Docs · Reviewed 2026-07-10

How Flags builds your countries-visited map

How Flags turns photo metadata and manual additions into a private map of countries you have visited.

Flags: Countries Visited Map is a personal travel record. It can use information associated with photos you choose to make available, then lets you add or correct countries manually. The point is not to prove a universal list of countries; it is to make your own history easier to see and maintain.

Build from evidence you already have

Photos can provide dates and location information that help reconstruct trips. A photo history is never complete by default: some photos have no usable location detail, some journeys contain no photographs, and an image from a trip may not represent every place you visited.

That is why a photo-based map should begin with review. Look at suggested entries in the context of the trip you remember. Keep the ones that match your definition and correct or ignore those that do not. The map is designed to be corrected, not treated as an official record.

Keep the definition yours

There is no universal rule for what counts as having “visited” a country. You may count only countries where you left an airport, include every border crossing, or include a childhood visit you know happened even when no digital evidence remains. Flags lets you maintain the record that makes sense to you.

Use manual additions where your definition includes a place that photo history did not capture. The manual additions guide offers a simple way to keep that decision consistent as your map grows.

Private by design

The current App Store listing describes an on-device approach without a cloud account or GPS tracking. That is a different model from a real-time travel feed: the app is designed around your personal map rather than an account-based public profile.

See privacy and permissions for the practical limits of that promise. Review your map periodically, particularly after importing new photo history, so it continues to reflect your own definition of a visit.

Sources
Countries Visited Map

Flags turns travel evidence the user chooses to provide into a private map. It does not use live GPS tracking or a cloud account.

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