Trips and recording

Automatic recording

After the introduction and measurement guide, CapDrive starts recording automatically. Recognition controls when measurements become usable. Recording can continue in the background or with the screen locked, including while stationary, with an iOS location indicator. System interruptions, permissions, sensor failures or storage problems can interrupt it; continuous recording is not guaranteed.

When a trip ends

Parking does not automatically end a trip.

Tap Stop on the dashboard or Live Activity to end the current trip and keep its eligible saved data. CapDrive then resumes automatic recording and recognition. To stop background recording altogether, see Stopping recording.

GPS loss, interrupted sensor samples, abnormal timestamps or lost orientation do not split a trip. When usable data returns, recognition and available dashboard readings recover automatically within the same trip. Losing background location access or a sensor or saving error can also end a recording. CapDrive attempts to restart after errors, but saving may be incomplete. After a forced closure or system interruption, already saved data may appear in History when you next open the app; the last unsaved portion can be lost.

A trip is kept in History only if it contains saved valid measurement data; there is no 60-second minimum. A recording with no valid measurement data is deleted when it ends or on the next launch. Later calibration interruptions do not remove a qualifying trip. Deletion and problem reports require the trip to have ended.

Live Activity

After driving is recognized, the active trip can appear on the Lock Screen and, on supported iPhones, Dynamic Island. Tap the activity to open the dashboard; its separate Stop control ends the current trip. Dismissing the activity does not stop recording.

Live Activities must be enabled in iOS. A trip recognized only in the background may appear after you reopen CapDrive. If updates become stale, open the app to check its status.

Stopping recording

When you are not driving, pull down and release the dashboard to pause recording; repeat to resume. Stop ends the current trip and allows automatic recording to continue. In Settings, you can prevent new trips from starting in the background; an ongoing trip continues recording.

Battery and heat

GPS, the motion sensors and the always-on screen use a lot of power. On longer drives, charge the iPhone in the car. Keep it out of direct sun: if the iPhone gets too hot, iOS may dim the screen, pause charging or limit some features until it cools down.