[Android: Location Tracking] location observer not triggering updates (foreground/background) in Expo React Native app

[asaveiadelin]

I installed it in a React Native project using Expo.

I followed the background location example provided in the package documentation: https://github.com/HyopeR/react-native-location/blob/master/example/src/pages/BackgroundPage/index.tsx

On iOS, the location observer works correctly:

• When the device location changes, the observer callback is triggered.

 const onChange = useCallback<OnChangeEvent>(locations => {
    if (locations.length > 0) {
      const item = locations[0];
      setLocation(item);
      console.log(item);
    }
  }, []);

• This works both in foreground and background modes.

However, on Android, the behavior is broken. The location observer does not receive any updates at all, neither when the app is in the foreground nor when it is running in the background.

[HyopeR]

@asaveiadelin

Are you receiving any errors in the onError callback? If not, could you please share the ADB Logcat records with me, if possible?

[asaveiadelin]

I took a look at the logs and this code

console.log("Subscribing to location updates...");
    const subscription = RNLocation.subscribe();
    subscription.onChange(handleIOSLocationChange).onError(handleIOSError);
    subscriptionRef.current = subscription;

Returns this:

Subscribing to location updates...
05-13 17:36:12.253   666  1729 W ActivityManager: Unable to start service Intent { xflg=0x4 cmp=com.my-app/com.hyoper.location.RNLocationForeground } U=0: not found

You mentioned here https://hyoper.github.io/react-native-location/documents/Installation.html that in AndroidManifest.xml there should be the following setting:

<service 
    android:name="com.hyoper.location.RNLocationForeground"
    android:exported="false"
    android:foregroundServiceType="location" />

I looked in my AndroidManifest.xml in my build, and I see

  <service android:name=".RNLocationForeground" android:exported="false" android:foregroundServiceType="location"/>

If I change my settings to what you mentioned in the package, I get the location. I can’t modify AndroidManifest.xml directly because it’s generated from the build, and Expo overwrites it.

[HyopeR]

I generally work and test via the CLI, so I haven't tested much in the EXPO environment. Now, if I understand correctly:

.RNLocationForeground -> Fails.
com.hyoper.location.RNLocationForeground -> Successes.

Then, simply changing the following line to com.hyoper.location.RNLocationForeground in the automation for the expo will probably solve this problem. I will release an update as soon as possible.

https://github.com/HyopeR/react-native-location/blob/master/app.plugin.js#L47

Thank you for providing more information and testing.