Display device location

Learn how to display the current device location on a map or scene.

You can display the device location on a map or scene. This is important for workflows that require the user's current location, such as finding nearby businesses, navigating from the current location, or identifying and collecting geospatial information.

By default, location display uses the device's location provider. Your app can also process input from other location providers, such as an external GPS receiver or a provider that returns a simulated location. For more information, see the Show device location topic.

Prerequisites

Steps

Open an Android Studio project

1. To start this tutorial, complete the Display a map tutorial. Or download and unzip the Display a map solution in a new folder.

2. Modify the old project for use in this new tutorial. Expand More info for instructions.

   More info

   1. On your file system, delete the .idea folder, if present, at the top level of your project.

   2. In the Android tool window, open app > res > values > strings.xml.

      In the <string name="app_name"> element, change the text content to Display device location.

      strings.xml

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      <resources>
      
          <string name="app_name">Display device location</string>
      
          <string name="location_permission_denied">LocationDisplayManager cannot run because location permission was denied</string>
      
      </resources>

   3. In the Android tool window, open Gradle Scripts > settings.gradle.

      Change the value of rootProject.name to "Display device location".

      settings.gradle

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      rootProject.name = "Display device location"
      
      include ':app'

   4. Click File > Sync Project with Gradle files. Android Studio will recognize your changes and create a new .idea folder.

3. If you downloaded the Display a map solution project, get your API key and set it in your app.

   More info

   An API Key enables access to services, web maps, and web scenes hosted in ArcGIS Online.

   1. Go to your developer dashboard to get your API key. For these tutorials, use your default API key. It is scoped to include all of the services demonstrated in the tutorials.

   2. In Android Studio: in the Android tool window, open app > java > com.example.app > MainActivity.

   3. In the setApiKeyForApp() method, find the ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment.setApiKey("YOUR_API_KEY") call and paste your API key inside the quotes, replacing YOUR_API_KEY.

      MainActivity.kt

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          override fun onDestroy() {
              mapView.dispose()
              super.onDestroy()
          }
      
          private fun setApiKeyForApp(){
              // set your API key
              // Note: it is not best practice to store API keys in source code. The API key is referenced
              // here for the convenience of this tutorial.
      
              ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment.setApiKey("YOUR_API_KEY")
      
          }
      

Add import statements

1. Replace app-specific import statements with the imports (highlighted in yellow) needed for this tutorial.

   MainActivity.kt

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   package com.example.app
   
   import android.os.Bundle
   import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
   
   
   import android.content.pm.PackageManager
   import android.Manifest
   import android.widget.Toast
   import androidx.core.app.ActivityCompat
   import androidx.core.content.ContextCompat
   
   import com.esri.arcgisruntime.ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment
   import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.ArcGISMap
   import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.BasemapStyle
   import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.view.MapView
   import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.view.LocationDisplay
   
   import com.example.app.databinding.ActivityMainBinding
   
   
   class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
   

Ask user for permission to display location

Set the user permissions to allow display location.

1. In Android.Manifest.xml, add permissions for coarse and fine location.

   MainActivity.kt

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       <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION" />
       <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />
   

   Expand

2. In MainActivity.kt, create the requestPermissions() method.

   Check whether your app already has permissions for accessing fine location and coarse location by calling checkSelfPermission(). If one or both permissions have not been granted, then request permission from the user by calling ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(). Otherwise, show a Toast with a non-permission error, if any, retrieved from the status changed event that is passed to the current method.

   MainActivity.kt

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       private fun requestPermissions(dataSourceStatusChangedEvent: LocationDisplay.DataSourceStatusChangedEvent) {
           val requestCode = 2
           val reqPermissions = arrayOf(
               Manifest.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION,
               Manifest.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION
           )
           // fine location permission
           val permissionCheckFineLocation =
               ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this@MainActivity, reqPermissions[0]) ==
                       PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED
           // coarse location permission
           val permissionCheckCoarseLocation =
               ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this@MainActivity, reqPermissions[1]) ==
                       PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED
           if (!(permissionCheckFineLocation && permissionCheckCoarseLocation)) { // if permissions are not already granted, request permission from the user
               ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this@MainActivity, reqPermissions, requestCode)
           } else {
               // report other unknown failure types to the user - for example, location services may not
               // be enabled on the device.
               val message = String.format(
                   "Error in DataSourceStatusChangedListener: %s", dataSourceStatusChangedEvent
                       .source.locationDataSource.error.message
               )
               Toast.makeText(this@MainActivity, message, Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show()
           }
       }
   

   Expand

3. Override the onRequestPermissionsResult() callback inherited from the FragmentActivity class.

   If the grant results array indicates that location permissions were granted, then start the location display. (In this tutorial, we test only the first permission in the array, which is for fine location.)

   More info

   When the locationDisplay.startAsync() call in setupMap() fails to start the location display, the status of the data source changes, causing the status change listener's lambda to be executed. (You will edit setupMap() and add the data source status change listener in the next section of this tutorial: Show the current location.)

   The lambda calls this app's requestPermissions() method, which ultimately results in onRequestPermissionsResult() being called. At this point, you verified location permissions, so it's time for another attempt to start location display.

   MainActivity.kt

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       override fun onRequestPermissionsResult(
           requestCode: Int,
           permissions: Array<String>,
           grantResults: IntArray
       ) {
           super.onRequestPermissionsResult(requestCode, permissions, grantResults)
           // if request is cancelled, the results array is empty
           if (grantResults.isNotEmpty() && grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
               locationDisplay.startAsync()
           }
   
       }
   

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4. If location permissions were not granted, show a Toast saying that permissions were denied.

   MainActivity.kt

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       override fun onRequestPermissionsResult(
           requestCode: Int,
           permissions: Array<String>,
           grantResults: IntArray
       ) {
           super.onRequestPermissionsResult(requestCode, permissions, grantResults)
           // if request is cancelled, the results array is empty
           if (grantResults.isNotEmpty() && grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
               locationDisplay.startAsync()
           }
   
           else {
               Toast.makeText(
                   this@MainActivity,
                   resources.getString(R.string.location_permission_denied),
                   Toast.LENGTH_SHORT
               ).show()
           }
   
       }
   

   Expand

Show the current location

Each map view has its own instance of a LocationDisplay for showing the current location (point) of the device. The location is displayed as an overlay in the map view.

1. In setupMap, delete the code that sets the map's initial viewpoint.

   MainActivity.kt

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       // set up your map here. You will call this method from onCreate()
       private fun setupMap() {
   
           // create a map with the BasemapStyle streets
           val map = ArcGISMap(BasemapStyle.ARCGIS_TOPOGRAPHIC)
   
           // set the map to be displayed in the layout's MapView
           mapView.map = map
   
           // set the viewpoint, Viewpoint(latitude, longitude, scale)
           mapView.setViewpoint(Viewpoint(34.0270, -118.8050, 72000.0))
   
       }
   

2. In setupMap(), add a listener that detects when the status of the location data source changes. In the listener's lambda, call the request permissions method so the user can approve location permissions.

   MainActivity.kt

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       // set up your map here. You will call this method from onCreate()
       private fun setupMap() {
           // create a map with the BasemapStyle Topographic
           val map = ArcGISMap(BasemapStyle.ARCGIS_TOPOGRAPHIC)
   
           // set the map to be displayed in the layout's MapView
           mapView.map = map
   
           locationDisplay.addDataSourceStatusChangedListener {
               // if LocationDisplay isn't started or has an error
               if (!it.isStarted && it.error != null) {
                   // check permissions to see if failure may be due to lack of permissions
                   requestPermissions(it)
               }
           }
   
       }
   

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3. Set a LocationDisplay.AutoPanMode that centers the map at the device location. Then try to start the location display.

   MainActivity.kt

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       // set up your map here. You will call this method from onCreate()
       private fun setupMap() {
           // create a map with the BasemapStyle Topographic
           val map = ArcGISMap(BasemapStyle.ARCGIS_TOPOGRAPHIC)
   
           // set the map to be displayed in the layout's MapView
           mapView.map = map
   
           locationDisplay.addDataSourceStatusChangedListener {
               // if LocationDisplay isn't started or has an error
               if (!it.isStarted && it.error != null) {
                   // check permissions to see if failure may be due to lack of permissions
                   requestPermissions(it)
               }
           }
   
           locationDisplay.setAutoPanMode(LocationDisplay.AutoPanMode.RECENTER)
           locationDisplay.startAsync()
   
       }
   

   Expand

Run your app

1. Click Run > Run > app to run the app.

   More info

   The Android Emulator should display and run your app in the Android Virtual Devcie (AVD) selected in the Android Studio toolbar:

   

   If your app builds but no AVD displays, you need to add one. Click Tools > AVD Manager > Create Virtual Device...

   You should see your current location displayed on the map. Different location symbols are used depending on the auto pan mode and whether a location is acquired. See LocationDisplay.AutoPanMode for details.

   More info

   By default, a round blue symbol is used to display the device's location. The location data source tries to get the most accurate location available but depending upon signal strength, satellite positions, and other factors, the location reported could be an approximation. A semi-transparent circle around the location symbol indicates the range of accuracy. As the device moves and location updates are received, the location symbol will be repositioned on the map.

What's next?

Learn how to use additional API features, ArcGIS location services, and ArcGIS tools in these tutorials:

• Search for an address
• Find a route and directions