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Why a Trip Might Not Appear

Last updated on Apr 02, 2026

Why a Trip Might Not Appear

If you drove somewhere and SmartMiles did not record the trip, here are the most common reasons and what to do about them.

Location permissions are wrong

SmartMiles needs location access set to "Always Allow" to detect trips in the background. If it is set to "While Using the App" or "Never," the app can only track when it is open on screen.

Fix: Go to your phone's Settings > SmartMiles > Location and change it to "Always" (iOS) or "Allow all the time" (Android). See Setting Up Location Permissions.

Battery optimization is killing the app

Many Android phones aggressively restrict background apps to save battery. If your phone puts SmartMiles to sleep, it cannot detect trips.

Fix: Exempt SmartMiles from battery optimization. The exact steps vary by manufacturer — see the Android section of Setting Up Location Permissions for steps specific to Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus, and others.

The app was force-closed

If you swipe SmartMiles away in the app switcher (recent apps), it may stop running in the background on some phones.

Fix: Avoid force-closing SmartMiles. Just leave it in the background. On Android, some phones have a "lock" option in the app switcher that prevents accidental swipe-away.

Low power mode was on

iOS Low Power Mode and Android Battery Saver can restrict background activity, including GPS tracking.

Fix: Turn off low power mode before driving, or add SmartMiles to your phone's exceptions list.

The phone was off or had no signal

If your phone was powered off, in airplane mode, or had no GPS signal (e.g., underground), SmartMiles cannot record location data.

The trip was too short

Trips shorter than about 0.4 miles (600 meters) are filtered out automatically. This prevents parking lot movements and very short drives from cluttering your trip list.

The trip is still processing

After you stop driving, it takes a few seconds for SmartMiles to process the trip (snap the route to roads, calculate distance, etc.). If you check immediately, the trip might not be visible yet. Wait a minute and pull to refresh.

What to do if trips are consistently missing

  1. Check that location is set to "Always Allow."
  2. Check that battery optimization is disabled for SmartMiles.
  3. Make sure Motion & Fitness (iOS) or Physical Activity (Android) permission is granted.
  4. Open the app and let it run for a few seconds — this can restart background tracking if it was interrupted.
  5. If the problem persists, contact support.

You can always add missed trips manually.