Access location in the background
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As described on the request location
permissions and privacy best
practices pages, apps should only ask for the type of
location permission that's critical to the user-facing feature, and properly
disclose this to users. The majority of use cases only require location when the
user is engaging with the app. If your app requires background location, such as
when implementing geofencing, make sure that it's critical to the core
functionality of the app, offers clear benefits to the user, and is done in a
way that's obvious to them.
Note: The Google Play store has updated its policy concerning device
location, restricting background location access to apps that need it for
their core functionality and meet related policy requirements. Adopting these
best practices doesn't guarantee Google Play approves your app's usage of
location in the background.
Learn more about the
policy
changes related to device location.
Background location access checklist
Use the following checklist to identify potential location access logic in the
background:
Evaluate background location access
If you find that your app accesses location in the background, consider taking
the following actions:
- Evaluate whether background location access is critical to the core
functionality of the app.
If you don't need location access in the background, remove it.
If your app targets Android 10 (API level 29) or higher, remove the
ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION
permission
from your app's manifest. When you remove this permission, all-the-time
access to location isn't an option for the app on devices that run
Android 10.
Make sure the user is aware that your app is accessing location in the
background. This is especially important for cases that aren't obvious to users.
If possible, refactor your location access
logic so that
you request location only when your app's activity is visible to users.
Limited updates to background location
If background location access is essential for your app, keep in mind that
Android preserves device battery life by setting background location
limits on devices that run Android 8.0 (API level 26) and higher. On these
versions of Android, if your app is running in the background, it can receive
location updates only a few times each hour. Learn more about background
location limits.
Additional resources
To learn more about background location usage, view the following materials:
Videos
How to find possible background location
usage
Samples
Sample
to demonstrate best practices for accessing location when app is in background.
Content and code samples on this page are subject to the licenses described in the Content License. Java and OpenJDK are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Last updated 2023-11-01 UTC.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2023-11-01 UTC."],[],[],null,["# Access location in the background\n\nAs described on the [request location\npermissions](/training/location/permissions) and [privacy best\npractices](/privacy/best-practices) pages, apps should only ask for the type of\nlocation permission that's critical to the user-facing feature, and properly\ndisclose this to users. The majority of use cases only require location when the\nuser is engaging with the app. If your app requires background location, such as\nwhen implementing geofencing, make sure that it's critical to the core\nfunctionality of the app, offers clear benefits to the user, and is done in a\nway that's obvious to them. \n**Note:** The Google Play store has updated its policy concerning device\nlocation, restricting background location access to apps that need it for\ntheir core functionality and meet related policy requirements. Adopting these\nbest practices doesn't guarantee Google Play approves your app's usage of\nlocation in the background.\n\nLearn more about the\n[policy\nchanges](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9799150) related to device location.\n\nBackground location access checklist\n------------------------------------\n\nUse the following checklist to identify potential location access logic in the\nbackground:\n\n- In your app's manifest, check for the\n [`ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION` permission](/reference/android/Manifest.permission#ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION)\n and the\n [`ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION` permission](/reference/android/Manifest.permission#ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION).\n Verify that your app requires these location permissions.\n\n - If your app targets Android 10 (API level 29) or higher, also check for the [`ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION`\n permission](/training/location/receive-location-updates#request-background-location). Verify that your app has a feature that requires it.\n- Look for use of location access APIs, such as the [Fused Location Provider\n API](https://developers.google.com/location-context/fused-location-provider),\n [Geofencing API](https://developers.google.com/location-context/geofencing), or\n [LocationManager API](/reference/android/location/LocationManager), within your\n code such as in the following constructs:\n\n - [Background services](/training/run-background-service/create-service)\n - [`JobIntentService`](/reference/kotlin/androidx/core/app/JobIntentService) objects\n - [`WorkManager`](/reference/kotlin/androidx/work/WorkManager) or [`JobScheduler`](/reference/kotlin/android/app/job/JobScheduler) tasks\n - [`AlarmManager`](/reference/kotlin/android/app/AlarmManager) operations\n - Pending intents that are invoked from an [app\n widget](/guide/topics/appwidgets)\n- If your app uses an SDK or library that accesses location, this access is\n attributed to your app. To determine whether an SDK or library needs location\n access, consult the library's documentation.\n\nEvaluate background location access\n-----------------------------------\n\nIf you find that your app accesses location in the background, consider taking\nthe following actions:\n\n- Evaluate whether background location access is critical to the core functionality of the app.\n- If you don't need location access in the background, remove it.\n\n If your app targets Android 10 (API level 29) or higher, remove the\n [`ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION`\n permission](/training/location/receive-location-updates#request-background-location)\n from your app's manifest. When you remove this permission, all-the-time\n access to location isn't an option for the app on devices that run\n Android 10.\n- Make sure the user is aware that your app is accessing location in the\n background. This is especially important for cases that aren't obvious to users.\n\n- If possible, [refactor your location access\n logic](/about/versions/oreo/background-location-limits#tuning-behavior) so that\n you request location only when your app's activity is visible to users.\n\nLimited updates to background location\n--------------------------------------\n\nIf background location access is essential for your app, keep in mind that\nAndroid preserves device battery life by setting *background location\nlimits* on devices that run Android 8.0 (API level 26) and higher. On these\nversions of Android, if your app is running in the background, it can receive\nlocation updates only a few times each hour. Learn more about [background\nlocation limits](/about/versions/oreo/background-location-limits).\n\nAdditional resources\n--------------------\n\nTo learn more about background location usage, view the following materials:\n\n### Videos\n\n[How to find possible background location\nusage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTVeFJZQ28c)\n\n### Samples\n\n[Sample](https://github.com/android/platform-samples/tree/main/samples/location/src/main/java/com/example/platform/location/bglocationaccess)\nto demonstrate best practices for accessing location when app is in background."]]