Quickstart (Android)

The Roam Android SDK makes it quick and easy to build a location tracker for your Android app. We provide powerful and customizable tracking modes and features.
Requirements
To use the Roam SDK,
Get yourself a free Roam Account. No credit card is required.
Create a project and add an Android app to the project.
You need the PUBLISHABLE_KEY (available in your project settings) to initialize the SDK.
Now, you’re ready to integrate the SDK into your Android application. 
Roam Android SDK requires Android Studio 2.0 or later and is compatible with apps targeting Android SDK Version 16 or above.
Run the example application
The Roam Example repository on GitHub includes sample applications that demonstrate the use of the v3 Roam SDK for Android.
To run an example app, clone this repository, navigate to the example app in paths Example/ , add your publishable YOUR-PUBLISHABLE-KEY key in MainApplication.java, and run the app.
Make sure the package name is the same as the one registered on our Roam dashboard.
GitHub - roam-ai/roam-android: Android Location SDK. High accuracy and battery efficient location SDK for Android by Roam.ai
GitHub
Android Studio Setup
To use the Android SDK in a project, add the SDK as a build dependency and sync the project.
1.Go to Android Studio > New Project > Minimum SDK
2.Select API 16: Android 4.1.0 (Jelly Bean) or higher and create a project
3.After you create a new project, open Gradle Scripts > build.gradle (Project: <your_project>) and do the following:
1.Add the following to the build script {repositories {}} section of the build.gradle (Project)file:
mavenCentral()
Sync and close build.gradle (Project: <your_project>)
SDK Installation
Gradle Installation
To install the SDK for your project via Gradle in Android Studio, add the maven below to your project build.gradle file.
repositories {
    maven {
        url 'https://com-roam-android.s3.amazonaws.com/'
    }
}
add the dependencies below to your app build.gradle file.
dependencies {
 implementation 'com.roam.sdk:roam-android:0.0.28'
}
Then sync Gradle.
Manual Installation
​Download and unzip the Roam SDK.
1.Open Android Studio and add the SDK Roam.aar as a module using File > New > New Module > Import .JAR/.AAR Package.
2.Once Gradle is finished, click File > Project Structure again.
3.Click on the Dependencies tab > click App > click the “+” icon in the top left of the Declared Dependencies section > select Module Dependency > click on Roam-release > press Ok and wait for Gradle to sync again. 
4.Make sure to include the dependencies separately and sync your project.
dependencies {
    implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:17.0.0'
    implementation 'com.squareup.retrofit2:retrofit:2.6.2'
    implementation 'com.squareup.retrofit2:converter-gson:2.1.0'
    implementation 'org.eclipse.paho:org.eclipse.paho.client.mqttv3:1.2.4'
    implementation 'org.eclipse.paho:org.eclipse.paho.android.service:1.1.1'
}
Initialize the SDK
Before initializing the SDK, the below must be imported.
import com.roam.sdk.Roam;
After importing, add the code below under the Application class onCreate() method. The SDK must be initialized before calling any of the other SDK methods.
Kotlin
Java
Roam.initialize(this, "YOUR-SDK-KEY-GOES-HERE")
Roam.initialize(this, "YOUR-SDK-KEY-GOES-HERE");
Request Permission
To request the location for devices running both below/above Android 10, refer to the following piece of code. 
Kotlin
Java
if (!Roam.checkLocationServices()) {
	Roam.requestLocationServices(this)
} else if (!Roam.checkLocationPermission()) {
	Roam.requestLocationPermission(this)
} else if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.Q && !Roam.checkBackgroundLocationPermission()) {
	Roam.requestBackgroundLocationPermission(this)
}
if (!Roam.checkLocationServices()) {
       Roam.requestLocationServices(this);
} else if (!Roam.checkLocationPermission()) {
       Roam.requestLocationPermission(this);
} else if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.Q && !Roam.checkBackgroundLocationPermission()) {
       Roam.requestBackgroundLocationPermission(this);
}
Location Tracking
Start Tracking
Kotlin
Java
Roam.startTracking(TrackingMode)
Roam.sTracking(TrackingMode);
Specify the tracking modes while you use the Roam.startTrackingmethod.
Tracking Modes
Adaptive Tracking
Roam has three default tracking modes along with a custom version. They differ based on the frequency of location updates and battery consumption. The higher the frequency, the higher the battery consumption. You must use the foreground service for continuous tracking.
Mode
Battery usage
Updates every 
Optimized for/advised for 
Active 
6% - 12% 
25 ~ 250 meters 
Ride Hailing / Sharing
Balanced
3% - 6% 
50 ~ 500 meters 
On Demand Services
Passive
0% - 1%
100 ~ 1000 meters 
Social Apps
Kotlin
Java
// active tracking
Roam.startTracking(RoamTrackingMode.ACTIVE)
// balanced tracking
Roam.startTracking(RoamTrackingMode.BALANCED)
// passive tracking
Roam.startTracking(RoamTrackingMode.PASSIVE)
// active tracking
Roam.startTracking(RoamTrackingMode.ACTIVE);
// balanced tracking
Roam.startTracking(RoamTrackingMode.BALANCED);
// passive tracking
Roam.startTracking(RoamTrackingMode.PASSIVE);
Distance Interval Tracking
The SDK also provides a custom tracking mode that allows you to customize and build your own tracking modes.
With distance interval tracking you create a tracking mode with a distance interval in meters of your choice. 
Type
Unit
Unit Range
Distance Interval
Meters
1m ~ 2500m
Distance between location updates example code:
Kotlin
Java
// Define a custom tracking method with desired distance interval, stop duration and accuracy
RoamTrackingMode trackingMode = new RoamTrackingMode.Builder(<DISTANCE-FILTER-IN-METERS>, <STOP-INTERVAL-IN-SECONDS>)
                .setDesiredAccuracy(RoamTrackingMode.DesiredAccuracy.HIGH)
                .build()
// Start the tracking with the above created custom tracking method
Roam.startTracking(trackingMode)
// Define a custom tracking method with desired distance interval, stop duration and accuracy
RoamTrackingMode trackingMode = new RoamTrackingMode.Builder(<DISTANCE-FILTER-IN-METERS>, <STOP-INTERVAL-IN-SECONDS>)
                .setDesiredAccuracy(RoamTrackingMode.DesiredAccuracy.HIGH)
                .build();
// Start the tracking with the above created custom tracking method
Roam.startTracking(trackingMode);
Time Interval Tracking
With Time Interval Tracking you can create a tracking mode with the time interval (in seconds) of your choice. 
Type
Unit
Unit Range
Time Interval
Seconds
10s ~ 10800s
Time between location updates example code:
Kotlin
Java
// Define a custom tracking method with desired time interval and accuracy
RoamTrackingMode trackingMode = new RoamTrackingMode.Builder(<TIME-INTERVAL-IN-SECONDS>)
                .setDesiredAccuracy(RoamTrackingMode.DesiredAccuracy.HIGH)
                .build()
// Start the tracking with the above created custom tracking method
Roam.startTracking(trackingMode)
// Define a custom tracking method with desired time interval and accuracy
RoamTrackingMode trackingMode = new RoamTrackingMode.Builder(<TIME-INTERVAL-IN-SECONDS>)
                .setDesiredAccuracy(RoamTrackingMode.DesiredAccuracy.HIGH)
                .build();
// Start the tracking with the above created custom tracking method
Roam.startTracking(trackingMode);
You may see a delay if the user's device is in low power mode or has connectivity issues.
Stop Tracking
To stop tracking, use the method below.
Kotlin
Java
Roam.stopTracking()
Roam.stopTracking();
Location Listeners
Listeners are needed to consume the location or event data from the SDK. To enable listeners, ensure the following:
To listen to location updates, create a class that extends RoamReceiver. 
Register the receiver by adding a receiver element to the application element in your manifest.
Note: For self-tracking, you can only listen to only location, error, and offline trips status data since the locations are not being sent to our servers for processing events.
<application>
        ...
     <receiver android:name=".LocationReceiver"
                    android:enabled="true"
                    android:exported="false">
         <intent-filter>
         <action android:name="com.roam.android.RECEIVED"/>
         </intent-filter>
     </receiver>
         ...
</application>
Add the code to the receiver.
Kotlin
Java
public class LocationReceiver extends RoamReceiver {
​
    @Override
    public void onLocationUpdated(Context context, RoamLocation roamLocation) {
        super.onLocationUpdated(context, roamLocation);
        // receive own location updates here
	// do something with location data using location
	// roamLocation.getActivity();
	// roamLocation.getRecordedAt();
	// roamLocation.getTimezoneOffset();
	// roamLocation.getMetadata();
	// roamLocation.getBatteryStatus();
	// roamLocation.getNetworkStatus();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getLatitude();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getLongitude();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getBearing();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getAltitude();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getAccuracy();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getSpeed();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getProvider();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getTime();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getVerticalAccuracyMeters();
    }
​
    @Override
    public void onError(Context context, RoamError roamError) {
    	// receive error message here
        // roamError.getCode());	
        // roamError.getMessage());
    }
​
}
public class LocationReceiver extends RoamReceiver {
​
    @Override
    public void onLocationUpdated(Context context, RoamLocation roamLocation) {
        super.onLocationUpdated(context, roamLocation);
	// receive own location updates here
	// do something with location data using location
	// roamLocation.getActivity();
	// roamLocation.getRecordedAt();
	// roamLocation.getTimezoneOffset();
	// roamLocation.getMetadata();
	// roamLocation.getBatteryStatus();
	// roamLocation.getNetworkStatus();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getLatitude();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getLongitude();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getBearing();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getAltitude();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getAccuracy();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getSpeed();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getProvider();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getTime();
	// roamLocation.getLocation().getVerticalAccuracyMeters();
    }
​
    @Override
    public void onError(Context context, RoamError roamError) {
    	// receive error message here
        // roamError.getCode());	
        // roamError.getMessage());
    }
​
}
Batch Configuration
Batch configuration lets you control the number of location data updates being received in the location listener with the desired frequency and window.
Set Batch Configuration
As the name suggests, this method sets the configuration parameters.
1.The NetworkState.BOTH indicates the state in which the updates are to be received. It can either be set to online, offline, or both. 
2.The batchCount indicates the size of the location batch. 
3.The batchWindow indicates the time interval for every consecutive update (frequency of updates).
By default, the batch configuration values for both batch count and window are set to 1 and 0 respectively.
Kotlin
Java
Roam.setBatchReceiverConfig(
    NetworkState.BOTH,
    batchCount,
    batchWindow,
    object : RoamBatchReceiverCallback {
        override fun onSuccess(list: List<BatchReceiverConfig>) {
            list[i].networkState
            list[i].batchCount
            list[i].batchWindow
        }
        override fun onFailure(roamError: RoamError) {
            roamError.code
            roamError.message
        }
    })
Roam.setBatchReceiverConfig(NetworkState.BOTH, batchCount,
batchWindow, new RoamBatchReceiverCallback() {
@Override
           public void onSuccess(List<BatchReceiverConfig> batchReceiverConfig) {
                 batchReceiverConfig.get(i).getNetworkState();
                 batchReceiverConfig.get(i).getBatchCount();
                 batchReceiverConfig.get(i).getBatchWindow();
}
@Override
           public void onFailure(RoamError error) {
              error.getMessage();
              error.getCode();
} });
Consider the following call, 
Roam.setBatchConfig("NetworkState.Both", 5 , 60)
The batch count value is the number of location updates sent in a batch. In the above case, the value is set to 5. Ideally, the SDK sends 5 updates per batch and the batch window (in the above case, 60) specifies the number of seconds the SDK waits to receive five location updates.
If the SDK receives 5 location updates in less than 60 seconds, the updates are pushed to the listener. If not, it waits for 60 seconds and pushes the location updates regardless of the batch count value.
Success Callback - We receive a list of BatchReceiveConfig objects.
Example response: 
[{"batchCount":5,"batchWindow":10,"networkState":"OFFLINE"}, {"batchCount":5,"batchWindow":10,"networkState":"ONLINE"}] 
Error Callback: We receive a RoamError object in the error callback.
The available details to get from the RoamError object are: error.getMessage() and error.getCode()
Get Batch Configuration
The get receiver config method allows the user to get the current batch configuration for the location listener.
Kotlin
Java
Roam.getBatchReceiverConfig(object : RoamBatchReceiverCallback {
    override fun onSuccess(list: List<BatchReceiverConfig>) {
        list[i].networkState
        list[i].batchCount
        list[i].batchWindow
    }
    override fun onFailure(roamError: RoamError) {
        roamError.code
        roamError.message
    }
})
Roam.getBatchReceiverConfig(new RoamBatchReceiverCallback() {
​
@Override
           public void onSuccess(List<BatchReceiverConfig> batchReceiverConfig) {
                 batchReceiverConfig.get(i).getNetworkState();
                 batchReceiverConfig.get(i).getBatchCount();
                 batchReceiverConfig.get(i).getBatchWindow();
}
@Override
           public void onFailure(RoamError error) {
              error.getMessage();
              error.getCode();
} });
The response for the above code is the same as that of the Set Receiver Config method. 
Reset Batch Configuration
The Reset Batch Configuration method allows the user to reset the batch config for the location listener. 
Kotlin
Java
Roam.resetBatchReceiverConfig(object : RoamBatchReceiverCallback {
    override fun onSuccess(list: List<BatchReceiverConfig>) {
        list[i].networkState
        list[i].batchCount
        list[i].batchWindow
    }
    override fun onFailure(roamError: RoamError) {
        roamError.code
        roamError.message
    }
})
Roam.resetBatchReceiverConfig(new RoamBatchReceiverCallback() {
@Override
           public void onSuccess(List<BatchReceiverConfig> batchReceiverConfig) {
                 batchReceiverConfig.get(i).getNetworkState();
                 batchReceiverConfig.get(i).getBatchCount();
                 batchReceiverConfig.get(i).getBatchWindow();
}
@Override
           public void onFailure(RoamError error) {
              error.getMessage();
              error.getCode();
} });Roam.resetBatchReceiverConfig(object : RoamBatchReceiverCallback {
    override fun onSuccess(list: List<BatchReceiverConfig>) {
        list[i].networkState
        list[i].batchCount
        list[i].batchWindow
    }
    override fun onFailure(roamError: RoamError) {
        roamError.code
        roamError.message
    }
})
Android
Pub/Sub Locations (Android)
Last modified 1mo ago
Mode	Battery usage	Updates every	Optimized for/advised for
Active	6% - 12%	25 ~ 250 meters	Ride Hailing / Sharing
Balanced	3% - 6%	50 ~ 500 meters	On Demand Services
Passive	0% - 1%	100 ~ 1000 meters	Social Apps
Type	Unit	Unit Range
Distance Interval	Meters	1m ~ 2500m