What is expo-location?
The expo-location package provides an API to access and manage the device's location services. It allows you to get the current location, watch for location changes, and geocode or reverse geocode locations.
What are expo-location's main functionalities?
Get Current Location
This feature allows you to get the current location of the device. The code sample demonstrates how to request permission to access location services and then retrieve the current position.
```javascript
import * as Location from 'expo-location';
async function getCurrentLocation() {
let { status } = await Location.requestForegroundPermissionsAsync();
if (status !== 'granted') {
console.log('Permission to access location was denied');
return;
}
let location = await Location.getCurrentPositionAsync({});
console.log(location);
}
```
Watch Location Changes
This feature allows you to watch for location changes. The code sample demonstrates how to request permission and then set up a watcher that logs the location every time it changes.
```javascript
import * as Location from 'expo-location';
async function watchLocation() {
let { status } = await Location.requestForegroundPermissionsAsync();
if (status !== 'granted') {
console.log('Permission to access location was denied');
return;
}
Location.watchPositionAsync({
accuracy: Location.Accuracy.High,
timeInterval: 1000,
distanceInterval: 1,
}, (location) => {
console.log(location);
});
}
```
Geocoding
This feature allows you to convert an address into geographic coordinates. The code sample demonstrates how to use the geocodeAsync method to get the coordinates of a given address.
```javascript
import * as Location from 'expo-location';
async function geocodeAddress(address) {
let geocode = await Location.geocodeAsync(address);
console.log(geocode);
}
```
Reverse Geocoding
This feature allows you to convert geographic coordinates into a human-readable address. The code sample demonstrates how to use the reverseGeocodeAsync method to get the address of a given set of coordinates.
```javascript
import * as Location from 'expo-location';
async function reverseGeocodeLocation(latitude, longitude) {
let reverseGeocode = await Location.reverseGeocodeAsync({ latitude, longitude });
console.log(reverseGeocode);
}
```
Other packages similar to expo-location
react-native-geolocation-service
The react-native-geolocation-service package provides similar functionality to expo-location, allowing you to get the current location, watch for location changes, and more. It is a more direct wrapper around the native geolocation APIs and may offer more control and customization options.
react-native-location
The react-native-location package offers similar features to expo-location, including getting the current location and watching for location changes. It also provides additional features like background location updates, which can be useful for certain types of applications.
react-native-maps
The react-native-maps package is primarily used for rendering maps, but it also includes location tracking features. It can be a good choice if you need both mapping and location services in your application.
expo-location
Allows reading geolocation information from the device. Your app can poll for the current location or subscribe to location update events.
API documentation
Installation in managed Expo projects
For managed managed Expo projects, please follow the installation instructions in the API documentation for the latest stable release. If you follow the link and there is no documentation available then this library is not yet usable within managed projects — it is likely to be included in an upcoming Expo SDK release.
Installation in bare React Native projects
For bare React Native projects, you must ensure that you have installed and configured the react-native-unimodules
package before continuing.
Add the package to your npm dependencies
npm install expo-location
Configure for iOS
Run pod install
in the ios directory after installing the npm package.
Configure for Android
No additional set up necessary.
Contributing
Contributions are very welcome! Please refer to guidelines described in the contributing guide.