How do I get the current GPS location programmatically in Android?

Question

I need to get my current location using GPS programmatically. How can i achieve it?

Answer 1

Now that Google Play locations services are here, I recommend that developers start using the new fused location provider. You will find it easier to use and more accurate. Please watch the Google I/O video Beyond the Blue Dot: New Features in Android Location by the two guys who created the new Google Play location services API.

I've been working with location APIs on a number of mobile platforms, and I think what these two guys have done is really revolutionary. It's gotten rid of a huge amount of the complexities of using the various providers. Stack Overflow is littered with questions about which provider to use, whether to use last known location, how to set other properties on the LocationManager, etc. This new API that they have built removes most of those uncertainties and makes the location services a pleasure to use.

I've written an Android app that periodically gets the location using Google Play location services and sends the location to a web server where it is stored in a database and can be viewed on Google Maps. I've written both the client software (for Android, iOS, Windows Phone and Java ME) and the server software (for ASP.NET and SQL Server or PHP and MySQL). The software is written in the native language on each platform and works properly in the background on each. Lastly, the software has the MIT License. You can find the Android client here:

https://github.com/nickfox/GpsTracker/tree/master/phoneClients/android