I have been looking into getting the user's location and then verifying they are in a particular building, and then loading the app. I have been experimenting with CoreLocation but cannot find any cases where this location verification is true. I was thinking the easiest way would be an if/else statement but I need the location to do that. I want this to be compatible with as many iOS devices as possible, so backwards compatibility is something I am interested in too.
This is simple to do, there are tons of tutorial that'll show you how to do this. The gist of it is:
Register app to use location in the background.
Ask permission to use location all the time.
Create the region that you want to use to wake the app up.
Start monitoring for location changes to that region.
The app will relaunch when the user enters that region and calls appDidFinishLaunching, then you can do your thing.
Related
We have an app that tracks riders in the field and as per their current location and some other parameters assign them deliveries. For this, even when the user is not currently using the app, background mode or device locked, we need to keep track of their location after every x seconds.
Now, we have explained the complete business use case to Apple but they keep coming back with the same response:
Thank you for information. We still need a demo video that shows a
“Background Location” feature (Such as: turn-by-turn navigation,
bread-crumbing) when the app runs in the background.
We still do not see a “Background Location” feature (Such as:
turn-by-turn navigation, bread-crumbing) within your app in the demo
video your provided. If the app does not have this feature, please
kindly use the foreground location instead. please remove the
“location” setting from the UIBackgroundModes key if your app does not
require persistent real-time location updates. You may wish to use the
significant-change location service or the region monitoring location
service if persistent real-time location updates are not required for
your app features.
I wonder how does Uber and other ride sharing/location based apps go around this app for their drivers
You haven't really asked a question above (likely why someone downvoted). You've mostly just posted a complaint about Apple's review process. You've not explained why it's critical to get it every few seconds. And you haven't mentioned why Apple's suggestions don't work/aren't good enough.
Here are some general points around the area you have mentioned that should be useful
Background location:
If you want to allow your app users to close your app, you can use "significant-change location service" to allow your app to detect when the device has moved a lot, in a much more battery efficient way. You get ~10 seconds to ping a server and restart the request for the next time. Apple mentioned this in their response to you, please check it out: https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/LocationAwarenessPG/CoreLocation/CoreLocation.html
"I wonder how does Uber and other ride sharing/location":
They don't do what you are trying to do first of all, they encourage their drivers to keep the app open at all times for optimal performance. Again Apple mentioned this in their response. Your app is not providing any use to the app user while in the background and tracking location. So either keep the app open and track location (How to prevent screen lock on my application with swift on iOS) or, rely on significant change location events in the background
Again as Apple said in their response, if 1 or 2 above doesn't address your needs (likely they do), you need to implement a feature such as turn by turn directions in the background, in order to justify why you need this data. Users also need the ability to turn this off, so that it can't be abused by the developers.
Apple doesn't allow apps to just track whatever they want due to privacy issues. There is no way to get around this, you'll have to do one of the above.
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I have to make an app in iOS using Swift 3 that sends the user's location via API every 3 or 5 minutes, while the app is backgrounded. I don't know which is the best way to do this, or if it's even possible because of Apple's strict background rules. The location has to be quite precise and the app needs to run for a long time backgrounded, possibly not consuming too much battery.
If it isn't possible, it would be nice to know which would be the best approach in this case. Thank you very much.
that sends the user's location via API every 3 or 5 minutes, while the
app is backgrounded
Does not make much sense. What if user stands in same location for 5 minutes? you will make same location entry in your server multiple times? Isn't it better rather than updating location at certain interval, if you could update your server with user location once user's location changes??
So use locationManager, set its delegates and start updating your server via API when user location changes rather than at regular interval.
I don't know which is the best way to do this, or if it's even
possible because of Apple's strict background rules
Its absolutely possible. All you have to do is to opt for Location Updates capability in Xcode.
Now whats the best way? Its a relative term. This depends on how your app will use the users location info. If you unnecessarily start observing users location, you will unnecessarily drain the users iPhone battery, hence apple will reject your app.
How apple process's app using location update capability?
Its pretty simple. Location updates capability comes with the cost, that if your app observes user location updates accurately in background, it will drain out the device battery. Because its a costly trade off, apple expects you to use this only if its necessary for your app.
For example : If you are making a map app or an app that tracks the users location changes and then later plots on a map or something and lets the user know about his movement (like running apps) its absolutely fine to use location update capability because you are adding value to user.
If you try to think creepy! and try to use the location update just to keep your app alive and do some thing completely unrelated to location update in background app will reject your app. Like few developers try to be over smart and use location updates to keep their app in sync with server or to upload/download files at regular interval or something like that which are no way related to location updates, apple will reject such apps.
So no way to be creepy? And use location updates to do something useful which is not related to location itself?
Yes, you can. Apple is generous enough to allow that. For example : Dropbox uploads your images in background, when you move from one location to another. All it does is, it looks for user location changes, once location changes delegates triggers, creates a upload task with background session and starts uploading files.
How to do that?
You can still use the location manager. All you have to do is to use
locationManager.startMonitoringSignificantLocationChanges()
This will trigger your location delegates only when there is a significant location changes :)
On the other hand, if your app actually makes use of user locations and use
startLocationUpdates()
make sure you dont consume location updates unnecessarily. Make sure u put distance filter properly according to your apps requirements. Dont be greedy and dont waste iOS resources unnecessarily and apple will be happy and will not trouble you :)
Conclusion:
If your app actually makes use of location and adds some value to user (like map app/running apps/travel apps) only then use startLocationUpdates and use distance filters properly (optional, but good to have it).
If you are being creepy always use startMonitoringSignificantLocationChanges else app is bound to get rejected
Lately, I've notice that there are a few applications request to access the user's location for performing some functionalities in the background.
For example: Application for scanning and uploading the user's photos for backup purposes, so when entering the background state, it keeps scanning and uploading.
What am I asking:
If there are Background Execution mechanisms for executing Background Tasks (Select Target -> Capabilities -> Background Modes), so why using the Core Location for doing such a thing?
If using Core Location is different, what is the benefit of using it?
Also, I've read (and this is what I assume) that using the core location for not what is meant should causes to let the application to be rejected, the weird thing that -as I mentioned- there are a few applications doing this! I feel a little confused about it.
Also, I've read (and this is what I assume) that using the core location for not what is meant should causes to let the application to be rejected, the weird thing that -as I mentioned- there are a few applications doing this! I feel a little confused about it.
You are right to be in doubt. Do not imitate this behavior. These people are misusing CoreLocation as a way of getting their code to run in the background even though they are not really using any CoreLocation features.
You are not allowed to do things arbitrarily in the background — and with good reason. Don't violate the rules. If you want to keep uploading even when in the background, use a URLSession with a background URLSessionConfiguration. Do things the right way.
Edit: To remove any doubt: I do not recommend the following approach, in fact, like #matt I highly discourage anyone from using this or a similar approach. Please see my comment below for a better way to update the app in the background.
To answer the OP question:
You can ask CLLocationManager to get significantLocationChanges. This will not only notify you and give you CPU time in the background, but will actually launch your app (even after phone restart!) to let you know of the location changes.
This is a pretty good way of promising yourself some extra processing time in the background (although like you said - it's a very bad "app behavior" and may even cause your app to get rejected from the AppStore)
AFAIK the first app to do this was Dropbox - they had a whole screen in settings explaining why they ask you for location just to backup your images... since iOS doesn't have any event (for 3rd party devs) for informing an app on changes in the device photos, Dropbox solution was to get "woken" on those location changes and check themselves for changes, if they found any - they would upload the new images to Dropbox in the background.
significantLocationChanges only uses low-power methods such as cellular towers and nearby Wifi and therefore is pretty easy on the battery. The processing itself however can be intensive, depending on the app that takes advantage of this method.
I want to make a app which will find nearby coffee shops and push notify users if found any within 1 mile.
I just wanted to make sure How it can be done
This is what I have thought about till now
Get users Location
Update every minute in background and find if changed
If changed, find nearby Stores from the database on server
If found any nearby Stores, Push Notify user on their phone.
1 notification per store, so if same store found in same location, it won't send push notification again.
Please do tell me, if this can be done. I'm just not sure about background location updating in background or even if the app is closed.
I will suggest that you take a look at Parse.com - A very mobile-friendly (both android, win and iOS) DB and library system. Easy to set up to user location and geolocation for your stores. Parse has an in-built push notification system, that works really easy, which could be triggered by how far you are from a store. Parse's DB is scalable and free to use until you reach a high level of user traffic in your app.
Take a look: Parse.com
I am building an iOS app in Corona SDK and am trying to implement a map feature where the user can see where they are compared to where others with the app open are. What would be the best way to go at this?
I already wrote the code for finding the current location of the owner of the device, but how do I retrieve data from other users?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!
This is very broad question, but basically you need a server (on the web) where each user's location gets stored while the app is open, and the app can request the location of other users specifically, at some time interval. Presumably you would need to have some form of rights management since every user would typically be interested in seeing only a small number of other users, and every user would want to have control over who can see their location.
One thing to remind users of is that the reported position is that of the device, not that of the user, and that it is the last reported position, not necessarily current (not all devices are on cellular network or wifi at every moment), so you'd also want a time-of-last-update to be shown with every location marker.