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Why does automatic mileage tracking in the QuickBooks mobile app miss or cut short my trips, and how do I fix it?

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
April 20, 2024
6 replies
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Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. Allowed Camera, Location (allowed all the time), Notifications, Photos and videos, Physical Activity. Some days it will catch all trips without issue. With no changes made and the phone showing that Mileage is being recorded, that mileage fails to appear unreviewed and just seems to disappear. It missed a 400 mile trip this week. Frustrating in that one reason I picked QB was not needing to pay for an additional app such as Everlance that I used to use.

QuickBooks Online

Best answer by sofiamdc-2341

Intermittent missed or cut-short trips almost always come down to your phone quietly stopping the app in the background, most often battery or power-saving optimization, a location or background permission that dropped, or on Android a Wi-Fi hotspot while driving. The app can only record a trip while it's allowed to run in the background, so the fix is to lock those settings in and then use the app's built-in tracking check before you drive. Here's the order that resolves it for most people. One note first: you need admin access to the company to track mileage.

1. Turn off battery and power optimization for QuickBooks (most common cause)

On Android (Samsung and others), exclude the QuickBooks app from battery optimization, or set it to unrestricted or "don't optimize." The exact path varies by phone, so use your manufacturer's battery settings (for example, Samsung or Google Pixel).
On iPhone, don't use Low Power Mode while you're tracking, since it stops background apps. If you have to use it, open the QuickBooks app and leave it open for the trip.

2. Let the app always run in the background

On iPhone: go to Settings, then QuickBooks, then Location, and choose Always. Turn on Motion & Fitness, Background App Refresh, and Cellular Data. If you see a prompt about background location, choose Always Allow, not While Using.
On Android: allow the app to run in the background (use Google's steps for your device), then in the app's Mobile data settings turn on Allow background data usage, Allow unrestricted data usage, and Allow app while data saver is on.

3. On Android, don't stay on a Wi-Fi hotspot while driving

A hotspot connection while you drive can interfere with recording a trip accurately, which can make a trip end early. Wi-Fi itself is fine; just don't stay tethered to a hotspot on the move.

4. Run the app's built-in tracking check before you drive

On iPhone: from the Menu, tap Settings, then Mileage, then Troubleshooting, and fix anything marked with a (!).
On Android: from the Menu, tap Settings, then Mileage, and review the "Avoid missed trips" list. Anything without a green check has a step to fix it.

5. A few more iPhone settings that help

Turn on Significant Locations: Settings, then Privacy, then Location Services, then System Services, then Significant Locations.
Keep Do Not Disturb off during trips, and turn off Screen Time Content & Privacy restrictions if you use them.

6. Keep the app and your phone updated

Update the QuickBooks app to the latest version, and update your phone (the app needs iOS 12.2 or later).

7. A safety net so you never lose a big trip

Open the app at the start of a drive to confirm it's running in the background.
Since the app can't recover a trip it never recorded, add any missed trip manually so you don't lose the deduction, and for a trip that ended early, edit it and correct the distance.

If you've locked all of this in and trips still drop, that points to something specific to your device or account, so it's worth contacting support with the dates of the missed trips and your app version so they can review the tracking details.

Helpful Resources:

L

LeizylM

QuickBooks Team

I understand the importance of ensuring your mileage is accurately tracked, davidboyle. I'm here to share insights about this.

We can perform some basic troubleshooting steps to fix this. There are times when the QuickBooks Online app has a lot of data which may cause missing mileage tracking. First, let's ensure you have the latest version of the QuickBooks app installed on your phone.

Then, let's reset the app data to clear the cache and refresh it into its default state.

Here's how:

Go to the Menu icon, then tap More Options ⋮.
Click Settings, then Refresh Data.
Select YES to confirm.

I've also added these articles as your reference in tracking mileage:

The community is always open if you have other questions about mileage tracking. I'll be around to help. Have a great day ahead.

D

davidboyle-glascAuthor

Frankly, if an app requires this much babysitting to work 'automatically', then it is not automatic. I have cleared the cache, uninstalled and reinstalled, reset permissions, and everything else suggested literally dozens of times. I just went to classify my trips from yesterday only to see that it decided to end my trip a few miles before my trip actually ended. Completely random.

R

Rea_M

Level 10

We appreciate you performing the troubleshooting steps to fix the mileage tracking issues you're having in the QuickBooks Online (QBO) mobile app, David. I'd recommend reviewing your device's general location settings to ensure your trips are tracked accurately.

Ensure that the QuickBooks mobile app is allowed to run in the background so it can track trips even when not actively open on your screen. This is why your data ended a few miles before your journey ended. To do this fix on iOS (iPhone and iPad), here's how:

Go to your iPhone or iPad's Settings.
Scroll down and select the QuickBooks app.
Select Location. Then select Always.
Turn on the Motion & Fitness, Background App Refresh, and Cellular Data options.
Close your settings.
When you see a message about background location use, select Always Allow. Note: Don’t select the While Using the App, or Only While Using options. These prevent the app from tracking your mileage consistently.

If you're using an Android (phone or tablet) device, utilize Google's steps to make sure QuickBooks can run in the background.

To learn more on what to do if you have issues tracking your work trips on your Apple or Android device, please see this article: Fix mileage tracking issues in the QuickBooks Online mobile app.

Additionally, you might want to create and manage a list of your favorite locations to auto-populate when reviewing your trips with the mobile app. To do so, you can check out the Add and edit favorite locations section in this article for the complete guide: Set up vehicles and mileage tracking in the QuickBooks Online app.

Keep in touch if you have other mileage-related concerns or questions about managing trips in the QBO app. I'll get back to provide the guidance you need.

T

trentjones71

I use The QuickBooks app on my iOS platform. I’ve been using it for around eight years. For the last three months I’m having the same problems. Intermittently tracking trips. Will track some trips yet not track any other trips with no changes to settings. I’ve reported this issue to QB 3 times now. Getting tired of having to go in and manually enter trips. Each time I open a new case with QuickBooks, it takes weeks to hear back from them, and when I do finally hear back from them, it’s by email, stating that the issue has been resolved. But the same problems persist. I have Life360 on my phone. It never misses a trip. So why is QuickBooks struggling to keep up? Getting to be very frustrating. Losing trust in this company very quickly.

sofiamdc-2341

Answer

Community Manager

Intermittent missed or cut-short trips almost always come down to your phone quietly stopping the app in the background, most often battery or power-saving optimization, a location or background permission that dropped, or on Android a Wi-Fi hotspot while driving. The app can only record a trip while it's allowed to run in the background, so the fix is to lock those settings in and then use the app's built-in tracking check before you drive. Here's the order that resolves it for most people. One note first: you need admin access to the company to track mileage.