How to Record a Trip with Route and Speed on iPhone (and Let It Start Itself)

TL;DR

Tap record to log your route, speed and elevation. Background Tracking keeps it going with the screen off (needs Always location). Detect Trips Automatically starts a trip when you drive and ends it after about 2.5 minutes stopped; it is off by default.

The problem

You want to know how far you drove, how fast, and where. Most apps make you remember to press Record, and then you wonder halfway whether it’s really working. Others silently log everything you do.

Manual recording

  1. Open the speedometer and tap Record.
  2. Drive, ride, run or sail. The route draws on the map and the live numbers update.
  3. Tap stop. The trip is saved with distance, duration, max and average speed and elevation climb.

With Settings → Recording → Background Tracking on, recording continues when the screen is off or SpeedTrace is in the background. That needs the Always location permission, and iOS may ask you to confirm later.

Automatic recording (optional)

Turn on Detect Trips Automatically. SpeedTrace then:

  • starts a trip when you begin driving: speed above about 14 km/h for roughly 5 seconds if Core Motion confirms a vehicle, or about 15 seconds on speed alone when motion data isn’t available;
  • ends it after about 2.5 minutes stopped, long enough to survive traffic lights and drive-throughs;
  • only ends trips it started, never ones you began yourself.

It is off by default: silently recording someone’s movements isn’t a choice made for you. It may ask for Motion & Fitness permission.

Battery and privacy

Continuous GPS uses battery, so a charger in the car helps. Trips are stored on your device and sync through your private iCloud; they are not uploaded to us.

Tips

  • Start before you move, so the first leg isn’t missed.
  • A live trip also appears as a Live Activity (see that guide).
  • If recording stops unexpectedly, check that location is set to Always.

FAQ

How does automatic recording work? When Core Motion says you are in a vehicle and you stay above about 14 km/h for roughly 5 seconds it starts. Without motion data it needs about 15 seconds of speed alone. It ends after about 2.5 minutes stopped.

Will it stop a trip I started by hand? No. Only trips the app started automatically are ended automatically.

Does it need Always location? Background Tracking, which keeps recording with the screen off, needs Always permission.

Is automatic detection on by default? No. It is off until you enable Detect Trips Automatically.

The app SpeedTrace →