Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

[Steve Workings]

I'm not sure what to suggest to the customer here, so I thought I'd ask the Brain Trust:

I have a web app, works nicely for the last 2,3 years on mobile devices. It it not Phone Gap. A key feature of this is Alpha's feature to grab the Lat/Lon from the browser. Yesterday I got this from the customer:

Apple released a new version of its operating system on smartphones this week (IOS 10). All of the new iPhone 7's also come with this version installed. Any iPhone with this version of the OS installed, generates the following error when attempting to log a GPS attempt: "Unable to retrieve your current location." Our app is now inoperable on an iPhone.



We also have found that the latest version of Chrome on all Android devices generates the same error message on all Android devices. We have been able to get around it on Android devices by installing a third party browser, however, Apple doesn't allow this.

It seems it's all still working fine on those devices not described above, so it's not as if something within Alpha suddenly stopped or changed. Customer also confirms that other GPS-related functions on these problematic devices are working as expected.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

- Steve

[peteconway]

Re: Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

Do they have a Google Maps API Key in the build?

[GGandhi]

Re: Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

i do not know for sure but they changed the privacy settings so it might have affected your web browser based app.
ask them to take a look at settings and privacy
make sure location services is turned on, then on location services look at the bottom and turn safari (or the browser they are using) when running application on, if it is not already turned on.
this might help
just an idea
i don't use alpha for my mobile, my maps are working so far.

[Steve Workings]

Re: Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

They're not using maps or any Google API Pete. Just grabbing the lat/lon from the browser for insertion to the database record. And, it's only on these new devices/browsers - the old ones are still just fine.

And Gandhi - that's my thought as well -- there almost has to be something in the privacy settings, but customer confirms that other GPS-related stuff is doing just fine. I'm no expert in smart phones though....

[frankbicknell]

Re: Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

It is probably in their personal security location settings. On the android it is under Settings, Personal, Location that has to be on. And under Settings, Personal, Privacy and safety, Ask Permissions, Location there is a list of the apps that can have the permission to use the location turned on or off.

[Steve Workings]

Re: Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

More from the customer today after I suggested that this has to be associated with local device settings. Any help appreciated:
-------------------

It’s not a security setting, I assure you I’ve been there, done that…

I am an expert now on how to set these phones up and fix any issues that arise with security settings from using our app for the last couple of years. I’ve come across everything imaginable that users can do to mess with their security settings and I know every trick to get them back working again. I now have 8 users that can no longer use the app and their security settings are set correctly.

I am convinced they did something to lock us out. Did you read that one thread I sent you regarding Chrome locking out all browser calls for GPS location requests unless it comes from a secure (SSL) site? Chrome on Android phones no longer works with our app and if you have the latest version of Chrome on your computer, you can no longer test our app as you will get the same error our iPhone users are now getting. Feel free to try it on yours. I wonder if Apple decided to do the same thing? Have you ever converted someone’s Alpha server to a secure site?

I’m in a real quandary over this and am going to have to find some other option to find a way to log our service attempts as I have contracts with several clients requiring us to do this.

I realize it’s not a problem with our app as it has worked perfectly fine thus far, but I was hoping for better insight from Alpha. They responded the same way when I identified a bug with their GPS accuracy being off when we first developed the app. I get it, as I am sure most of the time it’s probably user error, but…

[Steve Workings]

Re: Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

If you test my client's site with Chrome (version 50 or better I think), and try to get the GPS coordinates, the Chrome console returns this message:

getCurrentPosition() and watchPosition() no longer work on insecure origins. To use this feature, you should consider switching your application to a secure origin, such as HTTPS. See https://goo.gl/rStTGz for more details.


Here's the code we're using to get the lat/lon, though you will find it works on localhost. It can just be a button's OnClick event, for instance:

function geoSuccess(pos){
	{dialog.object}.setStateInfo({latitude: pos.coords.latitude, longitude: pos.coords.longitude});
	var str = 'lat: ' + pos.coords.latitude + ' lon: ' + pos.coords.longitude;
	alert(str);
}

function geoFail(error) {
	alert('Unable to retrieve your current location.');
}

var geoOptions = {};
geoOptions.desiredAccuracy = 20; 	// accuracy within 20 meters
geoOptions.maxWait = 5000			// try to get that accuracy for 5 seconds 

navigator.geolocation.getAccuratePosition(geoSuccess,geoFail,geoOptions);

[kiwibruce]

Re: Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

Hi Steve,

See: Geolocation API removed from unsecured origins in Chrome 50
Looks like you may have to put SSL on your site.
Assuming... this is the cause of your problem. I had read elsewhere where Chrome was going to start treating ANY non HTTPS sites as suspect!
We need to buy shares in SSL cert providers they may be in for a boon.

But this is all for Chrome what about your iOS devices ... Has apple done the same thing??

Bruce

[Steve Workings]

Re: Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

My client is indeed headed to an SSL site, hope by tomorrow.

But:

This is simply getting the lat/lon from the browser. This is not an API call, for instance. If we stay where we are, this would mean that every Alpha application that needed to simply get the Lat/Lon would have to be on an SSL site. This, at least, would be the case for Chrome and maybe Apple - not sure about Apple yet.

When I first bounced this through Bob Moore when I became aware of this two days ago, Bob assured me that he's only getting information out of the browser. I believe that, but now it doesn't work under these circumstances - and the circumstances are too broad to ignore.

My hope is that either (1) there are other javascript functions that I don't know about that will do the same thing, or (2) Alpha will come up with another solution.

[Steve Workings]

Re: Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

Nope. It's been made pretty clear to me that an SSL site is the only option here, pursuant to the link in Bruce's message.

Bruce - you said something in a private exchange a few days ago on another subject about developer's fatigue. Guess this is just one more thing I didn't keep up with.

[kiwibruce]

Re: Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

This is simply getting the lat/lon from the browser. This is not an API call, for instance. If we stay where we are, this would mean that every Alpha application that needed to simply get the Lat/Lon would have to be on an SSL site.

I know very little about how the brower stuff works but I suspect that even if we are only asking the browser for lat/lon that "ask" is coming from our HTTP site by virtue that the page is being served from our alpha site running on HTTP.
I suspect this could be a real challenge as you say as it may bugger a whole lot of existing sites. not unlike Google requiring an API key for any mapping now.
Like I said, buy shares in SSL companies :)

[Bob Moore]

Re: Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

Not only is Google requiring HTTPS for more and more of it's API's and the HTML5 features of the Chrome browser, please keep in mind that Apple is going to require HTTPS for all iOS apps by Jan. 1 2017 unless you can come up with a convincing reason why you are unable to use it.


See:https://developers.google.com/web/fu...hy-https?hl=en
This link requires Safari on a Mac, See: https://developer.apple.com/videos/p.../706/?time=112

[kiwibruce]

Re: Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

Bruce - you said something in a private exchange a few days ago on another subject about developer's fatigue. Guess this is just one more thing I didn't keep up with.

Heh heh! Oh yeah just another spanner in the works eh?
<Lighbulb>I think I have just connected the dots on another issue I am having </Lighbulb>
A few months back I built a Address Autocomplete feature ... (That Selwyn has just baked into Alpha aghhhh not sure whether to laugh or cry! See )
Anyhow part of it is that You say you want to look locally first i.e. I want to see New Zealand Address NOT address in New York so it does this

if (navigator.geolocation) {
navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(function(position) {
var geolocation = new google.maps.LatLng(
position.coords.latitude, position.coords.longitude);
autocomplete.setBounds(new google.maps.LatLngBounds(geolocation,
geolocation));
});
}

I worked perfectly when I built it but I noticed last week that I was getting US address. I now know why! bugger!
Oh well SSL here I come.

Bruce

[Steve Workings]

Re: Sudden GPS detection issue on new iPhone and Android

Customer just reported that Zebrahost got him up & running on SSL, and it solved both the Chrome and Apple problem.