Should the app detect drives automatically with GPS?

Not in version one. Automatic detection needs background location, which means an extra permission, App Store scrutiny, and battery complaints — and it still misclassifies trips. Ship manual logging with saved routes first; add detection once people are using it daily.

Can I hardcode the mileage rate?

No — deduction rates change yearly and differ by country. Keep the rate editable in Settings and store the rate that applied to each trip, so a historical report does not silently change when the rate updates.

How to Build a Mileage Tracker App with AI (2026)

What a mileage tracker app needs

Log a trip with start, end, distance, and purpose
One-tap business vs personal classification
Deduction total using an editable per-mile rate
Saved frequent routes for repeat trips
Filter by date range and client
CSV export for an accountant or tax software

The screens

Screen	What it does
Trips	Chronological list with running deduction total for the period
Log Trip	Date, from/to, distance, purpose, client, business toggle
Routes	Saved frequent routes that prefill a new trip in one tap
Summary	Per-month and per-client totals with the applied rate
Settings	Mileage rate, distance unit, default classification, export

The data model

Trip: date, fromLabel, toLabel, distance, purpose, clientId, isBusiness
Route: label, fromLabel, toLabel, distance
Client: name, note
Settings: ratePerMile, unit, defaultIsBusiness

The build prompt (copy this)

Paste this into ShipNative and it becomes a working React Native app with these screens, navigable in a live preview, in about two minutes:

“A mileage tracker for self-employed people. Users log trips with a date, start and end label, distance, purpose, and an optional client, and mark each as business or personal. The Trips screen shows a running deduction total for the selected period using an editable per-mile rate from Settings. Saved routes prefill a new trip in one tap. Screens: Trips (list + period total), Log Trip, Routes, Summary (per-month and per-client totals), Settings. Support miles or kilometres. CSV export of the filtered trips. Works offline.”

Then iterate with small, screen-specific prompts (“make the primary button bigger”, “add an empty state”), preview on your own phone, and export the full Expo project whenever you want. The full method: how to build an app with AI.

How it makes money

One-time unlock or a low subscription ($3–5/mo) gated at CSV export and unlimited history — free users log trips, pay when they need the report at tax time. Deduction value makes the price easy to justify, but be honest: this is a logbook, not tax advice.

Implementation and the revenue math for every model: how to make money from an app. When you’re ready to ship: App Store and Google Play publishing guides.

Build it now

The prompt above is free to run at shipnative.dev — working mileage tracker app on your phone today, full code export, no credit card.

How to Build a Mileage Tracker App with AI