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Using the CLCircularRegion to Setup a Geo Fence

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We have previously looked at how to use region monitoring with iBeacons using a CLBeaconRegion. Today we’ll look at the CLCircularRegion for region monitoring. There are some similarities between the CLBeaconRegion and CLCircularRegion. Both inherit from CLRegion which means there are some aspects that they share. In our iBeacons tutorial we created region monitoring which looks out for bluetooth transmitters called iBeacons. When the app detects the iBeacon it triggers a delegate method to be called which allows you to inspect a major and minor value to know which region was triggered. You can program the app to detect when you come in to range, or when you leave range.

With the CLCircularRegion we use geo location instead of bluetooth signals. This allows us to create geo fences which are defined by a centre point on a map along with a radius. When the phone passes in or out of the CLCircularRegion, the appropriate delegate method is fired and your app can be programmed to act accordingly. Common uses include controlling a smart home and setting a geo fence which when you leave the fence, it switches off your heating. Popular todo task manager apps, such as OmniFocus, use geo fences to let you know when you enter a region on a map where you need to perform a task.

In todays tutorial we’ll look at how to create a CLCircularRegion and how to start monitoring for that region. [Read more…]

How to use the Google Maps iOS SDK with a Storyboard

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The default map view for iOS, since 2012, is Apple Maps. However, you are still able to use Google Maps in your project thanks to the Google Maps SDK. Both solutions are robust, and in many cases Apple Maps might be sufficient for your needs, but for those who need or prefer using Google Maps, read on.

This tutorial will focus on integrating the Google Maps SDK in to your iOS project. I will also show you how to add Google Maps in a storyboard.

To keep the tutorial simple, we will create a project that opens a view that displays a Google Map. It will show your current location, allow you to pan and rotate as well as zoom in and out. [Read more…]

iBeacons Tutorial in Swift

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When iOS 7 was announced in 2013, one of the items on the list of new API was iBeacon. The iBeacon API became part of the CoreLocation Framework by adding to the CLLocationManager class something called “Beacon Ranging”. Just like region monitoring based on location, known as GeoFencing, Apple also uses an iBeacon (or iBeacons for multiple beacons) as a region, and thus, when you come in to range of an iBeacon your iPhone can detect this and respond accordingly.

If you understand what an iBeacon is and what to do with them, you might want to jump the initial part of this post as the tutorial is further down the page. Click here to do so.

This tutorial is based on the previous iBeacon tutorial for Objective-C that I wrote in 2013. This new tutorial is based on the newer Swift programming language (version 3 at the time of writing).

What is an iBeacon?

An iBeacon is a bluetooth transmitter that emits a signal at a number of times per second (often 100ms or 10 times per second). It uses BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) which means that a small battery, such as a coin cell, can power a device for a month or more. Using larger batteries the charge can last a year or longer.

The iBeacon is represented in iOS as a CLBeacon which has 3 properties to identify the iBeacon and another 3 to get information about the beacon. These properties are:

Identification
1. proximityUUID
2. major
3. minor

ProximityUUID is a unique identifier that you randomly generate for your business. An example of this could be a supermarket deploying 1000’s of beacons, but each of these would use the same UUID. This UUID does not need to be registered with Apple; you just randomly generate it when you create your app and then program each of your beacons with it. I will explain a little more about proximityUUID and how it relates to “region monitoring” later on in the tutorial. [Read more…]

Location Authorization in iOS 8

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Apple has gone the extra mile to make sure the user is explicitly granting your app permission to use the iPhone location services. There are just a few simple steps to go through to get your app setup correctly.

First, add two keys to your info-plist. These are case sensitive and do not appear as a standard entry that you can select. Add both keys so you later have the option of calling either one. Make sure everything is spelled correctly and has the correct “camel case”, otherwise the request for authorization will be ignored.

NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription
NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription

infop [Read more…]

MKDirections Tutorial

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iOS 7 has given app developers the ability to add directions to their apps thanks to a new class in the Map Kit Framework called MKDirections. In this tutorial we will take a look at this class and create a simple app that lets you search for an address and calculate the distance as well as receive route-based directions from your current location. This tutorial will work on either an iOS device or on the simulator. [Read more…]

iBeacons Tutorial for iOS with CLBeaconRegion and CLBeacon

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Updated to Swift. Please visit here for the tutorial using Swift.

At WWDC earlier this year (2013) Apple announced iOS 7. Along with that announcement we heard of new API called iBeacons. iBeacons is a technology that uses transmitters and receivers which can let your iOS device know how far you are away from a beacon. One device acts as the transmitter and the other is a receiver.

iBeacon transmitters can either be a dedicated hardware device running Bluetooth 4.0 LE or you can configure a compatible iPhone or iPad to act as a transmitter. The receiving device is a compatible iPhone or iPad that can receive Bluetooth 4.0 LE. Compatible devices include the iPhone 4S and newer and the iPad 3 and newer (including iPad mini).

To give an example of what you could use iBeacons for, think of a group of museums managed by a single company. Each room in each of the museums would have an iBeacon transmitter placed in them. Each beacon is configured with settings or what Apple refers to as an identity. If you are running an app provided by the museum, each time you enter the museum you will be presented with information which changes depending on what room you are in. [Read more…]

CLGeocoder and CLPlacemark Tutorial – How to Find Location Information

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Core Location is a powerful framework that allows your apps to use location information. Mixed with the MapKit, you can create some powerful location based apps. Yesterday I wrote a tutorial about creating a CLRegion so that you can monitor when you enter or exit that particular area and have your app respond accordingly, even when the app is closed.

Today, I want to cover two more of the classes available in Core Location. Today we will focus on the CLGeocode class along with the CLPlacemark class. The reason I combine both in this tutorial, along with the required CLLocationManager and CLLocationManagerDelegate is that the CLGeocode class requires CLPlacemark to make it useful. Likewise, the CLPlacemark, according to documentation, is typically created by a CLGeocoder object. [Read more…]

How to Use the CLRegion Class for Geofencing

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When iOS 5 launched in October 2011, one of the features that caught my attention was location based reminders. Location based reminders provided the ability to connect a specific reminder to a specific location. An example could be, written in English, “When I arrive at the supermarket, remind me to buy flowers for my wife” or “when I leave work, remind me to call Fred”. When you approach a supermarket a reminder pops up telling you to go get flowers or when I leave the office, I get a reminder to call someone on my way home. Although GPS/location features have been available for most generations of the iPhone, mixing that power with context can make your app very powerful.

Of course, geofencing isn’t only for the built in reminders app that shipped with iOS 5. Apple has opened it up for developers to access. Today, we’ll be looking at how to work with geofencing which specifically uses the CLRegion Class as well as the CLLocationManager. A good place to start, as always, is the class reference. If you are unsure how to understand class references, methods, passing messages, properties etc… then take a read of this post and return back when done. [Read more…]