This is fork of christocracy cordova-background-geolocation. The main change is in Android version. Posting positions to url was replaced by callbacks, so now it works same as in iOS. Plugin is now battery and data efficient foreground and background geolocation provider.
In android you can choose from two location service providers:
- ANDROID_DISTANCE_FILTER (original christocracy's)
- ANDROID_FUSED_LOCATION (experimental contributed by huttj)
Warning: You probably have to set your cordova app to keep running by keepRunning property to true (this is the default now).
Cross-platform background geolocation for Cordova / PhoneGap with battery-saving "circular region monitoring" and "stop detection".
Plugin is both foreground and background geolocation provider. It is far more battery and data efficient then html5 geolocation or cordova-geolocation plugin. But you can still use it together with other geolocation providers (eg. html5 navigator.geolocation).
As Cordova is shifting towards npm, this plugin can be installed from npm:
cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-mauron85-background-geolocation
There is separate project cordova-plugin-mauron85-background-geolocation-phonegapbuild to support Adobe® PhoneGap™ Build.
The reason is that PhoneGap™ Build doesn't support <framework src="com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:+" /> config option, so instead cordova-plugin-googleplayservices is used as dependency.
To register plugin add following line into your config.xml:
<gap:plugin name="cordova-plugin-mauron85-background-geolocation-phonegapbuild" source="npm"/>
NOTE: If you're using hydration, you have to download and reinstall your app with every new version of the plugin, as plugins are not updated.
document.addEventListener('deviceready', onDeviceReady, false);
function onDeviceReady () {
/**
* This callback will be executed every time a geolocation is recorded in the background.
*/
var callbackFn = function(location) {
console.log('[js] BackgroundGeoLocation callback: ' + location.latitude + ',' + location.longitude);
// Do your HTTP request here to POST location to your server.
// jQuery.post(url, JSON.stringify(location));
/*
IMPORTANT: You must execute the #finish method here to inform the native plugin that you're finished, and the background-task may be completed. You must do this regardless if your HTTP request is successful or not.
IF YOU DON'T, ios will CRASH YOUR APP for spending too much time in the background.
*/
backgroundGeoLocation.finish();
};
var failureFn = function(error) {
console.log('BackgroundGeoLocation error');
};
// BackgroundGeoLocation is highly configurable. See platform specific configuration options
backgroundGeoLocation.configure(callbackFn, failureFn, {
desiredAccuracy: 10,
stationaryRadius: 20,
distanceFilter: 30,
debug: true, // <-- enable this hear sounds for background-geolocation life-cycle.
stopOnTerminate: false, // <-- enable this to clear background location settings when the app terminates
});
// Turn ON the background-geolocation system. The user will be tracked whenever they suspend the app.
backgroundGeoLocation.start();
// If you wish to turn OFF background-tracking, call the #stop method.
// backgroundGeoLocation.stop();
}NOTE: On some platforms is required to enable Cordova's GeoLocation in the foreground and have the user accept Location services by executing watchPosition or getCurrentPosition. Not needed on Android.
This plugin hosts a SampleApp in example/SampleApp folder. SampleApp can be also used to improve plugin in the future. Read instructions in README.md.
The plugin has features allowing you to control the behaviour of background-tracking, striking a balance between accuracy and battery-usage. In stationary-mode, the plugin attempts to decrease its power usage and accuracy by setting up a circular stationary-region of configurable #stationaryRadius. iOS has a nice system Significant Changes API, which allows the os to suspend your app until a cell-tower change is detected (typically 2-3 city-block change) Android uses LocationManager#addProximityAlert. Windows Phone does not have such a API.
When the plugin detects your user has moved beyond his stationary-region, it engages the native platform's geolocation system for aggressive monitoring according to the configured desiredAccuracy, distanceFilter and locationTimeout. The plugin attempts to intelligently scale distanceFilter based upon the current reported speed. Each time distanceFilter is determined to have changed by 5m/s, it recalculates it by squaring the speed rounded-to-nearest-five and adding distanceFilter (I arbitrarily came up with that formula. Better ideas?).
(round(speed, 5))^2 + distanceFilter
is calculated as the square of speed-rounded-to-nearest-5 and adding configured #distanceFilter.
(round(speed, 5))^2 + distanceFilter
For example, at biking speed of 7.7 m/s with a configured distanceFilter of 30m:
=> round(7.7, 5)^2 + 30
=> (10)^2 + 30
=> 100 + 30
=> 130
A gps location will be recorded each time the device moves 130m.
At highway speed of 30 m/s with distanceFilter: 30,
=> round(30, 5)^2 + 30
=> (30)^2 + 30
=> 900 + 30
=> 930
A gps location will be recorded every 930m
Note the following real example of background-geolocation on highway 101 towards San Francisco as the driver slows down as he runs into slower traffic (geolocations become compressed as distanceFilter decreases)
Compare now background-geolocation in the scope of a city. In this image, the left-hand track is from a cab-ride, while the right-hand track is walking speed.
| Parameter | Type | Platform | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
success |
Function |
all | Callback to be executed every time a geolocation is recorded in the background. |
fail |
Function |
all | Callback to be executed every time a geolocation error occurs. |
option |
JSON Object |
all | |
option.desiredAccuracy |
Number |
all | Desired accuracy in meters. Posible values [0, 10, 100, 1000]. The lower the number, the more power devoted to GeoLocation resulting in higher accuracy readings. 1000 results in lowest power drain and least accurate readings. @see Apple docs |
option.stationaryRadius |
Number |
all | Stationary radius in meters. When stopped, the minimum distance the device must move beyond the stationary location for aggressive background-tracking to engage. |
option.debug |
Boolean |
all | When enabled, the plugin will emit sounds for life-cycle events of background-geolocation! See debugging sounds table. |
option.distanceFilter |
Number |
all | The minimum distance (measured in meters) a device must move horizontally before an update event is generated. @see Apple docs. NOTE: distanceFilter is elastically auto-calculated by the plugin: When speed increases, distanceFilter increases; when speed decreases, so does distanceFilter. |
option.stopOnTerminate |
Boolean |
iOS, Android | Enable this in order to force a stop() when the application terminated (e.g. on iOS, double-tap home button, swipe away the app). |
option.locationTimeout |
Number |
Android, WP8 | The minimum time interval between location updates in seconds. See Android docs and the MS doc for more information. |
option.notificationTitle |
String optional |
Android | Custom notification title in the drawer. |
option.notificationText |
String optional |
Android | Custom notification text in the drawer. |
option.notificationIconColor |
String optional |
Android | The accent color to use for notification. Eg. #4CAF50. |
option.notificationIcon |
String optional |
Android | The filename of a custom notification icon. See android quirks. Note: Only available for API Level >=21. |
option.locationService |
Number |
Android | You can choose from two location providers: ANDROID_DISTANCE_FILTER (default) using christocracy's distance filter algorithm. ANDROID_FUSED_LOCATION - using google FusedLocation API |
option.interval |
Number |
Android | Rate in milliseconds at which your app prefers to receive location updates. Note that the location updates may be faster than this rate if another app is receiving updates at a faster rate, or slower than this rate, or there may be no updates at all. @see android docs Valid only for ANDROID_FUSED_LOCATION. |
option.fastestInterval |
Number |
Android | Fastest rate in milliseconds at which your app can handle location updates. @see android docs Valid only for ANDROID_FUSED_LOCATION. |
option.activityType |
String |
iOS | [AutomotiveNavigation, OtherNavigation, Fitness, Other] Presumably, this affects ios GPS algorithm. @see Apple docs for more information |
Success callback will be called with one argument - location object, which tries to mimic w3c Coordinates interface.
| Callback parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
time |
Number |
Return the UTC time of this fix, in milliseconds since January 1, 1970. |
latitude |
Number |
Get the latitude, in degrees. |
longitude |
Number |
Get the longitude, in degrees. |
accuracy |
Number |
Get the estimated accuracy of this location, in meters. |
speed |
Number |
Get the speed if it is available, in meters/second over ground. |
altitude |
Number |
Get the altitude if available, in meters above the WGS 84 reference ellipsoid. |
bearing |
Number |
Get the bearing, in degrees. |
Start background gelocation.
Stop background geolocation.
Note: Android only
One time check for status location services. In case or error fail callback will be executed.
Success callback
| Callback parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
enabled |
Boolean |
true/false (true when location services are enabled) |
Note: Android only
Show settings to allow configuration of current location sources.
Note: Android only
This method can be used to detect user changes in location services settings. If user enable or disable location services then success callback will be executed. In case or error (SettingNotFoundException) fail callback will be executed.
| Callback parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
enabled |
Boolean |
true/false (true when location services are enabled) |
Note: Android only
Stop watching for location mode changes.
backgroundGeoLocation.configure(callbackFn, failureFn, {
desiredAccuracy: 10,
stationaryRadius: 20,
distanceFilter: 30,
notificationIconColor: '#4CAF50',
notificationTitle: 'Background tracking',
notificationText: 'ENABLED',
notificationIcon: 'notification_icon',
debug: true, // <-- enable this hear sounds for background-geolocation life-cycle.
stopOnTerminate: false, // <-- enable this to clear background location settings when the app terminates
locationService: backgroundGeoLocation.service.ANDROID_FUSED_LOCATION
});backgroundGeoLocation.configure(callbackFn, failureFn, {
desiredAccuracy: 10,
stationaryRadius: 20,
distanceFilter: 30,
activityType: 'AutomotiveNavigation',
debug: true, // <-- enable this hear sounds for background-geolocation life-cycle.
stopOnTerminate: false // <-- enable this to clear background location settings when the app terminates
});On iOS the plugin will execute your configured callbackFn. You may manually POST the received GeoLocation to your server using standard XHR. The plugin uses iOS Significant Changes API, and starts triggering callbackFn only when a cell-tower switch is detected (i.e. the device exits stationary radius). The function changePace(isMoving, success, failure) is provided to force the plugin to enter "moving" or "stationary" state.
Since the plugin uses iOS significant-changes API, the plugin cannot detect the exact moment the device moves out of the stationary-radius. In normal conditions, it can take as much as 3 city-blocks to 1/2 km before stationary-region exit is detected.
Keep in mind that it is not possible to use start() during the pause event of Cordova/PhoneGap. WP8 suspend your app immediately and our start() will not be executed. So make sure you fire start() before the app is closed/minimized.
In WP8 the frequency of position polling (while in stationary mode) is slowed down to once every three minutes.
In Windows Phone, the underlying GeoLocator you can choose to use 'DesiredAccuracy' or 'DesiredAccuracyInMeters'. Since this plugins default configuration accepts meters, the default desiredAccuracy is mapped to the Windows Phone DesiredAccuracyInMeters leaving the DesiredAccuracy enum empty. For more info see the MS docs for more information.
Android WILL execute your configured callbackFn. This is the main difference from original christocracy plugin. Android is using intents to do so. Read more about Android implementation in the wiki.
On Android devices it is required to have a notification in the drawer because it's a "foreground service". This gives it high priority, decreasing probability of OS killing it
Note: Only available for API Level >=21.
To use custom notification icon eg. new_icon, you need to put icons new_icon_small.png and new_icon_large.png into res/drawable directory of your app. You can automate the process as part of after_platform_add hook configured via config.xml. Check SampleApp config.xml and scripts/resource_files.js for reference.
NOTE: Using custom icons is currently not possible with Adobe® PhoneGap™ Build, as there is no way how to copy icons into res/drawable.
| ios | android | WP8 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exit stationary region | Calendar event notification sound | dialtone beep-beep-beep | triple short high tone |
| GeoLocation recorded | SMS sent sound | tt short beep | single long high tone |
| Aggressive geolocation engaged | SIRI listening sound | ||
| Passive geolocation engaged | SIRI stop listening sound | ||
| Acquiring stationary location sound | "tick,tick,tick" sound | double long low tone | |
| Stationary location acquired sound | "bloom" sound | long tt beep | double short high tone |
Note: For iOS in addition, you must manually enable the Audio and Airplay background mode in Background Capabilities to hear these debugging sounds.
There is nice cordova plugin cordova-plugin-geofence, which does exactly that. Let's keep this plugin lightweight as much as possible.
There are many works of original christocracy's plugin. The most interesting repos I've found are:
Lot of work has been done, but scattered all over the github. My intention is to maintain this version and adopt all those cool changes. You're more then welcome to pull your request here.
Copyright (c) 2013 Christopher Scott, Transistor Software
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