Core Location

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Obtain the geographic location and orientation of a device using Core Location.

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Dynamic Location Tracking using CLServiceSession and CLBackgroundActivitySession
Hello, I'm currently implementing code to track routes and determine if users have arrived at their destination using CLServiceSession, CLBackgroundActivitySession, and CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates. I want to obtain location data across all app states: foreground, background, and terminated. I have two questions: Background Location Indicator Issue: I'm using CLBackgroundActivitySession to get location updates in the background. Normally, the background location indicator (blue bar) doesn't appear at the top left of the screen for my app. However, when another app (e.g., LiveUpdatesSample) activates CLBackgroundActivitySession, my app's background location indicator suddenly becomes visible. Can you explain why this happens? or Can I Control showsBackgroundLocationIndicator in CLBackgroundActivitySession Session Management: Is there a way to terminate all currently active CLBackgroundActivitySessions? I understand that when CLBackgroundActivitySession is activated and the app is terminated and then relaunched, a new CLBackgroundActivitySession needs to be created. In this case, are the previously created and running CLBackgroundActivitySessions automatically released when the app is relaunched?
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Jul ’25
Replacement for deprecated CLPlacemark.region?
Hello, I use CLGeocoder to get the CLLocationCoordinate2D and CLRegion for an address. Now that this is deprecated in OS 26, I don't see a replacement for that property on MKMapItem via MKMapItemRequest and PlaceDescriptor. I've filed FB19027378 on this issue. Basically I have some addresses that have a street address, and others that just have a city. With CLGeocoder, when geocoding just the city, the CLRegion was set such that I could show my map zoomed out just right. I'm not sure how to do that now. Thanks!
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Jul ’25
How to Handle Periodic Background Location Reminders for an MDM-Managed Safety App?
Hello everyone, We've developed a safety application for schools that runs on supervised, MDM-managed iOS devices. The app requires "Location Always" to maintain a persistent background state for its core functionality. The Challenge: Our primary issue is with the periodic background location reminder prompts that iOS automatically presents to the user (e.g., "[App Name] has used your location X times in the past 3 days..."). A screenshot of the exact prompt is attached. While we educate users on the importance of selecting "Always Allow," these recurring prompts make it very easy for a student to downgrade the permission at a later date, which disables the app's safety features. This makes the solution unreliable in a school environment. Our Question: Since these are supervised devices managed by an educational institution, we are looking for a way to manage this behavior. Is there any Info.plist key, entitlement, or API available to developers to influence or suppress these recurring location reminders for our app? From an MDM perspective, is there a known payload or declarative management configuration that can prevent these specific prompts from appearing for a designated app? We understand these prompts are a key privacy feature. Our question is whether there are any provisions for managed, special-purpose environments like a school, where the app's function is considered essential and pre-approved by the device administrator (the school). We are looking for a way to provide a "set it and forget it" configuration for the school, but these reminders currently prevent that. Any architectural advice or insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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Jul ’25
Working with visits and significant location changes following Core Location updates in iOS 17 and iOS 18
Hello, I'm working on an application that requires the use of significant location changes and visits, in addition to region monitoring and standard continuous location delivery (foreground and background). iOS 17 and iOS 18 introduced changes to how we can monitor distinct regions of interest (with CLMonitor) as well as receive location updates (with CLLocationUpdate). But I couldn't find any information regarding how to work with Significant location changes. Do we still need to create a location manager and call startMonitoringSignificantLocationChanges()? Where are the updates received in this case, in the locationManager(_:didUpdateLocations:) or in the liveUpdates async sequence? Visits. Same question here, for visit monitoring to work, do we still have to create a location manager then call startMonitoringVisits()? Where are the visits being notified? Still in locationManager(_:didVisit:) or in the liveUpdates asynchronous sequence? I just want to be sure I understand correctly how to use the updates, and if some features of Core Location still need to use a location manager and the delegate to receive the events. Maybe additional CLCondition will be added to cover both of these technologies as it seems highly related to monitoring conditions (significant location change, and visit). Thank you, Axel
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103
Jul ’25
Navigation Directional Information Permissions
I am developing a navigation application. My goal is for this navigation app to also work in the background and provide the user with real-time directional updates. When apps request access to location services, users see a TCC (Transparency, Consent, and Control) prompt. This prompt allows the user to choose under what conditions the app can access location services (for example: “While Using the App”, “Always”, etc.). If the user selects the “While Using the App” option, can the navigation app still access location in the background and provide directional information to the user? Is something like this technically possible? Does Apple allow this behavior for navigation apps or similar use cases?
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53
Jul ’25
Location Verification API's
Dear Apple Team, I am reaching out regarding the need for more sophisticated location verification APIs beyond basic IP lookup capabilities. As online fraud continues to evolve, IP-based geolocation has proven insufficient for many business use cases requiring accurate location verification. Would it be possible to discuss this proposal with your API development team? I believe this would be valuable for the entire iOS and macOS developer ecosystem while maintaining Apple's commitment to user privacy.
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94
Jun ’25
Unexpected Immediate Delivery of Multiple UNLocationTrigger Notifications
Hello, I'm encountering an issue with UNLocationNotificationTrigger in my iOS app. I've scheduled three local notifications using UNLocationNotificationTrigger, each tied to a distinct geographic region. These regions are significantly distant from one another and should not trigger simultaneously under normal movement conditions. However, during testing, the user received all three notifications within one second, despite being physically located near only one of the regions. This behavior is unexpected and defeats the purpose of using location-based triggers. Could you please clarify why this might be happening? Is there a known issue with UNLocationTrigger, or is there a possibility that iOS preemptively triggers all scheduled location notifications? Any guidance or recommended practices to avoid this behavior would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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Jun ’25
GPS HDOP
I have a marine navigation app which displays GPS quality information when receiving NMEA message from an external GPS. These include the number of satellites and Horizontal Dilution of Precision (HDOP). As far as I can see, the only additional information available through location services (for devices with built in GPS) is horizontal and vertical accuracy. Am I missing anything? Also does anyone know how horizontal accuracy is derived from HDOP?
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Jun ’25
XCFramework Location Behavior Differs from Standalone App in Background/Sleep Mode
Hi Apple Dev Team & Community, We’ve encountered an issue with background location updates when using an XCFramework we’ve built from our main app. Context: We have a standalone app called TravelSafely that reliably performs background location updates and alerts, even during sleep mode. From this app, we extracted some core functionality into an XCFramework, including location management, and provided it as an SDK to a client. We created a demo app to test this SDK in isolation. Problem: In the demo app, we notice that location updates work fine in the foreground. However, in the background or sleep mode, location updates sometimes stop completely. When we bring the app to the foreground again, location resumes. This does not happen in the original standalone app. What We’ve Already Checked: UIBackgroundModes includes location Info.plist has the required permissions Location is started correctly using startUpdatingLocation We maintain strong references and use background tasks as needed Question: Why would an app using a binary XCFramework (with location logic) behave differently from the original app in terms of background execution? Is there any known issue or recommendation when working with SDKs/XCFrameworks that need to manage background tasks and location updates? Any insights or recommendations to maintain proper background behavior would be highly appreciated. Thank you!
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Jun ’25
Live Activity does not work as a proxy for CLBackgroundActivitySession
Hi, I've watched the WWDC video "Discover streamlined location updates" As detailed here: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2023/10180/?time=364 In order for my app to receive location updates in the background, the video states that I can either use a live activity or a CLBackgroundActivitySession My app has a live activity, however the location updates stop shortly (10 seconds, this is the normal "grace period" described) after backgrounding the app, even when the live activity is visible. If I acquire a CLBackgroundActivitySession, location updates continue in the background. I have reproduced this behavior in the Simulator in a barebones app for testing and confirmed that it's not working as described. My question is: Should I hold a CLBackgroundActivitySession even when I already have a Live Activity?
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Jun ’25
CLMonitor related crash - EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGSEGV)
Hello I started using CLMonitor on my App, and I am noticing the following crash on Xcode Organizer for dozens of my app users: Exception Subtype: KERN_INVALID_ADDRESS at 0x0000000000000001 Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000001, 0x0000000000000001 VM Region Info: 0x1 is not in any region. Bytes before following region: …………. REGION TYPE START - END [ VSIZE] PRT/MAX SHRMOD REGION DETAIL UNUSED SPACE AT START ---> __TEXT ………-…….. [ 176K] r-x/r-x SM=COW /var/containers/Bundle/Application/.........../MyApp Termination Reason: SIGNAL 11 Segmentation fault: 11 Terminating Process: exc handler […..] Thread 4 name: Thread 4 Crashed: 0 libswiftCoreLocation.dylib 0x000000021680b4c8 @objc completion handler block implementation for @escaping @callee_unowned @convention(block) (@unowned CLMonitor) -> () with result type CLMonitor + 44 (<compiler-generated>:0) 1 CoreLocation 0x0000000196cdddd4 __76-[CLMonitorConfiguration vendMonitorWithIdentityAndAuthorizationAttributes:]_block_invoke + 216 (CLMonitorConfiguration.m:195) 2 libdispatch.dylib 0x0000000191138370 _dispatch_call_block_and_release + 32 (init.c:1549) 3 libdispatch.dylib 0x000000019113a0d0 _dispatch_client_callout + 20 (object.m:576) 4 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001911416d8 _dispatch_lane_serial_drain + 744 (queue.c:3934) 5 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001911421e0 _dispatch_lane_invoke + 380 (queue.c:4025) 6 libdispatch.dylib 0x000000019114d258 _dispatch_root_queue_drain_deferred_wlh + 288 (queue.c:7193) 7 libdispatch.dylib 0x000000019114caa4 _dispatch_workloop_worker_thread + 540 (queue.c:6787) 8 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x0000000211933c7c _pthread_wqthread + 288 (pthread.c:2696) 9 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x0000000211930488 start_wqthread + 8 Does anyone have similar issue when using CLMonitor? How can I debug / fix this issue? Is it an CLMonitor API bug? Should I file a bug report?
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Jun ’25
Re-enabling Background Location Services When Reconnecting to a Bluetooth Device
Hi all, We’re running into a challenge with our iOS app DriveSmarter, which uses background location updates when connected to a physical Bluetooth device (e.g., dash cam, radar detector). For battery efficiency, we disable location services in the background when no device is connected. The problem we’re now facing is: How can we programmatically re-enable location services when a Bluetooth device reconnects while the app is still in the background? From what I understand, Core Location doesn’t allow re-enabling background location updates unless the app returns to the foreground. But our core use case requires this to happen seamlessly in the background when the user starts driving and the device connects again. To clarify: We stop location updates when the device disconnects. We want to resume location updates only when the device reconnects, even if the app is still in the background. Manually bringing the app to the foreground is not a reliable or user-friendly option. So my questions: Is it possible to programmatically restart background location services upon a Bluetooth connection event while staying in the background? If not, are there any best practices or Apple-recommended alternatives to achieve a similar result? Any guidance, patterns, or creative solutions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance
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Jun ’25
Are rate limits for calculate, calculateETA, and reverse geocoding shared across an app?
Hi, I'm using MapKit's MKDirections.calculate, calculateETA, and reverse geocoding (via CLGeocoder.reverseGeocodeLocation) in my iOS app. I understand that there are undocumented rate limits for these services to prevent abuse, but I couldn't find official details. I would like to know: Are the rate limits applied per device, per app installation, or are they shared across all users of the same app bundle ID? Is there any guidance on how to design these features to avoid hitting rate limits in a production environment? What is the best practice if a user repeatedly triggers routing or reverse geocoding (e.g., typing or moving the map)? Any clarification or official documentation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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Jun ’25
iBeacon with CLMonitor Slow
The other day I was playing with iBeacon and found out that CLBeaconIdentityConstraint will be deprecated after iOS 18.5. So I've written code with BeaconIdentityCondition in reference to this Apple's sample project. import Foundation import CoreLocation let monitorName = "BeaconMonitor" @MainActor public class BeaconViewModel: ObservableObject { private let manager: CLLocationManager static let shared = BeaconViewModel() public var monitor: CLMonitor? @Published var UIRows: [String: [CLMonitor.Event]] = [:] init() { self.manager = CLLocationManager() self.manager.requestWhenInUseAuthorization() } func startMonitoringConditions() { Task { print("Set up monitor") monitor = await CLMonitor(monitorName) await monitor!.add(getBeaconIdentityCondition(), identifier: "TestBeacon") for identifier in await monitor!.identifiers { guard let lastEvent = await monitor!.record(for: identifier)?.lastEvent else { continue } UIRows[identifier] = [lastEvent] } for try await event in await monitor!.events { guard let lastEvent = await monitor!.record(for: event.identifier)?.lastEvent else { continue } if event.state == lastEvent.state { continue } UIRows[event.identifier] = [event] UIRows[event.identifier]?.append(lastEvent) } } } func updateRecords() async { UIRows = [:] for identifier in await monitor?.identifiers ?? [] { guard let lastEvent = await monitor!.record(for: identifier)?.lastEvent else { continue } UIRows[identifier] = [lastEvent] } } func getBeaconIdentityCondition() -> CLMonitor.BeaconIdentityCondition { CLMonitor.BeaconIdentityCondition(uuid: UUID(uuidString: "abc")!, major: 123, minor: 789) } } It works except that my sample app can take as long as 90 seconds to see event changes. You would get an instant update with an fashion (CLBeacon and CLBeaconIdentityConstraint). Is there anything that I can do to see changes faster? Thanks.
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Jun ’25
Location streaming onto Live Activity
Hello forum, I want to keep my app running in the background after user swaps up, for the purpose of workout tracking. start up the task and continuously receipt GPS updates process the location data show the data on a live activity Two examples Strava paddlelogger Question: Does this mean, these two apps would just pause when the .backgroundTimeRemaining becomes 0? How does a workout app "work" in background mode, do I need to handle budget running out?
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Jun ’25
Location updates in background…
Hello, I’ve done a lot of testing of location services running in background with various settings, but in all scenarios location updates pause after a couple of hours, especially overnight In sleep mode. My app, for personal safety, requires regular location updates to 5m accuracy every minute. The only solution I have found is to keep the app in foreground. Location always stops updating. Background mode stops updating. Live location services stops updating. Is there a solution I may have missed other than keeping app in foreground? thank you, Brendan
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Jun ’25
Background location stops with (kCLErrorDomain error 1.) but permission was granted
We are currently experiencing a very interesting issue when accessing the location in the background with CLLocationManager. The user has given our app the "whenInUse" permission for locations and in most cases the app provides location updates even when it's in the background. However, when we started to use other navigation apps in the foreground we saw that the func locationManager(_ manager: CLLocationManager, didFailWithError error: Error) method was called with (kCLErrorDomain error 1.). The user hasn't changed the location permission and we saw that locations were delivered once the user opened the app again. I don't see anything in the documentation explaining this issue, but I chatted with other developers that confirm that specific behavior. Am I missing something here?
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Jun ’25