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

Before starting this tutorial:

You need an ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account.
Confirm that your system meets the system requirements.
An IDE for Android development in Kotlin.

Steps

Open an Android Studio project

To start this tutorial, complete the Display a map tutorial. Or download and unzip the Display a map solution in a new folder.
Modify the old project for use in this new tutorial. Expand More info for instructions.
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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  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 <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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  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 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.
If you downloaded the solution, get an access token and set the API key.
1. Go to the Create an API key tutorial to obtain a new API key access token. Ensure that the following privilege is enabled: Location services > Basemaps > Basemap styles service. Copy the access token as it will be used in the next step.
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_ACCESS_TOKEN") call and paste your access token inside the double quotes, replacing YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN.
  MainActivity.kt
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  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 private fun setApiKeyForApp(){ ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment.setApiKey("YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN") }
  Warning
  The access token is stored directly in the code as a convenience for this tutorial. Storing access tokens in the source code is not best practice.

Add import statements

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

MainActivity.kt
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Change lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange linepackage 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.

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

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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Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.    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()
        }
    }
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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.)

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

MainActivity.kt
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        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.

Instances of this class manage the display of device location on a map view: the symbols, animation, auto pan behavior, and so on. Location display is an overlay of the map view, and displays above everything else, including graphics overlays.

The location display does not retrieve location information, that is the job of the associated data source, which provides location updates on a regular basis. In addition to the default system location data source, you can use location providers based on external GPS devices or a simulated location source.

Each map view has its own instance of a location display and instances of location display and location data source are not shared by multiple map views. This allows you to start and stop location display independently on multiple map views without affecting each other.

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))

    }

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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Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.    // 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)
            }
        }

    }
Expand

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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    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

Click Run > Run > app to run the app.

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.

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: