Location services in Android Kotlin

Introduction

Location services help your app find where the user is on the map. This lets your app give directions, show nearby places, or customize content based on location.

Showing the user's current position on a map in a travel app.

Finding nearby restaurants or stores in a shopping app.

Tracking a delivery or ride in real time.

Providing weather updates based on the user's location.

Helping users check in or tag their location in social apps.

Syntax

Android Kotlin

val fusedLocationClient = LocationServices.getFusedLocationProviderClient(this)
fusedLocationClient.lastLocation
    .addOnSuccessListener { location ->
        if (location != null) {
            val latitude = location.latitude
            val longitude = location.longitude
            // Use latitude and longitude
        }
    }

Use getFusedLocationProviderClient to get the location provider.

Always check if the location is not null before using it.

Examples

Get the last known location and print latitude and longitude.

Android Kotlin

val fusedLocationClient = LocationServices.getFusedLocationProviderClient(this)
fusedLocationClient.lastLocation.addOnSuccessListener { location ->
    if (location != null) {
        println("Lat: ${location.latitude}, Lon: ${location.longitude}")
    }
}

Use Kotlin's safe call and let to handle nullable location.

Android Kotlin

val fusedLocationClient = LocationServices.getFusedLocationProviderClient(this)
fusedLocationClient.lastLocation.addOnSuccessListener { location ->
    location?.let {
        val lat = it.latitude
        val lon = it.longitude
        // Use lat and lon here
    }
}

Sample App

This app asks for location permission. If allowed, it shows the user's last known latitude and longitude on the screen. If permission is denied or location is unavailable, it shows a message.

Android Kotlin

import android.Manifest
import android.content.pm.PackageManager
import android.os.Bundle
import androidx.activity.result.contract.ActivityResultContracts
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
import androidx.core.content.ContextCompat
import com.google.android.gms.location.LocationServices
import android.widget.TextView

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    private lateinit var locationText: TextView

    private val requestPermissionLauncher = registerForActivityResult(
        ActivityResultContracts.RequestPermission()
    ) { isGranted: Boolean ->
        if (isGranted) {
            getLastLocation()
        } else {
            locationText.text = "Permission denied"
        }
    }

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        locationText = TextView(this).apply {
            textSize = 18f
            setPadding(16, 16, 16, 16)
        }
        setContentView(locationText)

        when {
            ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, Manifest.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION) == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED -> {
                getLastLocation()
            }
            else -> {
                requestPermissionLauncher.launch(Manifest.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION)
            }
        }
    }

    private fun getLastLocation() {
        val fusedLocationClient = LocationServices.getFusedLocationProviderClient(this)
        fusedLocationClient.lastLocation.addOnSuccessListener { location ->
            if (location != null) {
                locationText.text = "Latitude: ${location.latitude}\nLongitude: ${location.longitude}"
            } else {
                locationText.text = "Location not available"
            }
        }
    }
}

Important Notes

Always request location permission at runtime for Android 6.0 and above.

Last known location might be null if location was never requested before.

For continuous updates, use location request APIs instead of just last location.

Summary

Location services let your app find the user's position.

Use FusedLocationProviderClient to get location easily.

Always handle permissions and null location safely.