Sidetrip lets you share any trip with other iCloud users, giving them a live copy of the itinerary that updates whenever you make changes. Shared trips can also be viewed on the Apple Watch companion. This guide covers sharing trips, managing participants, and understanding how shared trips work.
Requirements
- Sidetrip Pro to share a trip. Accepting a shared trip doesn't require Pro, but it counts toward the free tier's one-trip limit
- Both you and the person you're sharing with must have an iCloud account
- An active internet connection to create and accept shares
Sharing a Trip
Step 1: Open the Trip
Tap the trip you want to share from the trips list to open it.
Step 2: Open Sharing
In the trip overview, find the Sharing section and tap Share Trip. Once a trip is shared, the button becomes Manage Sharing.
Step 3: Invite People
The system sharing sheet lets you invite people and choose whether they can make changes or only view the trip. You can:
- Type an iCloud email address and send an invitation
- Copy the share link and send it manually via Messages, Mail, or any other app
Step 4: Recipient Accepts the Share
The invited person receives a link. When they tap it, Sidetrip opens and prompts them to accept. The trip then appears in their Shared with Me section on the trips list.
How Shared Trips Work
Live Sync
Shared trips are powered by iCloud CloudKit. Any change made by the owner or by someone with permission to make changes — updating stops, adding notes, marking stops as visited, changing titles or covers — propagates to everyone's devices automatically. Changes appear within a few minutes when all devices are online.
Shared with Me Section
Trips shared with you appear in a separate Shared with Me section in your trips list, clearly distinct from your own trips.
Permissions
When you invite someone, you choose whether they can make changes or only view the trip. Their permission appears next to their name in the trip overview's Sharing section.
- Can Edit: They can change anything in the trip — titles, days, stops, notes, covers, accommodations, transportation, and visit statuses. With Sidetrip Pro, they can also use the AI assistant on it.
- View Only: They can see the full itinerary, including stops, accommodations, transportation, notes, covers, visit statuses, and maps, but can't change anything. The trip overview shows a View Only label.
Visit statuses, notes, and covers belong to the trip, not to each person, so everyone sees the same ones. Archiving is the exception: it only hides the trip for you.
Shared Trips on Apple Watch
After a shared trip is accepted and synced, it appears in the Apple Watch companion's Shared with you section for Sidetrip Pro users. The Watch shows the itinerary, trip details, and progress. Visit status can be updated when the shared-trip permission allows editing; read-only trips remain view-only on the Watch.
Invitations, participant management, and changes to the trip's core content are handled in Sidetrip on iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Managing Participants
Viewing Who Has Access
The Sharing section of the trip overview lists everyone who has access to the trip. Tap Manage Sharing for more detail, such as whether an invitation is still pending.
Removing a Participant
To revoke someone's access:
- Open the trip and tap Manage Sharing
- Select the participant you want to remove
- Choose Remove Access
They will no longer see the trip in their Shared with Me list and will lose access to updates.
Leaving a Shared Trip
If someone has shared a trip with you and you no longer want access to it:
- iPhone/iPad: Swipe left on the trip in the Shared with Me section, tap Leave, and confirm
- Mac: Swipe left on the trip with two fingers on the trackpad, click Leave, and confirm
This removes the trip from your library only. The owner's copy is not affected, and other participants are not affected. You can rejoin if the owner sends you the link again.
Trip Limit and Sharing
The free tier of Sidetrip allows a maximum of one trip total (your own trips plus shared trips combined). If you're on the free tier and already have one trip, you cannot accept a new shared trip until you upgrade to Sidetrip Pro or remove your existing trip.
Sidetrip will notify you if a share acceptance is blocked by the trip limit and offer the option to upgrade. If the invitation arrives while a trip is open, Sidetrip closes it first and returns to your trips list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can recipients edit the trip?
Yes, if you give them permission to make changes when you invite them. People with view-only access can see the trip but can't change anything, including visit statuses and notes.
Do shared trips count against the free tier limit?
Yes. The free tier allows one trip in total, which includes both your own trips and trips shared with you. Sidetrip Pro removes this limit.
What happens to a shared trip if the owner deletes it?
If the owner deletes a trip, all recipients lose access and the trip is removed from their Shared with Me list.
Can I share a trip that was shared with me?
No. Only the original owner of a trip can share it. If you want to give someone access to a trip that was shared with you, ask the original owner to invite them directly.
Does sharing work offline?
You need an internet connection to create a share, accept a share, or sync changes. Once a trip is synced to your device, you can view it offline. Updates will sync the next time you go online.