Own Miles: a mileage log that keeps your drives on your phone

If you drive for work and you’re self-employed, the IRS wants a log: when, how far, and why. The apps that keep that log for you usually want an account, upload every route you drive to their servers, and have been getting more expensive.

A mileage log is a map of your life: your home, your clients, your doctor. I wanted one that never sends that map anywhere. That’s Own Miles.

Drive. Swipe. Export.

It notices the drive. When your car leaves where it was parked, Own Miles starts measuring. When you park, the trip is saved with its route, distance and where it started and ended. The rest of the day it stays quiet, so the battery barely notices.

You say what it was. One tap after the drive: business, personal or commute. It learns your routes and suggests the answer, and drives between your saved home and work are suggested as a commute.

Tax time takes a minute. Reports adds up your business miles and the deduction at the IRS standard mileage rate, and flags trips that still need a business purpose. Export a CSV, or with Pro, a PDF log for your accountant.

What “private” means here

• No account: no email, no password, no profile.
• No servers. I don’t run any. Sync, if you turn it on, uses your own private iCloud.
• No analytics or ads, in the app or on its website.
• Export or delete everything from Settings, whenever you like.

The free version is real

The free version logs every drive with no monthly limit. Pro adds the things you need at tax time or with more than one car: the PDF log, rules that classify drives on their own, multiple vehicles, and the Apple Watch and Mac apps.

Where it stands

Own Miles is in testing on iPhone and Apple Watch, with widgets, a Live Activity for the drive in progress, and Siri and Shortcuts. A public TestFlight beta is next, then the App Store. You can join the beta at ownmiles.app.