CSIT242 Mobile Application Development Lecture 6 & 1 Quiz

Android Location and Sensor Permissions

• To receive regular location updates while in the background, an Android app targeting Android 10 or higher must declare the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION permission in the app's manifest file.
• If an Android app does not need location access while running in the background, it is recommended to not declare the ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION permission.

Retrieving Last Known Location

• To retrieve the last known location of the device, an Android app can use the Fused Location Provider Client API.
• The device's last known location can be retrieved using the getLastLocation() method of the Fused Location Provider Client.
• The precision of the location returned by the getLastLocation() method is determined by the availability of location providers and the device's hardware capabilities.

Location and Sensor APIs

• The Fused Location Provider Client API manages the underlying location technology and provides a simple interface to specify requirements such as high accuracy or low power.
• The SensorManager class in the Android sensor framework is used to create an instance of the sensor service.

Sensors in Android

• Motion sensors in Android measure primarily acceleration, orientation, and angular velocity.
• Environmental sensors in Android include barometers, photometers, and thermometers.
• Some sensors, such as the fingerprint sensor, can be both hardware-based and software-based.
• The android.hardware package provides APIs for accessing various hardware components, including sensors.

Sensor Permissions and Access

• To ensure that a specific sensor is present on an Android device, developers can use the hasSystemFeature() method.
• The purpose of a permission in Android is to protect sensitive user data and system resources.
• Normal permissions are granted automatically at install time in Android.
• Dangerous permissions require the user's explicit approval at runtime.
• Signature permissions grant access to sensitive system resources and are only granted to apps signed with the same certificate as the system image.

Requesting Permissions

• The checkSelfPermission() method should be used to check if a permission is granted before performing an operation in an Android app.
• The shouldShowRequestPermissionRationale() method returns true if the app should show a rational for why the permission is needed, and false otherwise.

Location Services

• The Fused Location Provider Client API provides simplified and higher accuracy location services in Android.
• Apps that use location services must request the ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION or ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION permission.
• Reverse-geocoding in Android is the process of converting a latitude and longitude into a human-readable address.
• The main component of the location framework in Android is the Location Manager.

Test your knowledge on topics covered in CSIT242 Mobile Application Development Lecture 6 and SIM 2024 Lecture Plan. Includes Android location & Google Map API, supported sensors, iOS location & maps, iOS sensors, requesting runtime permissions on Android, and purpose of permissions.