Simple, battery-efficient location API for Android

Apps can take advantage of the signals provided by multiple sensors in the device to determine device location. However, choosing the right combination of signals for a specific task in different conditions is not simple. Finding a solution that is also battery-efficient is even more complicated.

The fused location provider is a location API in Google Play services that intelligently combines different signals to provide the location information that your app needs.

The fused location provider manages the underlying location technologies, such as GPS and Wi-Fi, and provides a simple API that you can use to specify the required quality of service. For example, you can request the most accurate data available, or the best accuracy possible with no additional power consumption.

Support for common location scenarios

Using the fused location provider API, your app can request the last known location of the user's device. Getting the last known location is usually a good starting point for apps that require location information.
When requesting location information many different location sources, such as GPS and Wi-Fi, are used. Deciding which sources to use can be challenging, but the fused location provider API removes the guesswork by automatically changing the appropriate system settings. All your app must do is specify the desired level of service.
In addition to the last known location, the fused location provider API can deliver location updates to a callback in your app at specific intervals. You can specify the desired interval as a parameter of the quality of service. By using location updates, your app can provide additional information such as direction and velocity.