Location and Context APIs

Simple, battery-efficient APIs for location and context

The location and context APIs harness the sensors and signals of mobile devices to provide awareness of user actions and their environment, enabling delightful and engaging experiences that simplify user interactions, provide assistance, and help users to better understand themselves.

They intelligently combine signals from over a dozen sources to maximize accuracy and provide simple API surfaces that you can use to build experiences based on where your users are, what they’re doing, and what's around them — all in a way that respects their privacy and reduces battery drain.

Dive deep to understand your users

Where you are

location_on

Places API

Give your users contextual information about where they are, when they’re there. Access detailed information about 100 million places across a wide range of categories.

Geofencing

Geofencing combines awareness of the user's current location with awareness of the user's proximity to locations that may be of interest.

my_location

Fused Location Provider API

Get location data for your app based on combined signals from the device sensors using a battery-efficient API.

What you're doing

Google Fit Platform

Enable your users to record their fitness activity and track their fitness and health goals. Fit is a universal platform that lets users access their fitness data across multiple apps.

directions_run

Activity Recognition API

The Activity Recognition API processes low power signals from multiple sensors in the device to accurately detect your users' current activity.

speaker_phone

Sensors API

Access raw data from all device sensors, as well as fused information from multiple sensors.

What's nearby

Nearby Messages

Allow your users to find nearby devices and share messages in a way that’s as frictionless as a conversation. Enable rich, collaborative group interactions.

settings_ethernet

Nearby Connections

Discover other devices nearby and create connections that enable real-time cross-device experiences.

event_available

Nearby Notifications

Nearby Notifications is an upcoming feature for contextual discovery. Associate your website or app with beacons, to provide low-priority notifications when scanned by devices that are nearby.

Combine different types of context signals

wb_iridescent

Awareness API

Access seven different types of context signals in a single API that is battery efficient and simple to use. Combine these signals to build experiences that are tailored to the current situation of your users.

Standardize location prompts

location_off

Location Settings API

Standardize requests to enable location settings and provide a consistent experience by using the location settings dialog, which you can use to prompt users to turn device settings on for the best experience with your app.