Question: `keepRunning` property in background mode

Warning: You probably have to set your cordova app to keep running by keepRunning property to true (this is the default now).

Please let me know if I am interpreting correctly:

1. When the app is minimized by the user (background mode) there is no guarantee that geolocation plugin will trigger a callback. To overcome this, the app shouldn’t pause in background. This can be achieved through https://github.com/katzer/cordova-plugin-background-mode by calling cordova.plugins.backgroundMode.enable(); alternative to keepRunning mentioned in docs (please consider adding this <platform name="android"> ... <preference name="KeepRunning" value="false" /> )
2. When app is in background I get 2 notifications: a) The app is running in background doing heavy task and b) App is running. Touch for more info. Is there any way I can remove these? Or lower it down to one?
3. If point 1 is correct would this cause issues during IOS app review, as the app would always keep running in background?
4. When the user kills/force-stops the app(not background mode), geolocation plugin will continue logging location in local db and callback won’t be triggered. These location can then be retrieved by calling backgroundGeoLocation.getLocations(success, fail). [Android Only]
5. Point 4 function backgroundGeoLocation.getLocations(success, fail) is Android only, what happens in case of IOS?
6. If point4 is correctly interpreted, how do I know if there are locations stored in local db?

[christocracy]

Of course it sets UIBackgroundMode "location", this is a background-geolocaiton plugin!

However, the only way that iOS will keep your app from being suspend with this mode is if location-services are engaged, ie: the GPS radio is ON and sucking power. You could do this but the user’s battery will die in a few hours and your users will hate you. The second you turn off location-services, iOS will immediately put your app to sleep.

I originally designed this plugin for a disaster-response application, tracking first-responders into hurricanes & earthquakes, in an environment where the network is likely destroyed. The core philosophy of my work is tracking the device in the most battery-efficient manner possible. That means that location-services must be engaged only when the device is detected to be moving and turned off ASAP when the device is stopped.

The differences between this plugin and my new version are vast. I’m probably about 1500 hours ahead of this fork. I’ve completely refactored both Android & iOS during the past 17 months-or-so after I put it up for sale. Since that time, I make enough sales that I’m able to devote every single hour of my time to supporting the plugin. I’m supporting hundreds of paying customers now. It’s not a side-project for me, it’s my full time job.

I’ve extracted the core native functionality into pure native frameworks for each platform, completely decoupled from Cordova. I sell the same plugin now for React Native and I’m considering porting it to NativeScript by Telerik. Each framework I port-to requires just a small facade in front of the same core native framework.

AirBnb is one of my customers

iOS is free but you have to purchase a license for Android. You can try Android with my SampleApp, which contains a license-key that unlocks the Android plugin only only for the SampleApp app’s bundle ID.

[christocracy]

And @mauron85 if you ever want to try my Android version, I’ll give you some license keys. email me