Frequently asked questions

Review note. The detection, permission, and export answers are taken from the product design. The rest are drafts written to match the product facts, and they need product review.

This page is general information, not tax advice.

Can I get it now?

Not yet. Miles is coming soon. There is no App Store listing and no public beta. The answers below describe the product at launch.

How does automatic detection work?

The iPhone reports when you start moving at road speed and when you stop somewhere. Miles uses those reports, together with the motion data the phone already collects, to notice a drive and to record the route while it lasts. When you stop for longer than a few minutes (five by default), the drive ends and appears at the top of your list. You do not need a Bluetooth beacon or a manual start.

Does it drain the battery?

Miles waits for the phone to report movement instead of polling GPS all day, and it records the route only while a drive is in progress. That is the pattern Apple recommends for apps like this.

Review note. Add a measured figure for a typical day of driving once the app exists.

Why does it need the Always location permission?

Automatic detection has to notice a drive when the app is not open. iOS only allows that with the Always permission. If you would rather grant While Using, you can still track drives by starting them yourself from the app, the Live Activity, Control Center, or a Shortcut.

How accurate is the distance?

The distance comes from the GPS track of the drive. Over a normal drive, the track and the odometer agree closely. Tunnels and dense downtown streets can cause gaps, and you can correct any drive by hand. You can also enter odometer readings for a drive, and the log keeps both.

Review note. Whether a poor track is snapped to roads with MapKit directions needs a product decision.

What if it misses a drive?

Add it. Choose the start and end addresses, and Miles computes the driving distance with Apple Maps directions and records the entry with the time you added it. Publication 463 accepts a record you reconstruct with your own statement and supporting evidence, and the mileage log requirements guide explains what that evidence looks like.

Does the log meet IRS requirements?

Publication 463 lists the elements a car expense record must show. The date, the destination, the business purpose, the mileage for each business use, and the total miles for the year. Miles records all of them, plus the time each record was created, which is the evidence that the record was kept at or near the time of the drive. See mileage log requirements.

Does it work for Canada?

Yes. Set a vehicle's tax region to Canada and Miles tracks it in kilometres, keeps a full or simplified logbook the way the CRA describes, prorates your actual expenses by business kilometres, and produces the T2125 figures. See the Canada guides.

What can I export?

A mileage log PDF in the IRS Table 5-2 layout, a tax summary PDF with the Schedule C numbers, a CRA logbook in kilometres, CSV, Excel, the QuickBooks Online mileage import format, an accountant package that bundles the PDFs, the CSV, and your receipt photos, and a JSON backup of everything. See reports and exports.

Is there an official IRS form for a mileage log?

No. The IRS publishes no form for submitting a log. Publication 463 includes a sample log, Table 5-2, and labels it "not an official Internal Revenue form". Miles exports the log in that layout, and a tax summary with the numbers that go on Schedule C line 9 and in Part IV. Employees in the four groups who may still file Form 2106 can export it filled in.

Where is my data stored?

On your iPhone, and in the private part of your iCloud account, which the app uses to sync. Nothing is stored on our servers. We operate no location servers.

Does the app send anything to you?

The app checks for updates and sends crash and performance reports to a monitoring provider by default. You can turn the reports off in Settings. Your drives, places, and expenses are not sent. The privacy policy lists what is sent.

Do I need an account?

No. There is nothing to sign up for. The app uses the iCloud account already on your phone.

How much does it cost?

$9.99 a month or $79.99 a year, after a 14-day free trial. Every feature is included. If you stop paying, tracking stops and your log stays readable and exportable. See pricing.

Can my accountant use it?

Yes. Export the accountant package and send it from the share sheet. It contains the log PDF, the tax summary, a CSV, and the receipt images. Your accountant does not need the app or an account.

Does it work on iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Android?

At launch, Miles is an iPhone app. iPad and Mac apps on the same iCloud data, an Apple Watch app, and a CarPlay app are planned. Android and a web app are not.

What does it require?

An iPhone with iOS 26 or later, an iCloud account, and the Always location and Motion & Fitness permissions for automatic detection.