How can we help?

Getting Started with SmartMiles SmartMiles tracks your driving automatically so you can claim mileage deductions at tax time without keeping a paper log. How it works 1. Install the app on your iPhone or Android phone. 2. Sign in with your email or Google account. 3. Grant location permissions when prompted (the app needs "Always Allow" to track drives in the background). 4. Drive. SmartMiles detects when you start and stop driving and records each trip automatically. 5. Classify your trips as Business, Personal, Medical, Charity, or Moving. 6. Export a report when you need it for taxes or reimbursement. First things to set up After your first few trips are recorded, take a minute to configure these: - Add your vehicles — Go to Settings > Vehicles and add the cars you drive. SmartMiles can auto-assign trips to vehicles using Bluetooth. - Save your frequent locations — Name places like "Home" and "Office" so trip summaries are easier to read. - Set up Work Hours — Tell SmartMiles your typical work schedule and it will auto-classify trips during those hours as Business. - Create Frequent Trip Rules — After classifying a trip, you can save that route as a rule so future trips between the same locations are classified automatically. What SmartMiles tracks Each trip records: - Start and end locations - Start and end times - Driving route (snapped to roads) - Distance in miles - Dollar value based on the current IRS mileage rate SmartMiles does not track your location when you are not driving.

Getting Started

Setting Up Location Permissions

Setting Up Location Permissions SmartMiles needs location access set to "Always Allow" to detect and record trips automatically while the app is in the background. Why "Always Allow" is required Unlike apps that only need your location while you are using them, SmartMiles needs to detect when you start driving — even if the app is not open on screen. Without background location access, the app cannot start recording a trip until you manually open it. iOS setup 1. Open Settings on your iPhone. 2. Scroll down and tap SmartMiles. 3. Tap Location. 4. Select Always. 5. Make sure Precise Location is turned on. If you only see "While Using the App" and "Never," open the SmartMiles app first. iOS sometimes shows the "Always" option only after the app has requested it. iOS location prompt When you first install SmartMiles, iOS asks for location permission in two steps: 1. First, it offers "Allow While Using App" or "Don't Allow." 2. After using the app briefly, iOS shows a second prompt asking to upgrade to "Always Allow." If you dismissed the second prompt, you can change the setting manually using the steps above. Android setup 1. Open Settings on your phone. 2. Tap Apps (or Apps & notifications). 3. Find and tap SmartMiles. 4. Tap Permissions, then Location. 5. Select Allow all the time. Additional Android settings Some Android manufacturers add extra battery restrictions that can stop background apps. If trips are not being detected: - Battery optimization — Go to Settings > Battery > Battery optimization, find SmartMiles, and select "Don't optimize" (or "Unrestricted"). - Samsung — Disable "Put unused apps to sleep" in Settings > Battery > Background usage limits, and add SmartMiles to the "Never sleeping apps" list. - Xiaomi / Redmi — Enable "Autostart" for SmartMiles in Settings > Apps > Manage apps > SmartMiles. - Huawei / Honor — Add SmartMiles to the "Protected apps" list in Settings > Battery > App launch. - OnePlus — Disable "Battery optimization" and enable "Allow background activity" for SmartMiles. Motion & Fitness (iOS) On iOS, SmartMiles also uses Motion & Fitness data to detect when you are in a vehicle. Make sure this is enabled: 1. Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Motion & Fitness. 2. Turn on Fitness Tracking. 3. Make sure SmartMiles is turned on in the list below. Physical Activity (Android) On Android, SmartMiles uses the Physical Activity permission to detect driving. This is requested during setup. If you denied it: 1. Go to Settings > Apps > SmartMiles > Permissions. 2. Tap Physical Activity and select Allow.

Account & Settings

Managing Your Account Settings

Managing Your Account Settings You can view and update your account settings from the Settings tab in the app or from the web dashboard. Profile - Name — Your first and last name. Used in exports and reports. - Email — The email address linked to your account. Changing your email requires verification with a code sent to the new address. - Timezone — Your local timezone. SmartMiles uses this for trip timestamps, Work Hours classification, notification timing, and exports. It is detected automatically but you can change it if needed. Changing your email 1. Go to Settings > Account. 2. Tap your email address. 3. Enter your new email. 4. Enter the verification code sent to the new email. 5. Your email is updated. Connected accounts If you signed in with Google, you will see your Google account listed under Connected Accounts. You can: - Connect a Google account for faster sign-in. - Disconnect a Google account if you prefer to sign in with email only. You can always sign in with either method as long as the email matches. Deleting your account If you want to delete your SmartMiles account and all associated data, contact support. Account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.

Getting Started

How Automatic Trip Tracking Works

How Automatic Trip Tracking Works SmartMiles uses your phone's GPS and motion sensors to detect driving automatically. You do not need to press start or stop — it all happens in the background. Trip detection The app listens for vehicle motion using your phone's activity recognition. When it detects that you are in a vehicle, it begins recording GPS points. When it detects that you have stopped (based on a period of no movement), it ends the trip. Trips are processed on our servers after they end. Processing includes: - Snapping the GPS path to actual roads using map matching - Calculating the driving distance - Reverse-geocoding start and end addresses - Generating a map image of the route This usually takes a few seconds. You will receive a notification when a new trip is ready to classify (if notifications are enabled). Background tracking For automatic detection to work, SmartMiles needs to run in the background. This requires the "Always Allow" location permission on both iOS and Android. The app uses efficient background tracking that minimizes battery impact. It only records GPS points while you are actively driving — it does not continuously track your location throughout the day. What counts as a trip A trip is recorded when: - The app detects vehicle motion - The driving distance is at least 600 meters (about 0.4 miles) - The trip has a clear start and stop Very short movements (like moving your car in a parking lot) are filtered out automatically. When tracking might not work - Location permissions are not set to "Always Allow" - Battery saver or low power mode is restricting background apps - The phone was powered off during the drive - The app was force-closed from the app switcher See Troubleshooting: Why a trip might not appear for more details.

Troubleshooting

Why a Trip Might Not Appear

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.

Account & Settings

Deleting Your Account

Deleting Your Account You can delete your SmartMiles account at any time from the app or the web dashboard. Deletion is not immediate — you have a 30-day grace period to change your mind. How to delete your account From the app 1. Go to Settings > Account. 2. Scroll to the bottom and tap Delete Account. 3. Confirm the deletion. From the web dashboard 1. Go to Account Settings. 2. Click Delete Account in the danger zone. 3. Confirm the deletion. What happens when you delete your account - Your account is immediately deactivated — you will be signed out and cannot sign back in. - Your account and all data are scheduled for permanent deletion in 30 days. - You will receive a confirmation email. 30-day grace period After requesting deletion, you have 30 days to change your mind. During this period: - Simply sign back in with your email or Google account to reactivate your account. - All your data (trips, vehicles, locations, rules, exports) will still be there. - Your account will be fully restored as if nothing happened. After the 30-day grace period expires, your account and all associated data are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. What data is deleted When your account is permanently deleted, the following is removed: - All trips and route data - Saved locations (home, work, etc.) - Vehicles and Bluetooth device pairings - Frequent trip rules and Work Hours settings - Mileage rate customizations - Exports and CSV files - Notification preferences and digest subscriptions - Activity and event history

How can we help?

Getting Started

Troubleshooting

Trips

Auto-Classification

Vehicles

Locations

Mileage & Reports

Account & Settings

Getting Started with SmartMiles

Setting Up Location Permissions

Managing Your Account Settings

How Automatic Trip Tracking Works

Why a Trip Might Not Appear

Deleting Your Account