How is it determined when to prompt user location permissions on iOS safari?

Question

When using the geolocation.getCurrentPosition API on mobile, tested iOS at the moment, users are prompted more than once through a session depending on the page. In comparison to as desktop site, such as Chrome on Windows 10, where once a user hits Allow they will no longer be prompted for permissions unless explicitly disabled. iOS Safari seems to be session based and then possibly page based within session?

Wondering if anyone knows if there are explicit rules defined by Apple for this permission check? Also does maximumAge play a role in how often the user is prompted?

  const LOCATION_OPTIONS = {
   timeout: 15000,
   enableHighAccuracy: true,
   maximumAge: 86400000,
  };

  useEffect(() => {
    const { geolocation } = navigator;

    // If the geolocation is not defined in the used browser we handle it as an error
    if (!geolocation) {
      setError("Geolocation is not supported.");
      return;
    }

    // Call Geolocation API
    geolocation.getCurrentPosition(handleSuccess, handleError, options);
  }, [options]);

  return { location, error };

Example NextJS CodeSandbox https://u11vn.sse.codesandbox.io/

Baldridge

can you tell me which language are you using. Are you calling geolocation.getCurrentPosition using JavaScript? Also tell me which IOS version are you using? – Obstetric

Yes I am using Javascript. – Baldridge

Answer 1

Unfortunately, it seems there is no way to permanently grant website access to the iPhone privacy like camera location, within Safari. but on the user side, there are three options (Ask, Allow, Deny ) that can set

if you use JavaScript in iOS WKWebView, you can get a workaround that request location with App location API

if you use JavaScript on the web, well you cannot achieve this.

Largeminded

Yea there definitely isn't a permanent way but I find it odd in my use case that its more than once per session. I will try to put a codepen together or repro since my understanding is that it should be once per domain / possibly per maximumAge but for me switching to a different page asks again. I could obviously cache it myself but messing that up would be dangerous. – Baldridge

Answer 2

In the web do below / or use navigator with a popup dialog

 var options = {
  enableHighAccuracy: true,
  timeout: 7000,
  maximumAge: 0
};

function log(data) {
  const tag = document.createElement('p');
  tag.textContent = data;
  document.body.appendChild(tag);
}

function success(pos) {
  var crd = pos.coords;
  console.log('Successfully determined a user position:', crd);

  log('Your current position is:');
  log(`Latitude : ${crd.latitude}`);
  log(`Longitude: ${crd.longitude}`);
  log(`More or less ${crd.accuracy} meters.`);
}

function error(err) {
  console.warn(`ERROR(${err.code}): ${err.message}`);
}

navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(success, error, options);

Or

$scope.watchId = navigator.geolocation.watchPosition(function (position) {
                        if ($scope.t1 == 0) {
                            $scope.t1 = position.timestamp;
                        } else {
                            if (Math.abs($scope.t1 - position.timestamp) > 5000) {
                                $scope.t1 = position.timestamp;
                                SellerRef.update({ Location: { Lat: position.coords.latitude, Long: position.coords.longitude } })
                            }
                        }
    
                    },
                        function (error) {
                            if (error.code == 1) {
                                  $scope.showAlert("An error occured \n" + " Please goto Settings->Privacy->LocationServices and give permission for " + bowser.name + " which is your browser ");
                            }
    
                        }
                    ); 

---

For loading your web inside an app

• Then with webView, just add location permission descriptions to the info.plist file.
• Add NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription versus NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription versus NSLocationUsageDescription

What is the geolocation error, look here

navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(success => {
  /* Do some magic. */
}, failure => {
  if (failure.message.startsWith("Only secure origins are allowed")) {
    // Secure Origin issue.
  }
});

Include/set an "required_features" option at manifest.webapp file:

{
  "required_features": ["geolocation"]
}

User:

On iPhone:

Settings -> Location Services -> [your Browser] [apple ref][1]

Chrome requires https for geolocation usage

---

Troubleshooting && Permissions Check / Debug Log

Check, user's OPERATING SYSTEM and BROWSER BOTH have location services enabled, user's browser supports checking for location services

    // options for current position
    const navigatorLocationOptions = {
      enableHighAccuracy: true,
      timeout: 7000,
      maximumAge: 0
    };
 
    // does browser have geo services enabled
    navigator.permissions.query({name:'geolocation'})
      .then((result) => {
        
        if (result.state === 'granted') {// you are good
          navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(position => {
             console.log('granted user location permission', position );
              
             //.. do your stuff

          }, (error) => {
            // OS services are not enabled
            console.log('Please turn on OS located services', navigator);
            errorLocation();
          }, navigatorLocationOptions);

        } else {
          // browser issues seriveces
          console.log('Browser location services disabled', navigator);
          errorLocation();
        }
      }, (error) => {
        /* Browser doesn't support querying for permissions */
        console.log('Please turn on BROWSER location services', navigator);
        errorLocation()
      }
    );


    //handle errors
    function errorLocation() {
      ...
    }

Kemppe

This is very comprehensive answer of how to implement the geolocation and permissions API but doesn't explain the process the browser uses to determine when to prompt – Baldridge