rights on that trip by the host. (Exact permissions are one of the points to confirm below.)

Collaborator

Invited friend

Adds accommodation options, itinerary activities, their own transportation, and expenses, votes in polls, and chats.

Invitee

Pending guest

Sees a blurred, limited preview of the trip until they accept the invite, then becomes a full collaborator.

What it does

The core features

Everything a group needs to plan a trip together, in one app.

Create a trip — title, description, cover photo, and start/end dates.
Destinations — add multiple cities and countries, each with its own dates.
Invite friends — by phone, email, friend list, or a shareable link with a ready-made invite message.
Accommodation + voting — members add option links (Airbnb, hotels) and the group votes; majority wins.
Itinerary — days are generated from the dates; each day has its own activities and links.
Transportation — each member picks their travel mode and can add flight or ticket details.
Polls — create polls at trip level and inside the chat, with vote tallies and a countdown.
Group chat — one chat per trip that also surfaces updates ("transportation finalized", "Katie voted").
Expense split & settle-up — log expenses, split equally or custom, and see who owes who, per person.
Planning vs Finalize — collaborate freely in Planning mode, then the host finalizes to lock the trip.
Friends — search users, send and accept friend requests.
Notifications — in-app alerts and red dots for new chats, votes, and transport reminders.
Profile & achievements — trips hosted, collaborations, and "globe trotter" international trips.
Cover photos — choose a GIF or upload your own image.

How it flows

The main journeys

1 · Sign up

Splash, then sign up with your phone number (a 6-digit code, no password; email is an option), accept terms, a short 2-question travel survey, and set up your profile and photo.

2 · Create a trip

Add the basics and cover, then your destinations with their dates. The trip opens in Planning mode with Itinerary, Accommodation, Transportation, Expenses, Chat, and Polls.

3 · Invite & join

Invite friends by phone, email, or link. They see a blurred preview, then accept to get full access.

4 · Collaborate & finalize

Everyone adds options and votes, the chat surfaces updates, and the host finalizes the trip when it is set.

5 · Split & settle up

Log shared expenses, see where everyone stands, and settle up person by person.

Scope

What is in and out for version 1

Version 1 is the mobile app, free to use with no paywall. Here is what it includes and what is intentionally left for later.

In scope (v1)

Sign up with phone or email (code-based)
Friends: search, request, accept
Trip creation + multiple destinations
Accommodation options + voting
Itinerary, transportation, polls
Per-trip group chat
Expense split, settle-up, per-person view
Invites + blurred preview + finalize mode
GIF / custom covers, profile + achievements, notifications

Out of scope (v1)

In-app hotel / Airbnb booking (links only)
In-app money transfer (settle-up is informational)
Subscriptions, paywall, or ads
Global or random chat (chat is per trip)
In-app photo storage (photos are external links)
iMessage widget

Over to you

A few points to confirm before we build

These are the open items where your input locks the design. Answering them lets us start development with no ambiguity.

Companion website. Should the web version mirror the mobile app for users, be a back-office admin panel (manage users, content, stats), or both? This shapes a large part of the build.

Email login. Phone with a code is the main sign-in. Should email login also be code-based, and is it needed at launch or later?

Co-host permissions. Exactly what can a co-host do versus the host (delete the trip, remove members, finalize)?

Polls. Confirm polls are in for v1, and lock who can create them, the default expiry, and the tie-break rule.

Multi-city dates. How should overlapping or same-day multi-location trips be handled in the itinerary?

Invites vs friends. Can you invite someone who is not yet a registered friend (by phone or email, into signup), or only existing friends?

Search. Should search cover users and trips only, or search across everything (chats, places)?

GIF covers. Which GIF source would you like for the curated covers, or user-upload only?

Delete account. How should account deletion be confirmed, and should a user's trips be removed with them?

Next step

How to review this

Please read through and let us know two things: does this capture the app as you envision it, and what are your answers to the points above. Once we have those, we lock the requirements and move into development. Happy to walk through any of it on a call.