Are there any advantages of using FusedLocationProviderApi over LocationManager?

Question

Earlier to get user current location I have used LocationManager:

LocationManager locationManager = (LocationManager) getActivity().getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE);

if (locationManager.isProviderEnabled(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER)) {
    location = locationManager.getLastKnownLocation(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER);

} else if (locationManager.isProviderEnabled(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER)) {
    location = locationManager.getLastKnownLocation(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER);
}

It is easy to read and very straightforward code.

But I have noticed that Google recently released New Client API Model in Google Play Services and suggests to use FusedLocationProviderApi which looks like much more complicated, it is async, it requires to handle callbacks etc.

Are there any advantages of using FusedLocationProviderApi over LocationManager?

Answer 1

FusedLocationProvider uses a mix of hardware to determine location based on the context of the request, meaning it's optimized transparently to you. It will also cache captured locations between applications to avoid unnecessary work to determine location info. So if a user has a variety of location-aware apps, they potentially avoid taxing the device (and waiting) for a location capture as one may have already been cached.

While the ol' LocationManager will suffice in small, one-off situations, you should definitely consider the newer alternative as the benefits may be great, and the work to implement, easy.

You may as well use it as Google Play Services is regularly updated across devices, and continuously includes improvements to location-based features (and more).

A link to an explanation of the FusedLocationProvider at launch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bte_GHuxUGc

Answer 2

In some situations FusedLocationProvider performs horribly. If you want to track your path on a map for example, it may decide to switch between GPS data and Wifi data. To calculate an accurate distance travelled, it is much better to force GPS readings with LocationManager, especially if you also want to track altitude, which wifi doesn't provide.

Answer 3

Just keep in mind that FusedLocationProvider uses LocationManager under the covers to at least get GPS points. It may be performing Wifi scans and doing a look up on the results to determine location as well, instead of using the Network provider, but there isn't any documentation about this that I am aware of.

Unless you cannot or do not want to use FusedLocationProvider, I would recommend using it.