Manual mode allows you to use the Business Button to also set trips to Personal when business mode IS NOT ON.
Think of manual mode as this: if the device is in business mode, this is a business trip. Otherwise it’s a personal trip. Guaranteed.
In Automatic mode your trips can be set to business automatically by the system even when you do not have business mode on.
Auto-detection only affects the initial setting of your trips. You can easily change whether your trips are business or personal on the Edit Trips page.
Understanding the Business Button / Business Mode
When business mode is on, every trip you drive is always guaranteed to be logged as a business trip. This is always true, regardless of whether you are in Automatic or Manual mode.
The difference between automatic and manual mode comes into play for those times when the device is NOT in business mode.
Normally the auto-detection algorithms engage when business mode is not on. This means your trips can still get set to business, even if you are not using the business button.
You may not want that, but consider that after some time, the Mileage Ace system can categorize all of your trips for you automatically.
We have a full help article explaining how to use the buttons on the mileage tracker.
What is “Auto-Detect Business Trips?”
As more and more of your trips are uploaded, the Mileage Ace system learns about where you drive for business. This information can be used to automatically “know” when you are on business.
For example, say you drive from the Post Office to your Business Office. If you begin setting these as business trips, the Mileage Ace system will learn that those are business trips and you just drive. The system will do all the categorizing for you.
Where automatic detection may not work
The auto-detection can begin to break down if you have extremely random business driving habits. It can also break down if you do a lot of driving to the same locations for both work and personal reasons.