How location changes in Android 11 will affect background requests? - android

I have an app that requests the user's location every 5 minutes and then maps their path.
To my understanding, with Android 11, Google changed how background location requests are handled. I have several questions about how this will affect my app:
Can I continue getting background location updates every 5 minutes?
If not, is there anything I can do to keep doing so?
When a new user downloads my app, what is the process of requesting background location permissions starting with Android 11?
I'm reading here that in Android 11:
On Android 11 (API level 30) and higher, however, the system dialog doesn't include the Allow all the time option. Instead, users must enable background location on a settings page, as shown in figure 3.
Does this mean that unless the user selects "Allow all the time", I won't ever be able to get the user's location in the background?
Thank you!

declare the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION permission in your app
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION" />

Related

Issue with foreground service android 11 and 12

Any one know how get the location update every seconds. when my device on foreground or background mode.
I am working on Tracking app get the location in every seconds when he is waking on road or traveling whatever.
Actually my app working on version 10 not working on android 11 and 12.
Also searched on google don't found exact answer.
I used this permission:
Access background permission,
Access Coarse permission.
Access Fine Location.
OR Foreground services for notification
If any one know please let tell me
Thank you
in android 11 or higher the user has to go to app permissions and specifically give them permissions to always take the position in the background. This permission cannot be requested from the app. Only from the phone configuration.
To help protect user privacy, Android 11 (API level 30) introduces limitations to when a foreground service can access the device's location, camera, or microphone. When your app starts a foreground service while the app is running in the background, the foreground service has the following limitations:
Unless the user has granted the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION permission to your app, the foreground service cannot access location.
The foreground service cannot access the microphone or camera.
Reference link : https://developer.android.com/guide/components/foreground-services#access-restrictions
you have to use the Foreground service for that and add a task in the Foreground service to get a location using geolocation or any other library.
steps to implement:
implement foreground service using link library::[1]: https://github.com/Raja0sama/rn-foreground-service.
add headless task using geolocation.
you will get the location after the app is removed from recent.

Not retrieving GPS in background

I made an Android app (targetSdkVersion 27) that records the GPS track as we walk, once each minute. It is intended to work while the phone is in the backpack, screen off, app in background. It worked fine until I upgraded my phone to Android 10. Now it records only once in a while, rendering the app useless. I can even see the GPS icon disappearing when sending the app to the background with the middle button.
I guess the app is updating the GPS position only when the app is not in the foreground AND with the screen on. Then making a google search I find this: it seems Android 10 requires a special background location permission in the manifest file
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION" />
I added the permission, but the problem persists (the location permission changed but I changed it back to "all the time"). Then I upgraded to targetSdkVersion 29 and AndroidX, and the problem persists. I don't know what else to try.

Does updating to Android 11 require an app to show another location permission dialog if location is used in the background?

As some of you may know, google made a lot of changes to background location permission and permissions in general in Android 11. Their docs explain it very thoroughly but the question in the topic remains a mystery.
Does updating a device to Android 11 require an app that already had the user permission to "always" fetch for location to show the location permission dialog again?
No. If an app already has background location permission, then an update of OS to 11 won't affect anything. The app will continue to have "Allow all the time" if it already has it.
Also, if an app is not targeted for Android SDK 29 or 30 then the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION is not needed. ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION itself will ask for "Allow all the time" option as well on Android 11.
For more details, visit this - https://developer.android.com/training/location/permissions

How does ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION introduced in Android Q affect Geofence APIs?

In order to use the Geofence API the user has to give the app ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION. This location is considered to be dangerous and can be revoked at any time; once this permission is revoked, the app can not request the geofence updates.
How does ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION permission fit in this picture? We know for sure that this permission is also dangerous and can be revoked at any time. Does it mean that if we want to register some IntentService to be invoked every time the geofence change occurs, we also have to make sure the user has provided ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION permission? Or do we need to use this permission only if we attempt to get a current location in our own background Service/BroadcastReceiver?
The reason I'm asking this question is that the documentation seems to be a bit vague at this point: the documentation describing the Q Developer Preview mentions that geofencing is one of the use cases for the background location retrieval, while the Geofencing API page does not mention ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION among its requirements.
Geofencing API Documentation is now updated and we need to define ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION to monitor Geofences if we target Android Q
From the doc:
To use geofencing, your app must request ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION. If your app targets Android 10 (API level 29) or higher, your app must also request ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION.
My guess the section "Re-register geofences only when required":
Registered geofences are kept in the com.google.process.location process owned by the com.google.android.gms package.
will be that it is not really needed, as com.google.process.location should be the one getting the location data (so the one needing to request the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION permission).
That being said, following this logic ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION permission should neither be needed. The fact that it is needed may be because of two reasons (I don't know the real reason):
that either when registering the geofence or when receiving a notification location is checked,
or that this permission is checked by Google Play Services to forbid an app to circumvent the lack of location permission by using Play Services as a proxy process to obtain the information.
For me, the second assumption makes more sense, meaning that even when technically will not be needed by the app (the process getting the location is Play Service), it is required for privacy/security reasons.
Following this logic, Google should (will?) also enforce the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION, both to ensure user's privacy/security and to reduce battery consumption.
On beta 4, adding a geofence when ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION is not granted, even when the app is fully in the foreground, fails with status code 13 ("error").
You need Android 10 API Level 29+ to use ACCES_BACKGROUND_LOCATION

Is it good to publish our apps without asking Run Time Permission By Targeting sdk to 22

I found our apps runs even without asking permission like camera, location by setting the Target SDK 22 in API 24,25,26. Is it good to do that? Or we should make our app to ask permission to use Camera, Location of device?
I think it's better to check and ask permissions mainly because user can remove permissions manualy. In such case, your application could stop working. Handling permissions "in state of art" can avoid useless problems.

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