# TrailComms Direct (TCD) — Group calls for ski & outdoors

> Group calls for ski & outdoors (iPhone/iPad app by NAOKI TSUCHIDA.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trailcomms-direct-tcd/id6767191889 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [NAOKI TSUCHIDA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896417577)
- Category: Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.6 · 21 MB
- Languages: American English, Japanese
- Released: 2026-10-26
- Data updated: 2026-11-02

## What is TrailComms Direct (TCD)?

TrailComms Direct (TCD) is a group voice-call app for people outdoors: skiers, snowboarders, hikers and cyclists. Create a room, share a QR or room code, and talk with your group. No account is needed.

KEY FEATURES
- Built for weak signal: low-data voice that adapts to your connection.
- Keeps talking with the screen off. A Live Activity can show your microphone state on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island (iOS 26.4+).
- Without earphones, push-to-talk is default: your voice is sent only while you hold the button.
- With earphones connected, tap to mute or unmute: Me mutes only yourself, All mutes everyone not using push-to-talk. Works with AirPods, wired and Bluetooth earphones.
- Optional external button (Shelly BLU Button, or a keyboard-style Bluetooth remote) toggles mute.
- See your group on the map during a call. Map tiles cover ski areas in Japan; elsewhere only your group's pins show. Map data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors.
- Record video while the call stays connected. It includes your microphone and, by default, the other members' voices (switch this off in Camera settings). An audio cue plays on every member's phone when recording starts and stops. Videos are saved to Photos if you allow it.

SKI RESORTS (HOKKAIDO, JAPAN)
- Resorts tab: lift status for Niseko United, Kiroro, Rusutsu Resort and Niseko Moiwa.
- Snow, weather and notices, with a Listen button (your phone's voice, not sent into the call).
- The resort is picked from your location on the device only (never sent), or by hand.
- Optional: turn on location sending for lift wait times and automatic voice announcements (no call needed; only inside a resort area). At or near a resort (several km wide) your location (position, time, a daily-changing number; not linked to your name or account, but one day's points share it) is sent, even with the screen off. New installs are asked after setup; others when they turn on voice announcements in Resorts or in Settings. Everything else works without it.
- Powder Map (free, on Home): where the last 12, 24 or 48 hours of snow collected, by colour (Niseko, Rusutsu, Kiroro; last two trial). A past estimate, not a forecast or avalanche danger rating. No sign-in or location permission.
- Info button in calls shows the same; Home shows a banner during a resort broadcast.
Resort information is from public sources and can be late or wrong. Not an official resort app.

STAFF FEATURES (GUIDES AND VENUE STAFF)
- Guide Mode (an account we issue to a company; guides see customers' face photos) and MC Broadcast (venue announcements, passcode), under Settings > Staff features. Not needed for calls.

PLANS
- Free plan: a daily time limit shared by calls, Camera, in-call Map and voice announcements. An optional video ad adds 15 minutes (3 a day).
- 24-Hour Plan: up to 5 people (one-time purchase, does not renew).
- Monthly Plan (2 people) and Monthly Plan (5 people): auto-renewing subscriptions for up to 2 or 5 people.
Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel them in your Apple ID account settings at any time.

LOCATION
- During a call: location is used from connecting until disconnecting (short reconnects included). It is shown to the other members of your room on the map, and your route is also saved on our server.
- Lift wait times (optional): only if you turn it on, your location is sent at or near a ski resort, even with the screen off. Turn it off in Settings.
- Allowing location is optional: calls work without it. With the screen off during a call, sharing may pause; choosing "Always" (optional, in Settings) keeps it going.
See the Privacy Policy for details, including route retention.

Built for iPhone.

Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://tcd-film.com/tcd/privacy-policy.html

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 月額プラン(5人まで) | $4.99 | per month |
| 月額プラン(2人まで) | $2.99 | per month |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 24時間プラン(5人まで) | $0.99 | one-time |


## Is TrailComms Direct (TCD) safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess TrailComms Direct (TCD).

## Is TrailComms Direct (TCD) legit?

TrailComms Direct (TCD) has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for TrailComms Direct (TCD) is 50 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.0.4 — 2026-11-02

New and changed:
- Automatic lift announcements now work without a call. They are spoken through any output, including the phone speaker, but only while you are inside a ski resort area (during a call they are spoken as before; without a call they pause during an MC broadcast and while the camera recording screen is open). On the free plan, the day's 60 minutes (shared with calls) start when announcements first play there, not when you tap the switch.
- Turning on voice announcements now shows a single confirmation, with no waiting.
- Removed the "Show wait time" switch: wait times are shown to people who have location sending on.
- Added a "Lift Status" button on Home.
- Purchases made with an offer code or "Ask to Buy" are now picked up as soon as you open the app.

### 1.0.3 — 2026-11-01

New and changed:
- Added "Powder Map": a free snow map you open from the button under "Join a Room" on Home. It shows by colour where the snow of the last 12, 24 or 48 hours has collected (an estimate calculated from past weather, not a forecast). No sign-in or location permission needed. It covers Niseko, Rusutsu and Kiroro (Rusutsu and Kiroro are in trial).
- Guide Mode: customers joining a guide-mode room are now asked for a face photo every time (skippable unless the guide requires it). The photo is shown only to that room's guide, with one exception: if you have no profile icon yet, it also becomes your icon, which the other people in the room can see.
- Fixed two back buttons showing on the call screen on iOS 27.

### 1.0.2 — 2026-10-30

New and changed:
- Staff features for guide companies and ski-resort staff, under Settings > Staff features. You do not need them for ordinary calls.
  - Guide Mode: log in with an account we issue to a company to manage its customers' rooms and talk to every room at once.
  - MC Broadcast: venue staff can send a venue announcement with a passcode.
- Mute and unmute with the iPhone's volume buttons (optional; turn it on in Settings > Volume Button; each press also changes the iPhone's volume by one step).
- A "Location access: Always" row in Settings (optional). With "Always", location sharing during a call continues with the screen off. Nothing changes unless you tap it.
- Fixed audio that could play late after switching earphones.
- Guide-mode rooms that can no longer be used are now removed from your recent rooms automatically.

### 1.0.1 — 2026-10-29

New: Resorts for Hokkaido ski resorts.
- Lift status (map or list) for Niseko United, Kiroro, Rusutsu Resort and Niseko Moiwa. Before the season opens, lifts read suspended, closed for today or out of season.
- A snow, weather and notices briefing with a Listen button.
- The nearest resort is found on your device only; you can also choose it by hand.
- Optional: turn on location sending to unlock estimated lift wait times and automatic voice announcements. While you are at or near a ski resort (an area several km wide), your location (not linked to your name or account) is sent, even with the screen off. New installs are asked right after setup; if you update from 1.0, you are asked when you turn on voice announcements or wait times in Resorts, or you turn it on yourself in Settings. Everything else works without it, and you can turn it off any time in Settings. On the free plan, voice announcements count toward the daily free time.
- An Info button during calls, and a banner on Home when a live resort broadcast is on.
- On the free plan you can now watch a video ad to add 15 minutes of free time (up to 3 times a day). It is optional and shown only when you choose it; people on a paid plan do not see ads.
Also: small bug fixes.
- In-call map: a fresh-snow layer (a past estimate, not a forecast) and a members bar that slides up when tapped.

### 1.0 — 2026-10-26

No release notes.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-11-02.*