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Microsoft just bought a startup that can automatically track how far you drive

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Microsoft has bought Mobile Data Labs, a startup best known for its mileage tracking app MileIQ.

MileIQ automatically tracks and logs the miles you drive, and helps you claim your deductions or reimbursements. It's a simple idea, but MileIQ is actually a handy tool to millions of workers who otherwise has to track and report this stuff manually.

MileIQ has 1 million users and has been the top grossing finance app in the iTunes store for 20 straight months, Microsoft said. It helps users save $547 a month on average, or more than $6,500 a year, according to MileIQ.

The app will likely remain in full service, as MileIQ wrote in a blog post: "With our shared passion and commitment to mobile productivity, the San Francisco-based MileIQ team aims to advance this mutual vision by continuing to build services for self-directed workers–services like MileIQ that are automated, intuitive and give users back time, money and peace of mind."

MileIQ was cofounded in 2013 by Dan Bomze and Chuck Dietrich. It's raised more than $15 million from CRV, SV Angle, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. Dietrich, in fact, is a long-time Salesforce executive who's spent 9 years there building its mobile business. Microsoft didn't say how much they spent on the company.

Here's how MileIQ works in a snapshot:

MileIQ
MileIQ
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Eugene Kim
Eugene is Business Insider’s Chief Tech Correspondent, where he leads coverage of Amazon. His reporting spans the company’s retail and logistics operations to AWS, Alexa, and its internal culture.Previously, he worked at CNBC, Fortune Magazine Korea, and Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun. He holds degrees from NYU and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.In 2022, Eugene reported on internal documents indicating that Amazon allegedly used deceptive tactics to enroll customers in Prime and made cancellation difficult. The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon the following year, citing his reporting. The case ended in a record $2.5 billion settlement in 2025.His work has received multiple honors, including the SF Press Club’s Bay Area Journalism Award and SPJ NorCal’s Excellence in Journalism Award.Eugene lives in the Bay Area. Contact him via email at ekim@businessinsider.com, or Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at 650-942-3061. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.