Documentation for new Android Location API

MOH

Maybe (probably?) I'm being a bit thick, but I can't seem to find any sample documentation for the latest version of the Android location API, under Google Play Services 4.2.

There's some blurb on it here, which focuses mainly on Plus and Drive, but as far as I can see this also applies to Location.

The android training docs use the GooglePlayServicesClient API, along with LocationClient.

These are all marked as deprecated in the API references, in favour of GoogleApiClient, and LocationServices.

There's a FusedLocationProviderApi and ActivityRecognitionApi, which defines a load of abstract methods, which I presume something else implements, but I can't work out what that is.

All the high level documentation seems to be pushing the new API, but all the examples are using the older version. Most of the examples I can find on StackOverflow, etc are using the GooglePlayServicesClient version - most of those seem to derived from the (outdated) official docs anyway.

Does anyone have a link to an example of using the new API for location tracking and activity recognition?

brian plank

if you follow the steps here you should get something working. It covers how to find your location, activity recognition, geofences etc.

MOH

brian plank wrote: »

if you follow the steps here you should get something working. It covers how to find your location, activity recognition, geofences etc.

They're using the deprecated API calls. They work alright, but I figure if I'm learning how to do something I may as well use the most up-to-date API.

I did eventually hack together something with the new API, I'll post details when I get a chance.

MOH

Sorry, kept meaning to post this, this is what I ended up with.

Doing it the "old" way, you'd end up with something like this:

LocationManager  locationManager = (LocationManager) getApplicationContext().getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE);
Criteria criteria = new Criteria();
criteria.setAccuracy(Criteria.ACCURACY_FINE);
String provider = locationManager.getBestProvider(criteria, false);
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(provider, updateInterval, 0, this);		

....
public void onLocationChanged(Location location) { .....
//do whatever you want with the location update

Whereas using the "new" API:

GoogleApiClient mGoogleApiClient;
LocationRequest mLocationRequest;
...
mGoogleApiClient = new GoogleApiClient.Builder(this)		
.addApi(LocationServices.API)
.addConnectionCallbacks((GoogleApiClient.ConnectionCallbacks) this)
.addOnConnectionFailedListener(this)
.build();

....
public void onConnected(Bundle arg0) {
mLocationRequest = LocationRequest.create(); 
mLocationRequest.setPriority(LocationRequest.PRIORITY_HIGH_ACCURACY);
mLocationRequest.setInterval(UPDATE_INTERVAL);
mLocationRequest.setFastestInterval(FASTEST_INTERVAL);
LocationServices.FusedLocationApi.requestLocationUpdates(mGoogleApiClient, mLocationRequest, this);
}

...
public void onLocationChanged(Location location) { .....
//do whatever you want with the location update

You'll need to import:
com.google.android.gms.common.api.GoogleApiClient;
com.google.android.gms.common.api.GoogleApiClient.ConnectionCallbacks;
com.google.android.gms.common.api.GoogleApiClient.OnConnectionFailedListener
(note it's the GoogleApiClient, instead of the GooglePlayServicesClient version).

As well as LocationListener, your class also needs to implement ConnectionCallbacks and OnConectionFailedListener (assuming the same class is handling all the callbacks).

Also, onDisconnected() has been renamed to onConnectionSuspended(int cause).


I'm still mucking around with this but it seems to be working, hopefully might help someone else work it out.