Back Up Your Mileage Log on iPhone Before You Switch

Keep the old phone and original files until you have checked the result on the new device. That gives you a way back if dates, distances or entries do not match.

Know which kind of copy you have

A mileage backup, a CSV export and a device backup serve different purposes.

An app backup is intended for the app's restoration process. Check what it includes and how to restore it.
A CSV export gives you a record that spreadsheet tools can read. It may not preserve every app setting or every detail needed to recreate the original app state.
A device backup covers a broader phone recovery process. Check the app's own documentation before assuming that a phone backup alone meets your needs.

For FlatMile's supported backup location and restoration procedure, use its current backup documentation. This checklist focuses on checking the records around that process, rather than duplicating the app's instructions.

Create two useful checks before the move

First, confirm the latest successful app backup. Look at its date and whether it includes the most recent drives you need to preserve. Resolve any failure while your original log is still available.

Second, while you have export access, create a fresh CSV export covering the records you want to keep. FlatMile requires an active subscription or eligible trial to export CSV or PDF. Save it somewhere you can access without relying on the mileage app. Open the file and check its first and last dates, a few recognizable journeys, the distance units and its totals.

A file named “backup” is not enough. An empty file, a report for the wrong year or an export restricted to one vehicle can look reassuring until you need it.

Keep a dated copy outside the phone

Use a filename that tells you the app, period and export date, such as mileage-2026-through-oct-02-exported-2026-10-02.csv. Keep the original unchanged and use a copy for spreadsheet edits.

Apple provides instructions for copying iCloud Drive files to another location from Files, Finder or iCloud.com. A copy stored only on the same phone will not help if that phone is lost. Choose a destination you can access independently. Apple's archive and copy instructions

Also remember that deleting a file from iCloud Drive removes it across devices using that storage. Seeing it on two devices is not the same as maintaining an independent archived copy. Apple's iCloud storage guide

Reconcile before you erase: a worked example

Imagine a driver whose pre-move record has these fictional control totals:

Check	Before the move	After restoration
Trip count	146	Compare with 146
Business distance	2,184.6 miles	Compare with 2,184.6 miles
Personal distance	812.3 miles	Compare with 812.3 miles
Total distance	2,996.9 miles	Compare with 2,996.9 miles

Matching the grand total is only one check. Open a journey near the beginning, one in the middle and the latest entry. Compare dates, distance units, classifications and purposes. If you use multiple vehicles, check at least one entry for each.

A mismatch is a reason to investigate while the old record is available. Do not repeatedly import the same file to see whether the numbers improve; that can complicate the comparison with duplicates. Follow the app's documented restore or import process and retain the source file.

Subscription restoration is a separate task

Restoring paid access does not establish that your mileage history was restored. Check the actual log and export after access is working.

Use the developer's current instructions for both purchase restoration and mileage recovery. FlatMile covers these separately in its support guide. Automatic logging and manual entry are free. CSV and PDF exports require a subscription or eligible trial. If paid access ends, previously unlocked drives remain unlocked and new captured drives are kept but locked; exports become available again when you subscribe.

For a clear picture of what a shareable record contains, review the sample mileage report. Preserve your own original export, confirm the restored details, and only then finish retiring the old phone.

How to back up your mileage log before changing iPhone