Trusting an app with your data can feel like a leap of faith — and it’s no wonder since misuse or loss of private information can lead to serious consequences. At MileIQ, we consider it a privilege that so many drivers and admins trust us to count their drives accurately. As such, we don’t want you to feel in the dark about how we use your data and why we ask for things like location tracking and Motion & Fitness tracking when you download the app.
This is a quick primer — consider it the opposite of legalese used in most Terms and Conditions — on why MileIQ needs access to some data, how it’s processed and stored, and how we keep it safe.
Want to take a deep dive? You can read our full Privacy policy here.
Short on time? Here are the key points
- MileIQ needs location data to track drives automatically — so you don’t need to stop and start a drive yourself.
- You can update your permissions and turn off drive detection in the app when you don’t want to track drives — for example at the end of a work shift.
- MileIQ does not sell data and it only shares it with third-parties to help manage our platform and keep it secure.
- Live tracking (that is, the ability to see where someone is at a given moment) is not possible with MileIQ — employers or other MileIQ drivers don’t see any of your data unless you send them a mileage report.
MileIQ needs location data to track drives automatically
When signing up for MileIQ, you may notice a pop-up asking you to grant location permissions, as well as Motion & Fitness tracking in your phone settings. Access to this data lets MileIQ track drives automatically — by far our most popular feature.
Location access also lets MileIQ auto-classify drives as business or personal (if you set your Work Hours or use Frequent Drives). Without access to this data, you’d need to start and stop recording drives manually, much like you would with a paper log or a spreadsheet.
“MileIQ does not sell user data, period. Your data is yours and yours alone.”
You’re in control: Deciding when and how to share data with MileIQ
You’re fully in charge of how you share data with the MileIQ app.
Stop-and-start tracking permissions
Don’t want to track drives during non-work hours? You can update your location and Motion & Fitness tracking permissions.
When you don’t need to track mileage, head to your phone settings and toggle off Motion & Fitness tracking, then set the Location tracking permissions to Never for the MileIQ app.
When you need to track a drive again, open the app and it will prompt you to grant permissions. Keep in mind that it may take about 30 minutes for the app to begin syncing drives correctly, so you may want to give it a head start before getting behind the wheel.
Pause automatic drive detection
Similarly, you can pause drive detection when you don’t want to track a drive. Open the MileIQ app and go to Settings, then toggle off Drive Detection.
You can schedule Drive Detection to restart automatically on a certain day — for example when you come back from vacation and need to track drives again. The app will still monitor location data, but not detect drives.
Just like with location access, it may take 30 minutes for the drives to sync again when Drive Detection is back on.
MileIQ manages data to ensure privacy
We use your data to track your drives accurately and then store it securely for up to 7 years so you have mileage records in case of an IRS audit.
Non-identifiable data is used for our marketing and analytics — so we know how people use the app and can build features that are most helpful. Beyond that, data is deleted.
MileIQ does not sell user data, period. Your data is yours and yours alone. As it says in our privacy policy, the sale of user data is not a revenue stream for us.
Data is only accessed by third-party vendors, like our infrastructure provider, when there’s a specific reason, for example, maintenance or updates that result in a better experience for you. All of our vendors are required to comply with strict security and privacy standards before working with MileIQ.
MileIQ only processes most relevant data — like your drives
Our app only accesses your location after you provide your explicit consent (by granting access to location and motion data in phone settings). This location data stays on your phone and is not shared with MileIQ or any program admins until a drive that may need tracking is detected.
Most importantly, MileIQ as a company does not have access to your real-time drive or location data. In other words, we have no way of knowing where a driver is at any given time. Instead, data is sent to MileIQ only after a drive has been detected, completed, and recorded. This is a privacy-by-design feature that ensures only the most relevant and useful-to-you data — your mileage — gets processed outside of your device.
The app uses motion detection features on your phone to weed out movements that are not drives. For example, you don’t need to or want to track taking the dog for a walk around the block or strolling down the street for a coffee.
Trips that you likely want to track are automatically uploaded to our secure servers. MileIQ analyzes the data and sorts it, so only the most relevant drives show up in your account. This eliminates short trips — like you moving your car three blocks down on street sweeping day — from cluttering up your dashboard. At this point, only you and MileIQ have access to your data and it remains private in your account, inaccessible from any program administrators. In fact, admins can only see drives you choose to share in a mileage report.
Data that’s flagged as irrelevant in the sorting process is discarded and deleted from the live platform after 90 days. This ensures drives are available in case you want to override the automatic decision and include a drive in your account.
We store data for audit protection
We keep drive data for 7 years in case you need to retrieve it for an IRS audit. Mileage records are usually required during an audit if you claimed mileage deductions on business taxes or as a self-employed person. After the 7-year period, drive data may be deleted. MileIQ doesn't share data with employers or other users.
Other MileIQ users (like your employer, if you use MileIQ for Teams) never see your data unless you choose to share it. For example, you can send mileage reports to your manager, accountant, or another contact, but without such explicit sharing, only you can see your drives.
“We have no way of knowing where a driver is at any given time. Instead, data is sent to MileIQ only after a drive has been detected, completed, and recorded.”
When you share a mileage report, your contacts only see the information in the report (mileage, routes, dates, any notes you provide, and reimbursement amounts). Admins can add or remove you as a driver from their team, but they only have access to your submitted business drives. Personal drives, or any other location data, is never shared.
In addition, there is no public view access to MileIQ profiles, meaning employers, other team members, or internet strangers can’t find your MileIQ data online. There’s no social aspect to MileIQ profiles, so other drivers can’t see your mileage data.
In other words, we strive to eliminate situations where data sharing is invasive (i.e. keeping personal drives out of all mileage reports) and put you in control of how you want to share your drives.
Keeping you informed: Effective communications without notification overwhelm
We know that app notifications done the wrong way can be annoying at best and incredibly disruptive at worst. That’s why we try to communicate with you only when necessary — such as when you have completed or need to classify a drive — or when we have found a new or improved way for you to save time and money on mileage tracking.
You can always adjust your notification preferences in the app or your smartphone settings. Remember, when it comes to privacy in the MileIQ app, you’re in the driver’s seat.
We appreciate it when drivers ask us about data privacy. Protecting your data is a task we do not take lightly, and we want you to fully understand how location information is being used to serve you. You’re in charge of updating, adding, classifying, and submitting your drives in a way that makes the most sense for you and your work preferences.
Thanks for taking us on the road with you!
"One of our core company values is “Earn Trust Every Day.” We take it very seriously. Some of the free competitors make money by selling data, but we don't do that. Privacy is fundamental to MileIQ — we truly value it."
- Sean Drumm, Head of Engineering at MileIQ