Best Codes: September 2015

iBeacon region monitoring in Background.

22:06

iBeacon : Whether region monitoring possible even after the application killed from Background ?

Yes, this is the OS level notification. To get this event in your application you must implement a CLLocation delegate inside your AppDelegate.m module. This delegate is what gets invoked by OS so if you don't have the CLLocation delegate code in AppDelegate.m, you won't be able to respond to iOS when your app has been terminated.

 - (void) startRangingForRegion:(CLBeaconRegion*) beaconRegion  
 {  
   if (![CLLocationManager isRangingAvailable]) return;  
   //If a ranging going on already for this beaconRegion, end it .  
   NSNumber * bgTaskNumber = [_backgroundTasks objectForKey:beaconRegion.proximityUUID.UUIDString];  
   if (bgTaskNumber) {  
     [self endRangingForRegion:beaconRegion];  
   }  
   //Starting a new background task to Range this beaconRegion  
   UIApplication *application = [UIApplication sharedApplication];  
   UIBackgroundTaskIdentifier bgTask = [application beginBackgroundTaskWithExpirationHandler:^{  
     //This block will be triggered when the background task forcefully stopped by the OS  
     //Do any emergency action before the final quit.  
     [self endRangingForRegion:beaconRegion];  
   }];  
   //Keep this background task in the dictionary _backgroundTasks  
   bgTaskNumber = [NSNumber numberWithUnsignedInteger:bgTask];  
   [_backgroundTasks setObject:bgTaskNumber forKey:beaconRegion.proximityUUID.UUIDString];  
   //Start the Ranging for the new beaconRegion  
   if (beaconRegion) {  
     [_locationManager startRangingBeaconsInRegion:beaconRegion];  
   }  
   //The ranging will get time untill endBackgroundTask is called.  
 }


 -(void) endRangingForRegion:(CLBeaconRegion*) beaconRegion  
 {  
   if (![CLLocationManager isRangingAvailable]) return;  
   if (beaconRegion) {  
     //Stop Ranging the Beacon Region  
     [_locationManager stopRangingBeaconsInRegion:beaconRegion];  
     NSNumber * bgTaskNumber = [_backgroundTasks objectForKey:beaconRegion.proximityUUID.UUIDString];  
     //Take out the corresponding background task from the dictionary  
     UIBackgroundTaskIdentifier bgTask = [bgTaskNumber unsignedIntegerValue];  
     if (bgTaskNumber && bgTask != UIBackgroundTaskInvalid) {  
       //Ending the background task corresponding to the region  
       [[UIApplication sharedApplication] endBackgroundTask:bgTask];  
       //Remove the task from the dictionary _backgroundTasks  
       [_backgroundTasks removeObjectForKey:beaconRegion.proximityUUID.UUIDString];  
     }  
   }  
 }

Also the didReceiveLocalNotification is implemented to show the notification as an alert when the application is running in foreground.

Forcefully trigger region cross event

requestStateForRegion

Getting optimal Ranging when the application is in background/killed.

Suppose you entered to the vicinity of a beacon region in the proximity ‘far’, you want to notify user when he is in ‘near’ or ‘immediate proximity. In this case if the application is in foreground you can simply start region ranging once the device entered the region. The possible workaround for the application running in background is given below,

Start ranging for the detected region and find the more closer beacon and notify “You are nearing to … “ that particular beacon , and when the user tapping on the notification the application will come to foreground so that the ranging will work like anything, when the user reached in the expected proximity notify “Welcome to the region.”

We can even extend the ranging for a maximum of 10 minutes by starting ranging after beginBackgroundTaskWithExpirationHandler method is called.

 - (void) startRangingForRegion:(CLBeaconRegion*) beaconRegion  
 {  
   if (![CLLocationManager isRangingAvailable]) return;  
   //If a ranging going on already for this beaconRegion, end it .  
   NSNumber * bgTaskNumber = [_backgroundTasks objectForKey:beaconRegion.proximityUUID.UUIDString];  
   if (bgTaskNumber) {  
     [self endRangingForRegion:beaconRegion];  
   }  
   //Starting a new background task to Range this beaconRegion  
   UIApplication *application = [UIApplication sharedApplication];  
   UIBackgroundTaskIdentifier bgTask = [application beginBackgroundTaskWithExpirationHandler:^{  
     //This block will be triggered when the background task forcefully stopped by the OS  
     //Do any emergency action before the final quit.  
     [self endRangingForRegion:beaconRegion];  
   }];  
   //Keep this background task in the dictionary _backgroundTasks  
   bgTaskNumber = [NSNumber numberWithUnsignedInteger:bgTask];  
   [_backgroundTasks setObject:bgTaskNumber forKey:beaconRegion.proximityUUID.UUIDString];  
   //Start the Ranging for the new beaconRegion  
   if (beaconRegion) {  
     [_locationManager startRangingBeaconsInRegion:beaconRegion];  
   }  
   //The ranging will get time untill endBackgroundTask is called.  
 }

 -(void) endRangingForRegion:(CLBeaconRegion*) beaconRegion  
 {  
   if (![CLLocationManager isRangingAvailable]) return;  
   if (beaconRegion) {  
     //Stop Ranging the Beacon Region  
     [_locationManager stopRangingBeaconsInRegion:beaconRegion];  
     NSNumber * bgTaskNumber = [_backgroundTasks objectForKey:beaconRegion.proximityUUID.UUIDString];  
     //Take out the corresponding background task from the dictionary  
     UIBackgroundTaskIdentifier bgTask = [bgTaskNumber unsignedIntegerValue];  
     if (bgTaskNumber && bgTask != UIBackgroundTaskInvalid) {  
       //Ending the background task corresponding to the region  
       [[UIApplication sharedApplication] endBackgroundTask:bgTask];  
       //Remove the task from the dictionary _backgroundTasks  
       [_backgroundTasks removeObjectForKey:beaconRegion.proximityUUID.UUIDString];  
     }  
   }  
 }

The startRangingForRegion: should be called when a particular region is entered, and the endRangingForRegion: method should be called when the region is exited.

NotifyEntryStateOnDisplay any Importance ?

This property is not related to the normal background support , but to get call in locationManager:didDetermineState:forRegion: delegate method when the user turns on the iOS device display (ie hits "home" or top left button).

When set to YES, the location manager sends beacon notifications when the user turns on the display and the device is already inside the region. These notifications are sent even if your app is not running. In that situation, the system launches your app into the background so that it can handle the notifications. In both situations, the location manager calls the locationManager:didDetermineState:forRegion: method of its delegate object.

The default value for this property is NO.

iBeacon

iBeacon Ranging : Can I combine monitoring ?

20:18

Read about Region Monitoring

When we use beacon monitoring we will get only the following information,

Region boundary is crossed, to/out of the region.
Proxmity UID, Major and Minor IDs

When ranging user will get continuous updates within the region in the location Manager’s didRangeBeacons method.

Using ranging we will get an array of beacons which is ordered by approximate distance from the device, with the closest beacon at the beginning of the array. Also we can check the proximity of the beacon ; far, near or immediate.

 - (void)locationManager:(CLLocationManager *)manager  
     didRangeBeacons:(NSArray *)beacons inRegion:(CLBeaconRegion *)region  
 {  
   NSUInteger beaconCount = [beacons count];  
   if (beaconCount)  
   {  
     CLBeacon *lowestProximityBeacon = [beacons firstObject];  
     switch (lowestProximityBeacon.proximity) {  
       case CLProximityImmediate:  
         NSLog(@"You are immediate to the Beacon.");  
         break;  
       case CLProximityNear:  
         NSLog(@"You are near to the Beacon.");  
         break;  
       case CLProximityFar:  
         NSLog(@"You are Far from the Beacon.");  
         break;  
       case CLProximityUnknown:  
       default:  
         NSLog(@"Unable to position the Beacon.");  
         break;  
     }  
 }

Monitoring & Ranging - Combined.

The apple document explains how to combine Monitoring and Ranging, “While a user’s device is inside a registered beacon region, apps can use the startRangingBeaconsInRegion:method of the CLLocationManager class to determine the relative proximity of one or more beacons in the region and to be notified when that distance changes. ”

So it is better to range a particular region once the device is entered to a registered beacon region. Also if the application is killed only region monitoring (region enter/exit event) will work, region ranging is not possible. The killed application will be relaunched in the background when there is a region monitoring event triggered, at that time we can quickly range that particular region.

Apple continues “To promote consistent results in your app, use beacon ranging only while your app is in the foreground. If your app is in the foreground, it is likely that the device is in the user’s hand and that the device’s view to the target beacon has fewer obstructions...”

Read about Background Monitoring

iBeacon

iBeacon Region Monitoring

23:57

To know the basics read iBeacon Region Basics

The Core Location framework provides two ways to detect a user’s entry and exit into specific regions: geographical region monitoring (iOS 4.0 and later and OS X v10.8 and later) and beacon region monitoring (iOS 7.0 and later).

Apps can use region monitoring to be notified when a user crosses geographic boundaries or when a user enters or exits the vicinity of a beacon. While a beacon is in range of an iOS device, apps can identify the beacon ID (proximityUUID, major, minor) and also can find the relative distance to the beacon using beacon ranging. You can use these capabilities to develop many types of innovative location-based apps.

Beacon region monitoring uses an iOS device’s onboard radio to detect when the user is in the vicinity of Bluetooth low-energy devices that are advertising iBeacon information.

A beacon region is identified with the combination of the following values:

A proximity UUID (universally unique identifier), which is a 128-bit value that uniquely identifies one or more beacons as a certain type or from a certain organization
A major value, which is a 16-bit unsigned integer that can be used to group related beacons that have the same proximity UUID.
A minor value, which is a 16-bit unsigned integer that differentiates beacons with the same proximity UUID and major value

As I mentioned in the beginning you can expect to receive the region entered or region exited notification within 3 to 5 minutes on average, if not sooner. Please note that the average distance of beacon range is 200 meters. When I tested I got the notification immediately after I entered into a beacon region, but I got the exit notification only after 2 mins.

Beacon monitoring works perfectly from iOS 7.1. The phone can detect beacons even if the application is killed (if the application launched at least once in a device), something which in the past (iOS 7.0) was reserved for apps that were at minimum running in the background tray.

You can start monitoring a region using the following code,

 #define RVProximityUUID @"E2C56DB5-DFFB-48D2-B060-D0F5A71096E0"  
 NSUUID * uuid = [[NSUUID alloc] initWithUUIDString:RVProximityUUID];   
 CLBeaconRegion *region = [[CLBeaconRegion alloc] initWithProximityUUID:uuid identifier:RVProximityUUID];  
 region.notifyOnEntry = YES;  
 region.notifyOnExit = YES;  
 CLLocationManager *locationManager = [[CLLocationManager alloc] init];  
 locationManager.delegate = self; [locationManager startMonitoringForRegion:region];

Once a region enter or exit happened the location manager’s didDetermineState: method will be triggered. Please find the code snippet below.

 - (void)locationManager:(CLLocationManager *)manager didDetermineState:(CLRegionState)state forRegion:(CLRegion *)region  
 {  
   CLBeaconRegion *beaconRegion = (CLBeaconRegion*)region;  
   NSLog(@"ProximityUUID : %@, Major : %@ Minor : %@", [beaconRegion.proximityUUID UUIDString], beaconRegion.major, beaconRegion.minor);  
   UILocalNotification *notification = [[UILocalNotification alloc] init];  
   if(state == CLRegionStateInside)  
   {  
     notification.alertBody = @"Welcome.";  
   }  
   else if(state == CLRegionStateOutside)  
   {  
     notification.alertBody = @"Thank You"; [[UIApplication sharedApplication] presentLocalNotificationNow:notification];  
   }  
 }

We can also use locationManager’s didEnterRegion: and didExitRegion: separately to identify enter and exit region event. But I recommend to use didDetermineState: method, it will be called first and more reliable.

Read about more about Ranging and Monitoring

iBeacon

iBeacon Region Basics

22:39

Beacon & Beacon Region

You might be aware of geographical region , a larger area defined by a circle of a specified radius around a known point on the Earth’s surface.

Similarly a Beacon region is a smaller area defined by a circle of a specified radius around a known point which can be in a tent , or in a park, or in a shopping mall etc.

If Geolocation is positioned with the help of Satellites, the micro-location (location in a beacon vicinity) is positioned with the help of beacons.

Think about beacon as a very small lighthouse. Smartphones that are in range are able to 'hear' these signals, can identify the lighthouse and also can estimate proximity of their location very precisely.

Through your smart phone, a Beacon at the door of a store can greet you, maybe tell you of special offers, ask what you seek using Siri voice technology.

The iBeacon technology arrived, almost unnoticed, with the release of mobile operating system iOS7, at Apple's World Wide Developer Conference in June 2013. The iBeacon works on Bluetooth Low Energy(BLE).

It is now an integral part of the customer experience in all 254 Apple stores in the United States.The iBeacon is expected to be a start of a technology revolution.

Few Points on iBeacon

To monitor an iBeacon region, it requires an App installed in the iOS device and should be launched at least once (Running is not necessarily required.)
Requires iOS 7.0 or later.
Beacon ranging depends on detecting the strength of Bluetooth low-energy radio signals, and the accuracy of those signals is attenuated (or lessened) by walls, doors, and other physical objects. The signals are also affected by water, which means the human body itself will affect the signals. It is important to be aware of these factors when planning your iBeacon deployment because they will impact the proximity value reported by each beacon.
An app can expect to receive the appropriate region entered or region exited notification within 3 to 5 minutes on average, if not sooner. Region events may not happen immediately after a region boundary is crossed. To prevent spurious notifications, iOS doesn’t deliver region notifications until certain threshold conditions are met. Specifically, the user’s location must cross the region boundary, move away from the boundary by a minimum distance, and remain at that minimum distance for at least 20 seconds before the notifications are reported. Average distance of beacon range is 200 meters.
Monitoring will not work in the following cases

The device doesn’t have the necessary hardware to support region monitoring.
The user denied the app the authorization to use region monitoring.
The user disabled location services in the Settings app.
The user disabled Background App Refresh in the Settings app, either for the device or for your app.
The device is in Airplane mode and can’t power up the necessary hardware.

Read about iBeacon Region Monitoring

Best Codes

iBeacon region monitoring in Background.

See also Ranging and Monitoring

iBeacon : Whether region monitoring possible even after the application killed from Background ?

Forcefully trigger region cross event

Getting optimal Ranging when the application is in background/killed.

NotifyEntryStateOnDisplay any Importance ?

iBeacon Ranging : Can I combine monitoring ?

Monitoring & Ranging - Combined.

iBeacon Region Monitoring

iBeacon Region Basics

Beacon & Beacon Region

Few Points on iBeacon

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