Google Maps API V2 for Android is a big leap forward compared to v1: better rendering, fragment support... But there is one grey area I am trying to clarify about its use.
I look forward to create a map-based application for an Android device that does not have Google Play on it i.e. did not pass Google validation such as a low-end tablet or a car radio, and distrbute it on third-party markets.
Such applications using V1 API are possible.
The V2 has a dependency on Google Play Services, which is available to devices with Google Play only.
Does it mean that the V2 API is definitely unavailable for the aforementioned devices?
I look forward to create a map-based application for an Android device that does not have Google Play on it i.e. did not pass Google validation such as a low-end tablet or a car radio, and distrbute it on third-party markets. Such applications using V1 API are possible.
Only because the makers of those devices pirated the Maps code, as both Maps V1 and Maps V2 are only available for manufacturers who pass validation and license that code.
Does it mean that the V2 API is definitely unavailable for the aforementioned devices?
Barring similar piracy, yes.
You can try manually install the bin files that are required for Google maps, same way as you would do if you wanted to get the emulator running a Google Map API V2.
you can get more information on how it's done from the following blog post I wrote:
link
I don't know if this solution will be applicable for those devices but you can try it.
Related
Currently developing an app including google maps, I'm willing to make it work for China as well.
I know the situation in China evolved a bit during the last years. So I would like to know: is it possible to use google maps for an android app in China?
If I attempt to use it as it is directly, the map remains blank, taking probably too long to load or being blocked by the chinese firewall. And my phone has the google services, which is not the case of many other phones.
However, a version of google maps exists in China. See this link: http://www.google.cn/maps?hl=en
So as a part of google is not blocked, would it be possible to load the data of the google maps API for android from the chinese server when the user himself is in China or doesn't have the google services or a VPN?
I finally gave up on google maps and change to GaoDe (amap).
First because Google maps need the googles services, which are not available on Chinese phones.
Then because if there is a way with JavaScript to get to the Chinese google map ( see the following link: developers.google.com/maps/faq?hl=en#china_ws_access ), for android with java it is still not reliable.
Nearly all of the Google service are not working in China.
Most Chinese developer use Baidu or Gaode as the location provider.
How to make the coordinates that located by using the Google Maps Android API (v2) in China correctly display on google map?The type of the coordinates is WGS84 or GCJ02? Any views?
At the moment Google Maps are not officially supported in China. Technically maps are working, but there are 2 major problems for your Chinese customers:
Maps won't work without Google Play Services. Most of the Chinese users do not have them installed.
Google Maps are actually not accurate enough and have some weird offset in coordinates.
What are your options? You will have to use Baidu maps. But the API of their library is different from Google Maps, so to solve the problem you might want to take a look at this library which we wrote: https://github.com/car2go/AnyMaps
Google still has no map publishing license in China (at least as my latest info goes) It may well be that in the near future Google's Map services will be blocked.
A lot of Chinese websites, including ours, use Google's JS as well as their Service API's, Among them is Google's geocoding api. in china, baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) and sogou [the minor search engine, part of sohu (NASDAQ:SOHU)] both provided online maps and also APIs,
actually, in china, as of now, the google maps api are still available now. as from recent chinatech.us news, Google China passed the annual inspection and got more opportunity to get online map business license so, the 3 API are are and available.
I have one Android app, which has been servicing on Google Play. Its main feature is using Google Maps. I am trying to port it to Amazon App store for Android. However, it is so confusing to use Maps. I would like to use one source code and support the below devices from Amazon App store.
All non-Amazon Android devices based on my manifest
Kindle Fire
Kindle Fire HD
Kindle Fire HD 8.9
If I use Amazon Maps API, does it support this devices (All non-Amazon Android devices based on my manifest)?? If I use Google Maps API, the Kindle Fire devices can not display maps?? Or should I use both Google Maps API and Amazon Maps API to support all devices, if so, how??
If someone has an experience for this, please give me how to port Google Play app which uses Google Maps API to Amazon App Store to support those above devices at once.
Thanks in advance.
Amazon does not support the Google Maps API of any version.. They use their own API which is nearly identical to the Google Maps v1 but is missing things like traffic and street view. So to answer your question, it is not possible to only build one map solution and work on both Kindle Fire devices and other non-Amazon Androids.
As for what devices the Amazon maps api supports it would be all of their Fire devices minus the first generation Fires which run a forked version of Android based on API 10.
It IS possible to build both an Amazon map and Google map in the same code base and decide at runtime which to utilize. Here is a nice little blog on some things to keep in mind when doing this.
Hope that gives you some direction!
Update: the Amazon Maps API has been updated to v2. Here is an article about how to migrate an app from Google Maps v2.
According to the article, the Amazon Maps API offers interface parity with version 2 of the Google Maps API and most classes and method calls in your Google Maps app work the same on Amazon devices. I will give it a try and see today.
Is there a way to use the offline mode in Android apps using the Google Maps API?
Any direction to a tutorial or source code would be a massive help. I've been searching for hours without any luck. I know Google has released a way of using maps offline, but is it available for Android developers?
See this solution or this one. Basically you just create your own tileprovider and access tiles locally. It is totally doable with the v2 API. API Reference
There's some false information floating around out there that the v2 Google Maps API requires an Internet connection. There was a but where the API would require a single access after app install to verify with Google Play services, but I believe this has been fixed.
See this and this.
Is it possible to use Google Maps Android library in my app in a way, that the app can be installed even on phones without Google Maps? On phones without Google Maps, the maps feature would be disabled.
Is it possible to use Google Maps Android library in my app in a way, that the app can be installed even on
phones without Google Maps?
There is an undocumented android:required="false" flag you can put on the <uses-library> element. I am hopeful that they will document this in a future release. With that set to false, you would need to use reflection to see if Google Maps is loaded (e.g., try to find the MapView class) -- if not, disable whatever would lead the user to a map.
If anybody else has the same problem (I do):
On this Android Developer page it says -- as far as I can tell -- that you can reference the Maps API and thus have e.g. a map activity in your app by using Google Play services:
"The Google Maps Android APIs are not included in the Android
platform, but are available on any device with the Google Play Store
running Android 2.2 or higher, through Google Play
services.
To integrate Google Maps into your app, you need to install the Google
Play services libraries for your Android SDK. For more details, read
about Google Play
services."
Apparently it is an actual app (it is installed on my phone) that updates certain Google stuff.
So it seems it is possible, but only for devices running Android 2.2 (API level 8) and above.
I find the explanation on that site a bit unclear, however, and I have not been able to test this on my own.
In my case, I guess I have to live with the fact that not all devices will be able to install my app, since I target an API < 8.