Background Geolocation

Track precise location in the background and monitor native geofences on iOS and Android. Built for delivery, fitness and field service apps that keep tracking when the screen is off.

🤖 Building with an AI coding agent? Install Capgo skills so Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Copilot, or Gemini CLI know how to install and use @capgo/background-geolocation in your Capacitor app: npx skills add Cap-go/capgo-skills. Then ask your agent: "Add @capgo/background-geolocation to my Capacitor app and wire it up." Agent setup guides · Hosted MCP

Key features

• Background tracking: start() streams location updates with options such as distanceFilter and a background notification message, stop() ends them.
• Native uploads: send locations to your url from native code, and change headers on the fly with updateHeaders().
• Geofencing: addGeofence(), removeGeofence(), removeAllGeofences() and getMonitoredGeofences(), with geofenceTransition and geofenceError events.
• Route guidance: setPlannedRoute() plays a sound when the user leaves a planned route.
• Permissions: checkPermissions(), requestPermissions() and openSettings().
• Platforms: iOS and Android. iOS uses Core Location, Android uses Google Play services location with a foreground service.

A Capacitor plugin for accurate background location tracking and native geofencing on iOS and Android. Use it to stream precise location updates, monitor circular geofence regions, react to enter/exit events in JavaScript, and POST geofence transitions natively while the WebView is suspended.

Features

• Accurate foreground and background geolocation without a paid license.
• Native geofencing on iOS and Android for circular regions.
• Enter and exit events through geofenceTransition while the app is alive.
• Native webhook delivery for geofence transitions when the WebView is suspended.
• A web fallback for development and browser-based testing.

This plugin's history

Interestingly enough, this plugin has a lot of history. The initial solution from Transistorsoft was a great piece of software, and I (HarelM) encourage using it if it fits your needs.
I tried it and understood that it prioritizes battery life over accuracy, which wasn't the right fit for my hiking app.
There was a very good fork maintained by mauron85 specifically for that use case, and I was happy to help maintain it.
But at some point, mauron85 stopped responding to messages on GitHub, and no one could continue maintaining it.
I hope mauron85 is safe and sound somewhere.

So I created a fork and started maintaining it here.
It served me well for over half a decade, but I felt it was hard to maintain due to all its history, features, and bug fixes.
I also felt like there was a barrier to introducing new features because of its complexity.

So I started exploring what it would take to reduce that complexity, at the same time, I was envious of how small @capacitor-community/background-geolocation is.
I took the best of both worlds: tried to reduce the codebase in the original Cordova plugin and add some robustness to the Capacitor plugin.

That's how I ended up maintaining this one.
I hope you'll enjoy it!

Plugin comparison

A short comparison between the three main background-geolocation plugins commonly used in Capacitor apps.

Notes:

• The Community plugin is lightweight and continues to work in the background, but it is known to be less accurate than the options below.
• This Cap-go plugin aims to provide accurate location fixes, reliable background operation, and native geofence enter/exit handling without requiring a paid license.
• Native geofence POST delivery is useful when iOS or Android wakes native code for a region transition but the Capacitor WebView is not running.
• Transistorsoft's plugin is a mature, accurate solution that also includes a broader HTTP uploader. It is a commercial product and requires a paid license for full use.

Usage

import { BackgroundGeolocation } from "@capgo/background-geolocation";

BackgroundGeolocation.start(
    {
        backgroundMessage: "Cancel to prevent battery drain.",
        backgroundTitle: "Tracking You.",
        requestPermissions: true,
        stale: false,
        distanceFilter: 50
    },
    (location, error) => {
        if (error) {
            if (error.code === "NOT_AUTHORIZED") {
                if (window.confirm(
                    "This app needs your location, " +
                    "but does not have permission.\n\n" +
                    "Open settings now?"
                )) {
                    // It can be useful to direct the user to their device's
                    // settings when location permissions have been denied. The
                    // plugin provides the 'openSettings' method to do exactly
                    // this.
                    BackgroundGeolocation.openSettings();
                }
            }
            return console.error(error);
        }
        return console.log(location);
    }
).then(() => {
    // When location updates are no longer needed, the plugin should be stopped by calling
    BackgroundGeolocation.stop();
});

// Set a planned route to get a notification sound when a new location arrives and it's not on the route:
        
BackgroundGeolocation.setPlannedRoute({soundFile: "assets/myFile.mp3", route: [[1,2], [3,4]], distance: 30 });

Native geofencing

Use native geofencing when you need lightweight location boundaries such as stores, job sites, delivery zones, campuses, or check-in areas. The plugin monitors geofences natively and emits JavaScript events while the app is active. Android background delivery is optional and only requested when you opt in.

import { BackgroundGeolocation } from "@capgo/background-geolocation";

// Geofencing can notify JavaScript while the app is alive.
await BackgroundGeolocation.setupGeofencing({
    notifyOnEntry: true,
    notifyOnExit: true,
    payload: { userId: "123" }
});

await BackgroundGeolocation.addGeofence({
    identifier: "office",
    latitude: 37.33182,
    longitude: -122.03118,
    radius: 150
});

const handle = await BackgroundGeolocation.addListener(
    "geofenceTransition",
    (event) => console.log(event.identifier, event.transition)
);

await BackgroundGeolocation.removeGeofence({ identifier: "office" });
handle.remove();

Android background geofence permission

The plugin does not add ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION by default and does not request it unless you explicitly opt in. Apps that only use foreground location can omit this permission.

Opt in only when you need Android geofence transitions while the app is in the background:

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

await BackgroundGeolocation.setupGeofencing({
    url: "https://api.example.com/geofences",
    backgroundLocation: true
});

// If you just want the current location, try something like this. The longer
// the timeout, the more accurate the guess will be. I wouldn't go below about 100ms.
function guessLocation(callback, timeout) {
    let last_location;
    BackgroundGeolocation.start(
        {
            requestPermissions: false,
            stale: true
        },
        (location) => {
            last_location = location || undefined;
        }
    ).then(() => {
        setTimeout(() => {
            callback(last_location);
            BackgroundGeolocation.stop();
        }, timeout);
    });
}

Location log

The callback only runs while the WebView does, and a location POSTed to url is dropped when its request fails. With locationLog on, every location is also added to a file on the device. It's written from native code, so it records for as long as tracking runs, and it survives app restarts and reboots.

await BackgroundGeolocation.start(
    {
        backgroundMessage: "Sharing your location.",
        locationLog: true
    },
    (location, error) => console.log(location, error)
);

// Later, when the app returns to the foreground or the network is back
const { entries } = await BackgroundGeolocation.getLocationLog();
if (entries.length > 0) {
    // Use the entries, for example upload them, then remove the ones that were read
    await BackgroundGeolocation.clearLocationLog({ upToId: entries[entries.length - 1].id });
}

Each entry is a Location with an id. The ids only go up, so clearing with upToId never removes a location that arrived after the read. The log holds up to locationLogMaxEntries locations, and limit and afterId read it in pages. It's left out of device backups, so on a restored device it starts empty and the ids start again at 1.

Optional SQLite location log

The default build stores the log in a rolling file and does not compile SQLite code. To opt in to the SQLite backend (POST status per entry, same model as the original PR #92), set this in capacitor.config and run npx cap sync:

plugins: {
  BackgroundGeolocation: {
    locationLogSqlite: true
  }
}

Then pass locationLogSqlite: true in start() together with locationLog: true. If you request locationLogSqlite without enabling it in capacitor.config, start() rejects with a clear error.

On iOS, npx cap sync toggles the optional ios/SqliteLocationLog sources in the podspec and adds those sources plus sqlite3 to the main SPM target in Package.swift (default checkout does not compile or link SQLite). On Android, sync sets backgroundGeolocation.locationLogSqlite.include in android/gradle.properties.

To confirm the default dependency graph excludes SQLite: cd android && ./gradlew :dependencies --configuration releaseCompileClasspath (no sqliteEnabled sources), and in Package.swift / CapgoBackgroundGeolocation.podspec the SQLite lines stay commented until sync enables them.

Documentation

The most complete doc is available here: https://capgo.app/docs/plugins/background-geolocation/

Compatibility

Note: The major version of this plugin follows the major version of Capacitor. Use the version that matches your Capacitor installation (e.g., plugin v8 for Capacitor 8). Only the latest major version is actively maintained.

Installation

You can use our AI-Assisted Setup to install the plugin. Add the Capgo skills to your AI tool using the following command:

npx skills add https://github.com/cap-go/capacitor-skills --skill capacitor-plugins

Then use the following prompt:

Use the `capacitor-plugins` skill from `cap-go/capacitor-skills` to install the `@capgo/background-geolocation` plugin in my project.

If you prefer Manual Setup, install the plugin by running the following commands and follow the platform-specific instructions below:

This plugin supports Capacitor v8:

bun add @capgo/background-geolocation
bunx cap update

iOS

Add the following keys to Info.plist.:

<dict>
  ...
  <key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
  <string>We need to track your location</string>
  <key>NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
  <string>We need to track your location while your device is locked.</string>
  <key>UIBackgroundModes</key>
  <array>
    <string>location</string>
  </array>
  ...
</dict>

Android

Set the the android.useLegacyBridge option to true in your Capacitor configuration. This prevents location updates halting after 5 minutes in the background. See https://capacitorjs.com/docs/config and https://github.com/capacitor-community/background-geolocation/issues/89.

On Android 13+, the app needs the POST_NOTIFICATIONS runtime permission to show the persistent notification informing the user that their location is being used in the background. This runtime permission is requested after the location permission is granted.

For background geofencing on Android 10+, the app also needs ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION and backgroundLocation: true in setupGeofencing(). Android may require the user to grant this from system settings after foreground location is granted; use openSettings() if the permission remains denied. Leave backgroundLocation unset or false if your app does not have Google Play approval for Android background location.

If your app forwards location updates to a server in real time, be aware that after 5 minutes in the background Android will throttle HTTP requests initiated from the WebView. The solution is to use a native HTTP plugin such as CapacitorHttp. See https://github.com/capacitor-community/background-geolocation/issues/14.

Configuration specific to Android can be made in strings.xml:

<resources>
    <!--
        The channel name for the background notification. This will be visible
        when the user presses & holds the notification. It defaults to
        "Background Tracking".
    -->
    <string name="capacitor_background_geolocation_notification_channel_name">
        Background Tracking
    </string>

    <!--
        The icon to use for the background notification. Note the absence of a
        leading "@". It defaults to "mipmap/ic_launcher", the app's launch icon.

        If a raster image is used to generate the icon (as opposed to a vector
        image), it must have a transparent background. To make sure your image
        is compatible, select "Notification Icons" as the Icon Type when
        creating the image asset in Android Studio.

        An incompatible image asset will cause the notification to misbehave in
        a few telling ways, even if the icon appears correctly:

          - The notification may be dismissable by the user when it should not
            be.
          - Tapping the notification may open the settings, not the app.
          - The notification text may be incorrect.
    -->
    <string name="capacitor_background_geolocation_notification_icon">
        drawable/ic_tracking
    </string>

    <!--
        The color of the notification as a string parseable by
        android.graphics.Color.parseColor. Optional.
    -->
    <string name="capacitor_background_geolocation_notification_color">
        yellow
    </string>
</resources>

API

• start(...)
• stop()
• updateHeaders(...)
• openSettings()
• setPlannedRoute(...)
• setupGeofencing(...)
• addGeofence(...)
• removeGeofence(...)
• removeAllGeofences()
• getMonitoredGeofences()
• getLocationLog(...)
• clearLocationLog(...)
• addListener('geofenceTransition', ...)
• addListener('geofenceError', ...)
• checkPermissions()
• requestPermissions(...)
• getPluginVersion()
• Interfaces
• Type Aliases

Main plugin interface for background geolocation functionality. Provides methods to manage location updates and access device settings.

start(...)

start(options: StartOptions, callback: (position?: Location | undefined, error?: CallbackError | undefined) => void) => Promise<void>

To start listening for changes in the device's location, call this method. A Promise is returned to indicate that it finished the call. The callback will be called every time a new location is available, or if there was an error when calling this method. Don't rely on promise rejection for this.

Since: 7.0.9

stop()

stop() => Promise<void>

Stops location updates.

Since: 7.0.9

updateHeaders(...)

updateHeaders(options: UpdateHeadersOptions) => Promise<void>

Replaces HTTP headers used by native POSTs without restarting tracking.

Use this when an access token expires while url delivery is active. Headers apply to the running location watcher and to geofence setup when those features have a configured url.

Since: 8.3.3

openSettings()

openSettings() => Promise<void>

Opens the device's location settings page. Useful for directing users to enable location services or adjust permissions.

Since: 7.0.0

setPlannedRoute(...)

setPlannedRoute(options: SetPlannedRouteOptions) => Promise<void>

Plays a sound file when the user deviates from the planned route. This should be used to play a sound (in the background too, only for native).

Since: 7.0.11

setupGeofencing(...)

setupGeofencing(options: GeofenceSetupOptions) => Promise<void>

Configures native geofence transition handling.

Call this before adding geofences when you need default entry/exit settings or native background POSTs. Android background POSTs require backgroundLocation: true.

Since: 8.0.30

addGeofence(...)

addGeofence(options: AddGeofenceOptions) => Promise<void>

Starts monitoring a circular native geofence.

Since: 8.0.30

removeGeofence(...)

removeGeofence(options: RemoveGeofenceOptions) => Promise<void>

Stops monitoring one geofence.

Since: 8.0.30

removeAllGeofences()

removeAllGeofences() => Promise<void>

Stops monitoring every geofence registered by this plugin.

Since: 8.0.30

getMonitoredGeofences()

getMonitoredGeofences() => Promise<MonitoredGeofencesResult>

Lists the geofence identifiers currently monitored by this plugin.

Returns: Promise<MonitoredGeofencesResult>

Since: 8.0.30

getLocationLog(...)

getLocationLog(options?: GetLocationLogOptions | undefined) => Promise<LocationLogResult>

Reads the locations kept by {@link StartOptions.locationLog}, whether or not tracking is running. Nothing is kept on the web, so the result is empty there.

Returns: Promise<LocationLogResult>

Since: 8.5.0

clearLocationLog(...)

clearLocationLog(options?: ClearLocationLogOptions | undefined) => Promise<void>

Removes entries from the location log, for example once they have been read or uploaded.

Since: 8.5.0

addListener('geofenceTransition', ...)

addListener(eventName: 'geofenceTransition', listenerFunc: (event: GeofenceTransitionEvent) => void) => Promise<PluginListenerHandle>

Listens for geofence enter/exit transitions while the WebView is alive.

Native url delivery configured through setupGeofencing is used for background-safe delivery.

Returns: Promise<PluginListenerHandle>

Since: 8.0.30

addListener('geofenceError', ...)

addListener(eventName: 'geofenceError', listenerFunc: (event: GeofenceErrorEvent) => void) => Promise<PluginListenerHandle>

Listens for native geofence monitoring errors while the WebView is alive.

Returns: Promise<PluginListenerHandle>

Since: 8.0.30

checkPermissions()

checkPermissions() => Promise<BackgroundGeolocationPermissionStatus>

Read current location authorization without prompting or side effects.

On iOS this maps CLAuthorizationStatus so you can distinguish Always from While Using App. On Android this reports foreground location, ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION, and notification permission where relevant.

Returns: Promise<BackgroundGeolocationPermissionStatus>

Since: 8.0.43

requestPermissions(...)

requestPermissions(options?: RequestBackgroundGeolocationPermissionsOptions | undefined) => Promise<BackgroundGeolocationPermissionStatus>

Request location-related permissions from the user.

Prefer {@link BackgroundGeolocationPlugin.checkPermissions} for read-only status in settings screens. Call this only when the user has opted in.

Returns: Promise<BackgroundGeolocationPermissionStatus>

Since: 8.0.43

getPluginVersion()

getPluginVersion() => Promise<{ version: string; }>

Get the native Capacitor plugin version

Returns: Promise<{ version: string; }>

Interfaces

StartOptions

The options for configuring for location updates.

Location

Represents a geographical location with various attributes. Contains all the standard location properties returned by GPS/network providers.

CallbackError

Error object that may be passed to the location start callback. Extends the standard Error with optional error codes.

UpdateHeadersOptions

Options for {@link BackgroundGeolocationPlugin.updateHeaders}.

SetPlannedRouteOptions

GeofenceSetupOptions

Options for configuring native geofence transition handling.

When url is provided, native code can send a JSON POST whenever a monitored region is entered or exited. Android background POST delivery requires backgroundLocation: true.

AddGeofenceOptions

A circular geofence region.

RemoveGeofenceOptions

Options for removing a monitored geofence.

MonitoredGeofencesResult

Result returned when listing monitored geofences.

LocationLogResult

Result returned by {@link BackgroundGeolocationPlugin.getLocationLog}.

LocationLogEntry

A location kept in the location log.

GetLocationLogOptions

Options for {@link BackgroundGeolocationPlugin.getLocationLog}.

ClearLocationLogOptions

Options for {@link BackgroundGeolocationPlugin.clearLocationLog}.

| Prop | Type | Description