Building a Location-based App with React Native

Sunday, 22 December 2019 / Published in App Development, Apps, Development, online business, React Native

Building a Location-based App with React Native

There are usually two types of location-based apps. One is completely based on location tracking such as uber app whereas, apps like Facebook and Instagram helps you find a nearby event or tag a location when you upload a photo.

Have you ever thought of an uber app without the location tracking feature? Think about it and you will find that the Uber app will be useless without the location tracking feature. You will come to know how you will inform the cab driver or how cab driver will come to know where you are so that the driver can pick you from?

The location-based app is not just limited to cab services but has evolved to other industries like restaurants, social media, banks and many more. The location-based app works promptly only when the access is allowed by the user so that the specific app can serve and inform the user about the upcoming event nearby them. Being updated with the new things, events nearby the user has made the location-based app popular and has added an extra layer of convenience to the modern lives.

Demand for Location-based Apps

Location-based Apps

The feature of location tracking is not just a feature but has been a successful part for some phenomenal startups like Tinder and Uber who have established their entire business model on it. Location-based apps help in accessing information, it empowers to simplify the workflow. Apps that are not completely based on location tracking feature, the geolocation feature enhances the user experience in case of banking apps such as Bank of America, JP Morgan bank that allows depositing check within the USA. Location-Based Apps Solves The Problems Of Small And Medium Businesses

Location based apps are highly popular among Social users, Travelers, Foodies, and many more which offers specific services such as:

Maps Operating
Uploading photos on social media with geotagged option
Routes Tracking
Place operating
Hotel or nearby services booking

Why React Native is the best choice for Location-based app development?

React Native is an open-source javascript framework that allows developers to create cross-platform apps with their native behavior also react native uses native UI elements, making RN based apps that behaves and looks like Android and iOS ones. Walmart, Tesla, and Uber have chosen React native technology to get there apps build.

React Native is an open source and helps in creating both iOS and Android apps with single code base. Being an open source, if you are facing any issue with your react native app, you can get help from the vast community out there of react native to solve your issues.

Getting build app with react native gives you an app for both OS, that means you don’t have to worry about the targeted audience or what OS does your audience use either they use Android or iOS, app built in react native will work absolutely fine for both OS users.

Advantages of React Native for location-based app development have made it the first choice among the startups and companies looking forward to mobile app development with limited resources. Below are the advantages of using react native to geo-location based app development.

Cross-platform

The developer just has to code once to build both iOS and Android App without worrying about the UI and UX.

Excelling Performance

The performance of the app is based on native components in Android and iOS. React Native offers code rendering to native API, this excels the performance of the location-based app.

Open-source Platform

React Native is an open-source platform that allows developers to freely use the framework and can interact with the community anytime if any improvement or suggestion to improve the framework. With the excited developers, it has become easier to fix bugs, find and solve the critical development problems and swift deploying.

Cost and Time efficient Development

With all the benefits mentioned above, it has another benefit which attracts the developers and business owners to go with react native as it supports code reusability, which makes it cost-efficient than the other alternatives single time prepared code is used to develop both iOS and Android app which ultimately saves time and money both.

Process for building a location-based app

We have understood above the concept of location-based app Now let us see the process for building a location-based app. Below are the three steps to implant location-based features in a mobile app.

Collect and use location-based data

React native offers 3 ways to collect the users location data:

Connecting native code to javaScript API
Background geolocation package
React Native API

Connecting Native Code to the JavaScript API

React native helps to connect native code to the JavaScript API to get background tracking of the location data.

Background-geolocation package

The potential of the package is 1000 meters to track the location which means the battery consumption is way high. A developer can update the package frequently by contacting the creator via GitHub that will empower the user to decide how frequently the location should be tracked.

React Native API

React Native API empowers the developers to detect the location of a device however, it is limited to the tracking of geolocation as it works only when the app is running and not on background geolocation tracking.

Asking for permissions to access location data

The location of the user cannot be detected without getting his/her permission to access location. Even though react-native allows cross-platform development asking for permission for accessing location data stands the same place and the method of asking permission is different for both iOS and Android. Developers should be very careful at the time of coding to manage it smoothly.

Presenting the location

Updating the location data every minute or every 400 meters will help clients match real-time location data with actual roads. Location data can be hectic and useless for the end-user if not managed carefully. A developer can use Fused Location client by google to enable frequency and distance between two locations which will work fine for the users when they use a cellular network, WiFi, GPS to display location data in a mobile device.

Wrapping Up

Buiding a location-based app with React Native will excel you in gathering and displaying accurate location data to the end-user. If you are a startup with the idea of the location-based business module and looking to get a mobile app, react native is a suitable choice for location-based app development. This will help you in getting an app developed for both iOS and Android at the cost of one also helps to improve your business operations and give user-friendly experience.

About US

Kristy Davis is a Marketing Manager at i-Verve Inc, an React Native Development Company for web and mobile platforms. She is responsible for communication, marketing and business development of the company. Apart from the responsibility of strategic business development, she looks after branding, media relations, and advertising. Kristy also directs and manages sponsorships, marketing training, and events in the company. She has been involved in various high profile roles in the marketing industry. When she is not making any magic at her desk, you’re likely to find her exploring nature, eating her way through Lakeview, and Wrigleyville’s finest cuisine and its surrounding suburbs or taking a drive along the Western Avenue. Her camera rarely leaves her side.