B4A Library Physical Activity Recognition Detection

Class updated on May 2023.

This class allows you to monitor the user / device physical state (walking, running, still, etc.).

The state detection is based on Android location services which use low power sensors to try to detect the current activity. Once you connect your app to these services you will receive notifications even when your app is in the background (similar to static intent filters).

Configuration steps:
1. Add this line to the main activity:

#AdditionalJar: com.google.android.gms:play-services-location

2. Add to manifest editor:

CreateResourceFromFile(Macro, FirebaseAnalytics.GooglePlayBase)
AddPermission(com.google.android.gms.permission.ACTIVITY_RECOGNITION)
AddPermission(android.permission.ACTIVITY_RECOGNITION)

3. Add a receiver named RecognitionReceiver that handles the events.
See the attached example.


Notes

- Android may kill the process and then recreate it when a notification is delivered. This means that it is better to run the app in Release mode. Otherwise it will fail when the process is recreated.

History

V4.00 - Based on receiver instead of service.
V3.00 - Released as a class instead of a library. It is based on a new Google API. Not backward compatible.

 

[GMan]

Hoi Erel,
what is the difference between on foot and walking ?

 

[udg]

Hi GMan,

it seems there's no such a big difference..
Read here.

Umberto

 

[Ratna Fang]

you came just exactly when i need at most
thanks, erel.
i'll give it a try tonight for sure
:beer:

 

[FreeWolF]

Excuse me but I can't find in the Android SDK Manager the download for the play services....Where is located?

 

[GMan]

Hi GMan,

it seems there's no such a big difference..
Read here.

Umberto

Gracie

 

[Ratna Fang]

Excuse me but I can't find in the Android SDK Manager the download for the play services....Where is located?

example:
E:\androidsdk\adt-bundle-windows-x86_64\adt-bundle-windows\sdk\extras\google\google_play_services\libproject\google-play-services_lib\libs
where E:\androidsdk\adt-bundle-windows-x86_64\adt-bundle-windows is your SDK directory.

*you should be easier to find out the /sdk\extras\google\google_play_services\libproject\google-play-services_lib\libs folder from there

 

[FreeWolF]

example:
E:\androidsdk\adt-bundle-windows-x86_64\adt-bundle-windows\sdk\extras\google\google_play_services\libproject\google-play-services_lib\libs
where E:\androidsdk\adt-bundle-windows-x86_64\adt-bundle-windows is your SDK directory.

*you should be easier to find out the /sdk\extras\google\google_play_services\libproject\google-play-services_lib\libs folder from there

Ok, thank you very much!!!

 

[NJDude]

Does the interval has any effect? (ar.Connect(5000)) it seems to me that no matter what value is entered the detection time is always slow.

 

[Erel]

This value is eventually passed to ActivityRecognitionClient.requestActivityUpdates: https://developer.android.com/refer...ivityUpdates(long, android.app.PendingIntent)

See Google documentation above.

 

[MaxApps]

Hi

How do I get the values, received in the service module, to the activity module?

Kind regards
Jakob

 

[NJDude]

The attached sample uses this new library and displays the results on an activity, when the HOME key it pressed, the results will show on the status bar via a notification.

There's room for improvement, but this code might give you an idea.

 

[MaxApps]

YES!!! Thanks.

 

[GMan]

On my devices (2.1 and 4.2) the App breaks...on the 4.2 device at start, on the 2.1 device after pressing stop (when start pressed)
Log from the 2.1 device:

Connected: false
** Activity (main) Pause, UserClosed = false **
** Activity (main) Resume **
java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: com.google.android.gms.location.ActivityRecognitionClient
    at anywheresoftware.b4a.objects.ActivityRecognition.Stop(ActivityRecognition.java:66)
    at njdude.activityrecognition.sample.main._stopbutton_click(main.java:372)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:521)
    at anywheresoftware.b4a.BA.raiseEvent2(BA.java:174)
    at anywheresoftware.b4a.BA.raiseEvent2(BA.java:162)
    at anywheresoftware.b4a.BA.raiseEvent(BA.java:158)
    at anywheresoftware.b4a.objects.ViewWrapper$1.onClick(ViewWrapper.java:66)
    at android.view.View.performClick(View.java:2408)
    at android.view.View$PerformClick.run(View.java:8816)
    at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:587)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:92)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:123)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:4627)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:521)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:868)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:626)
    at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)

 

[JoanRPM]

Yes, it works on my SGII (4.1.2), although it is quite inaccurate.

 

[NJDude]

It works on most of my devices, but not on the ones running older versions of Android, maybe the library is meant to run only on the latest ones.

I'm assuming that the inaccuracies you are referring to is due to the way you get the results, like I mentioned on my previous post, it is a little slow but seems to work.

 

[NJDude]

Well, it seems the new Google Play Services update (ver 18) breaks this lib, now I'm getting this error as soon as the app starts.

main_process_globals (java line: 370)

java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: anywheresoftware.b4a.objects.ActivityRecognition

	at njdude.activityrecognition.sample.main._process_globals(main.java:370)
	at njdude.activityrecognition.sample.main.initializeProcessGlobals(main.java:345)
	at njdude.activityrecognition.sample.main.afterFirstLayout(main.java:94)
	at njdude.activityrecognition.sample.main.access$100(main.java:16)
	at njdude.activityrecognition.sample.main$WaitForLayout.run(main.java:76)
	at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:733)
	at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:95)
	at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:136)
	at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5001)
	at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
	at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:515)
	at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:785)
	at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:601)
	at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)

 

[walterf25]

Well, it seems the new Google Play Services update (ver 18) breaks this lib, now I'm getting this error as soon as the app starts.

main_process_globals (java line: 370)

java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: anywheresoftware.b4a.objects.ActivityRecognition

    at njdude.activityrecognition.sample.main._process_globals(main.java:370)
    at njdude.activityrecognition.sample.main.initializeProcessGlobals(main.java:345)
    at njdude.activityrecognition.sample.main.afterFirstLayout(main.java:94)
    at njdude.activityrecognition.sample.main.access$100(main.java:16)
    at njdude.activityrecognition.sample.main$WaitForLayout.run(main.java:76)
    at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:733)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:95)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:136)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5001)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:515)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:785)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:601)
    at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)

Of Course, leave it to google to break stuff!

 

[Erel]

I found the source of this issue. It is fixed for v3.82 which is planned to be released later today.
Good timing

 

[GMan]

Hoi Erel,
also with 3.82 no change - exact the same actions on both devices