How can I make iOS background app notify based on location info - ios

Question

I am trying to implement a location-baed navigation app on iOS. I will have a device in my pocket and want it notifies when criteria are met based on location information, such as Google Maps navigation notifies when you make a turn on street.
I assume I can make it with CoreLocation and local notification.
Here are what I have done, expect and actually got.
XCode Version 7.1 (7B91b) on OS X El Capitan 10.11.1
In Xcode, File -> New -> Project -> iOS Application -> Single View Application
Add CoreLocation framework to project
Enable "Location updates" background mode
Add NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription key with value of "hello" to info.plist
Leave ViewController.swift untouched
Edit AppDelegate.swift as follows;
import UIKit
import CoreLocation
#UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate, CLLocationManagerDelegate {
var window: UIWindow?
lazy var locationManager: CLLocationManager! = {
let manager = CLLocationManager()
manager.desiredAccuracy = kCLLocationAccuracyBest
manager.pausesLocationUpdatesAutomatically = false
manager.delegate = self
manager.requestAlwaysAuthorization()
return manager
}()
var lastNotifictionDate = NSDate()
func application(application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [NSObject: AnyObject]?) -> Bool {
let settings = UIUserNotificationSettings(forTypes: [.Alert], categories: nil)
UIApplication.sharedApplication().registerUserNotificationSettings(settings)
locationManager.startUpdatingLocation()
return true
}
func locationManager(manager: CLLocationManager, didUpdateLocations locations: [CLLocation]) {
// Do something interesting.
// I make this function return immediately until 10sec passed after previous notification.
let now = NSDate()
if lastNotifictionDate.dateByAddingTimeInterval(10).compare(now) == .OrderedDescending {
//NSLog("Not yet")
return
}
//NSLog("It's time")
lastNotifictionDate = now
// Fire local notification, without sound configured for simplicity.
let notification = UILocalNotification()
notification.alertBody = "Hello"
UIApplication.sharedApplication().presentLocalNotificationNow(notification)
}
// ... other methods are untouched ...
}
The app works on simulator as I expect, namely;
Run the app in iPhone 5 Simulator and allow location and notification services
Press home button (Shift-Command-H).
In the simulator menu, Debug -> Location -> Free drive
The app displays a local notification alert every 10sec
The app acts different on my device, iPhone 5 with iOS 9.1;
Run the app via Xcode and allow location and notification services
Pressed home button
The device does not display notification alert either on home screen or notification center.
Then, I tap the app icon on the device to bring the app foreground, opened the notification center and found two notifications. I expect 5 notifications newly appear if I wait for 50 seconds, but no notification newly appear.
I understand Simulator behaves differently than the actual devices. For example, Simulator shows NSLog() and print() outputs on console during background, while the actual device does not.
I guess I did not configure something for devices or I am trying to do in unfeasible way, but I cannot find what it is. Could you please tell me what is wrong and how I can fix it?

Answer 1

Setting CLLocationManager's allowsBackgroundLocationUpdates to true solved my problem.
manager.allowBackgroundLocationupdates = true
If it is false (default), updates stops when suspended. Updates occur when foreground or background.