How to use GPS locations in Android

May 11, 2025

Note: this is just a english translation of an article i wrote a couple of years ago.

Recently, I wrote a speedometer program for the car, which required using GPS. In this post, I will document how to use GPS in Android.

Step 1: Add Permission to Access Location

The first step is to add the following line in your AndroidManifest.xml to request permission to access the device's location:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />

This grants your app permission to access precise location data.

Step 2: Define and Initialize LocationManager

Next, in MainActivity, define and initialize the LocationManager and locationProvider. Here's how:

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

The LocationManager is responsible for initializing the GPS service, which you will use to get location data.

Now, define the locationProvider as a string variable that will store the type of location provider (network, cell tower, GPS). For instance, to use GPS directly:

String locationProvider = locationManager.GPS_PROVIDER;

I chose GPS as it provides the most accurate location data.

Step 3: Get the Current Location

This step involves obtaining the device's current location. Here's how to do it:

1. Request the Last Known Location

First, initialize a Location object and request the last known location:

Location location = locationManager.getLastKnownLocation(locationProvider);

2. Request Continuous Location Updates

After requesting permission, use requestLocationUpdates() to continuously get updated locations:

locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(locationProvider, 100, 1, new LocationListener() {
    @Override
    public void onLocationChanged(@NonNull Location location) {
        Log.i("Latitude", String.valueOf(location.getLatitude()));
        Log.i("Longitude", String.valueOf(location.getLongitude()));
        Log.i("Speed", String.valueOf(location.getSpeed()));
    }

    @Override
    public void onStatusChanged(String provider, int status, Bundle extras) {
        // Handle status changes (provider found/lost/changed)
    }

    @Override
    public void onProviderEnabled(String provider) {
        // Handle provider being enabled
    }

    @Override
    public void onProviderDisabled(String provider) {
        // Handle provider being disabled
    }
});

In this code:

The first parameter (100) is the interval time in milliseconds between updates.
The second parameter (1) is the distance interval in meters. These values worked best for my testing.

Understanding the Overridden Methods

Here’s what each of the methods in LocationListener does:

onLocationChanged(): Called whenever the location changes. This is where you log the new latitude, longitude, and speed.
onStatusChanged(): This method is invoked when the status of the location provider changes (e.g., the provider is found, lost, or changed).
onProviderEnabled(): Called when the location provider is enabled, and you can start recording the location.
onProviderDisabled(): This method is called when the provider is disabled.

Logging Location Information

The code provided logs the following information:

Latitude: Retrieved with location.getLatitude()
Longitude: Retrieved with location.getLongitude()
Speed: Retrieved with location.getSpeed(). The speed is given in meters per second (m/s). If you want it in kilometers per hour (km/h), you'll need to convert it.

I hope this guide helps you set up GPS in your Android app. Let me know if you have any questions!

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