[PAY 16TH OCT][$250] App shortcut - Create manual expense flow opens when launching app via Log distance shortcut

[mitarachim]

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Version Number: 9.2.21-0
Reproducible in staging?: Yes
Reproducible in production?: Yes
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from TestRail: #64056
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers): applausetester+djdkskskksks@applause.expensifail.com
Issue reported by: Applause Internal Team
Device used: iPhone 15 Pro Max / iOS 26.0
App Component: Other

Action Performed:

Precondition:

• User is logged in.

1. Long press on Expensify app on app home screen.
2. Tap Log distance.

Expected Result:

Track distance flow will open.

Actual Result:

Create manual expense flow opens.

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari
• MacOS: Desktop

Screenshots/Videos

Bug6961657_1759321006421.ScreenRecording_10-01-2025_20-07-42_1.mp4

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• Last Price Increase: 2025-10-02
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• dominictb | Reviewer | 108986480

Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to @jliexpensify (Bug), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/14418 for more details. Please add this bug to a GH project, as outlined in the SO.

[ShridharGoel]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

When users long-press the Expensify app icon on their home screen (Android and iOS) and tap "Log distance", the app opens the create manual expense flow instead of the track distance flow with the map interface. This creates a confusing user experience as the shortcut label indicates distance tracking functionality, but the actual behavior does not match.

What is the root cause of that problem?

The root cause is in the TrackExpensePage.tsx file. This page is a utility page that handles the "Log distance" app shortcut by routing to the TRACK_EXPENSE screen. However, it was incorrectly calling IOU.startMoneyRequest() which opens the manual expense creation flow, instead of calling IOU.startDistanceRequest() which opens the distance tracking flow with the map interface.

App/src/pages/TrackExpensePage.tsx

Lines 40 to 44 in 1aa5d22

	IOU.startMoneyRequest(
	CONST.IOU.TYPE.TRACK,
	// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/prefer-nullish-coalescing
	ReportUtils.findSelfDMReportID() || ReportUtils.generateReportID(),
	);

The issue is that startMoneyRequest() is designed for manual expense entry (amount, merchant, etc.), while startDistanceRequest() is specifically designed for distance tracking with map-based waypoint selection.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

We should update the TrackExpensePage.tsx file to call IOU.startDistanceRequest() instead of IOU.startMoneyRequest(), and pass the required CONST.IOU.REQUEST_TYPE.DISTANCE_MAP parameter to ensure the map-based distance tracking interface is displayed.

The updated code:

Navigation.goBack();
IOU.startDistanceRequest(
    CONST.IOU.TYPE.TRACK,
    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/prefer-nullish-coalescing
    ReportUtils.findSelfDMReportID() || ReportUtils.generateReportID(),
    CONST.IOU.REQUEST_TYPE.DISTANCE_MAP,
);

This change ensures that:

1. The correct API method is called for distance tracking
2. The DISTANCE_MAP request type is specified, which opens the map interface for selecting waypoints
3. The IOU type remains TRACK, which is correct for tracking expenses
4. The behavior matches what users expect from the "Log distance" shortcut

What specific scenarios should we cover in automated tests to prevent reintroducing this issue in the future?

Test that TrackExpensePage calls startDistanceRequest() with the correct parameters:

• IOU type should be CONST.IOU.TYPE.TRACK
• Request type should be CONST.IOU.REQUEST_TYPE.DISTANCE_MAP
• Report ID should be either the user's self DM report ID or a generated report ID

[dukenv0307]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

Create manual expense flow opens.

What is the root cause of that problem?

The deeplink was outdated after we updated the distance flow.

https://github.com/Expensify/Mobile-Expensify/blob/74c73e9b3ea3b2fc3ad8628cfd93b1e69829fe5d/app/expensify.js#L357

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

We should update the link to the correct flow

deeplink: API.getNewDotUrlFromPath(`/create/submit/start/1/${generateReportID()}/distance-new`)

https://github.com/Expensify/Mobile-Expensify/blob/74c73e9b3ea3b2fc3ad8628cfd93b1e69829fe5d/app/expensify.js#L357

What specific scenarios should we cover in automated tests to prevent reintroducing this issue in the future?

NA

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Reminder: Please use plain English, be brief and avoid jargon. Feel free to use images, charts or pseudo-code if necessary. Do not post large multi-line diffs or write walls of text. Do not create PRs unless you have been hired for this job.

[jliexpensify]

@mitarachim @dukenv0307 @ShridharGoel please re-test on 9.2.21-4. I'm not seeing this on a Pixel 7 - it takes me to creating a distance expense.

[mitarachim]

Hello @jliexpensify QA team confirmed that the issue still reproducible in version 9.2.21-4

Android

Screen_Recording_20251002_124632_One.UI.Home.mp4

iOS

ScreenRecording_10-02-2025.12-47-03_1.MP4

[jliexpensify]

Ok, I can reproduce it now!

[melvin-bot]

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~021973614816427393780