Is there a way to programmatically request current status information (location, tta, speed) from an active instance of the HERE WeGo app? I know I can use an alternate method for location but would like to access TTA and possibly additional current status information from a running GPS program without requiring the user to input data. Example: Current time, location, speed, ETA(TTA), logged with the click of a button or voice command. I would specifically like to be able to use HERE because of its off-line capabilities.
No that is not possible. It would violate the user's privacy and allow an unsuspecting application to track the user :)
Related
Google documentation states:
If you request foreground
location and background location
at the same time, the system throws an exception.
Now, suppose I want my app to be able to access location when (i) the device is locked (ii) the device is unlocked and the app is in foreground. Is it possible in this scenario?
According to the documentation page here:
Even if several features in your app require location access, it's
likely that only some of them require background location access.
Therefore, it's recommended that your app performs incremental
requests for location permissions, asking for foreground location
access and then background location access. By performing incremental
requests, you give users more control and transparency because they
can better understand which features in your app need background
location access.
The process for performing incremental requests is as follows:
At first, your app should guide users to the features that require
foreground location access, such as the "share location" feature in
Figure 1 or the "show current location" feature in Figure 2.
It's recommended that you disable user access to features that require
background location access until your app has foreground location
access.
At a later time, when the user explores functionality that requires
background location access, you can request background location
access.
So the short answer is yes. You can use both foreground and background locations in the app, just don't ask for both at the same time.
Can I build an app that accesses the sim-toolkit options (network-> send money, check balance etc) in the background (as if the user is actually accessing the sim-toolkit application). I want to do this because the standard sim-toolkit is limited and does not provide better search, history, saving options etc. I say ìn the background because I have read that direct access to the sim-toolkit is problematic.
The SIM toolkit just sends USSD codes and parses the results, which means that one does not need it. And it makes no difference how you access it, while the system is designed to keep this area out of reach. eg. just try calling *101# to see the current balance. Or just get some prepaid USIM from a provider, which offers their own API & management app... because else you have the next problem with SMS permissions, which may be required to change eg. the data plan via SMS. Even for such basic functionality ...every provider has another number and other keywords for that.
I want to know that is it possible to use geofencing feature without any app installed? is there some cloud or something which you can register your geofencing area so anyone with the location on can see your notifications??
I don't know about Android, but for iOS you can use Apple Wallet Passes. You can attach up to 10 locations (geo points) to your passes, and when the device that installed the pass is near one of those locations, the pass will appear on the lock screen.
Relevance Information Displays Passes on the Lock Screen
Passes let your users take some action in the real world, so accessing them needs to be easy and fast. Wallet makes relevant passes immediately accessible by integrating them with the lock screen. To take advantage of this feature, add >information about where and when your pass is relevant. A pass’s relevancy can be based either on the time or the place where the user can actually utilize it. For example, a gym membership is relevant at the gym, while a boarding pass is relevant at the time the flight begins boarding.
Inside the pass, you provide a point in time and points in space. Wallet then determines whether the pass should appear on the lock screen based on these settings. It calculates when the user is close enough to the specified time and locations based on the pass’s style. Don’t try to manipulate the pass’s presence on the lock screen by providing inaccurate relevance information.
Of course, integrating with Apple Wallet requires your own web server, and is not a simple task. However, It doesn't require any app installed, which is what you asked about.
Is it possible to launch an app depending on the user location. I want the app to start only when I enter certain location say my office. I m aware about services running in background but I dont want my app to continuously check for location and deplete the battery.
Is it possible to register for some sort of geo-fencing broadcast ?
You can Create and Monitor Geofences with a standard Google API.
However, if you want to know if you've arrived at your office, I think a better and more battery-friendly way would be to see if you're connected to the office Wifi network.
Assuming the device's "Use Wireless networks" and "Use GPS satellites" settings under Location is not enabled, is it possible to still retrieve the location coordinates.
Currently, the best is to redirect the user to the settings page is not enabled. I find this disruptive as needs to navigate away from the app.
If i am not mistaken, you can enable the settings programmatically (Am I correct?).
I don't need the exact coordinates, is it possible to get the cell tower ID without the settings enabled?
No. If the user doesn't want to give you his location, There is no way you can get his location.
This is a security measure and it exists for good reasons. If you try to subvert this, your app will be considered malicious.
Redirecting the user to the settings page is the best option.
Agreed - in earlier versions of android, you could programatically turn on the GPS - but more recent versions do not allow this to happen.
As Anup states - the common acceptable practice now is to redirect the user to the options page and allow the user to select the type and nature of GPS that the application is allowed to use.
Dont forget , you dont need to "leave the app" to get the user to turn on GPS, you can send them to the settings yourself:
startActivityForResult(new Intent(android.provider.Settings.ACTION_LOCATION_SOURCE_SETTINGS), 0);
This will then come back to your app where it left off - giveing the use a seamless experience, and one which they will be familiar with from other android apps.
Setting anything programatically without asking the user first is bad practice.
What you could do is, in case you can't get a location, ask the user to turn GPS on or tell him your app won't be able to work and will close.
switching on Location settings programmatically without the users consent is impossible let alone bad practice. You can prompt the user and direct him to switch on location settings or if you program tracks the progress of the device user, you can have the program send an alert of some sort telling them that the Location setting is off.
Deep dive into location has a set of best practices for Android's LocationManager. You do not need the GPS to be activated -- in many cases, the mobile network itself gives a pretty good approximation of the location without taking up extra battery.