Details
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Bug
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Status: Closed
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Major
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Resolution: Fixed
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None
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None
Description
Hello Google Play Developer,
We're writing to let you know that the apps listed at the end of this email may be affected by an upcoming platform change.
Action required: If your app requires GPS hardware to operate properly, you will need to explicitly add the "android.hardware.location.gps" uses-feature to your manifest.
What’s changing
We’re making a change on October 15th, 2016 that will affect apps targeting API version 21 (Android 5.0, Lollipop) or higher that use ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION but don't explicitly have the "android.hardware.location.gps" uses-feature. Going forward, these apps will be available to install on devices that don't have GPS hardware. In most cases this won't be an issue since Wi-Fi and Cell-ID based location provides high enough fidelity for the typical operation of these apps. However, any apps that require GPS hardware, such as GPS navigators, should explicitly add the "android.hardware.location.gps" uses-feature to their manifest.
If your app requires GPS to function properly and you do not include android.hardware.location.gps in your manifest declaration, your users may have a poor app experience.
Also, if you’re using the fused location provider and wish to receive the most accurate location samples from GPS (i.e. with PRIORITY_HIGH_ACCURACY), you must include the "android.hardware.location.gps" feature in your app’s manifest to ensure that Google Play only distributes your app to devices with GPS sensors.
You can read more about this change in the Android Developers Help Center.
Regards,
The Google Play Team
