Lectura de la ubicación GPS con expo-location
Solicite permiso de ubicación en primer plano, obtenga las coordenadas actuales con getCurrentPositionAsync y muestre la latitud y la longitud en pantalla.
Lectura de la ubicación GPS con expo-location es una lección gratuita de React Native Academy en CoddyKit. Esta es la lección 2 de 4. Puedes leer la lección completa abajo gratuitamente — luego la practicas en el navegador con un editor de código integrado y un tutor de IA 24/7. Forma parte de la ruta de aprendizaje de React Native Academy, y tu progreso se sincroniza en la web y la app de CoddyKit. El curso de React Native Academy incluye 4 lecciones en total.
Partes de esta lección aún no han sido traducidas y se muestran en inglés.
What Is expo-location?
expo-location provides an API to read the device's geographic position using GPS, Wi-Fi triangulation, and cell tower data. It works on both iOS and Android without writing native code. You can get a one-time position fix, watch the location as the user moves, or geocode an address to coordinates and vice versa.
Installing expo-location
Use the Expo install command to get the SDK-compatible version of expo-location. In managed Expo projects, the native module is linked automatically. For bare React Native projects, you must also run pod install on iOS and update AndroidManifest.xml with the location permission declarations.
npx expo install expo-locationRequesting Foreground Location Permission
Location access requires explicit user permission. Call Location.requestForegroundPermissionsAsync() to ask for permission to read location while the app is in the foreground. Check the status field of the returned object — only proceed if it equals 'granted'. The hook version Location.useForegroundPermissions() simplifies this in functional components.
import * as Location from 'expo-location';
const [permission, requestPermission] = Location.useForegroundPermissions();
if (!permission) return <ActivityIndicator />;
if (!permission.granted) {
return (
<View>
<Text>Location access is needed to show your position.</Text>
<Button title='Allow Location' onPress={requestPermission} />
</View>
);
}Getting the Current Position Once
Location.getCurrentPositionAsync() performs a single GPS fix and returns a LocationObject containing coords.latitude, coords.longitude, coords.accuracy (in meters), and a timestamp. Use this for one-time lookups like 'find nearby restaurants' where you do not need continuous tracking.
const [location, setLocation] = React.useState(null);
async function fetchLocation() {
const loc = await Location.getCurrentPositionAsync({
accuracy: Location.Accuracy.Balanced,
});
setLocation(loc);
console.log('Lat:', loc.coords.latitude);
console.log('Lng:', loc.coords.longitude);
console.log('Accuracy:', loc.coords.accuracy, 'meters');
}Accuracy Levels
expo-location provides several accuracy presets via Location.Accuracy. Use Lowest or Low for coarse location with minimal battery impact, Balanced for general use, and High or BestForNavigation when you need precise GPS coordinates for turn-by-turn navigation. Higher accuracy drains battery faster, so choose appropriately for your use case.
// Coarse — fast, low battery, uses Wi-Fi/cell
Location.Accuracy.Lowest // ~3 km
Location.Accuracy.Low // ~1 km
Location.Accuracy.Balanced // ~100 m — good default
// Precise — uses GPS, more battery
Location.Accuracy.High // ~10 m
Location.Accuracy.Highest // ~1 m
Location.Accuracy.BestForNavigation // highest + sensorsWatching the Location Continuously
Location.watchPositionAsync starts a subscription that calls a callback every time the device's position changes by a specified distance or time interval. It returns a subscription object with a remove() method. Always call remove() in a useEffect cleanup function to stop tracking when the component unmounts and save battery.
useEffect(() => {
let subscription: Location.LocationSubscription;
async function startWatching() {
subscription = await Location.watchPositionAsync(
{
accuracy: Location.Accuracy.High,
distanceInterval: 10, // update every 10 meters
timeInterval: 5000, // or every 5 seconds
},
(loc) => setLocation(loc)
);
}
startWatching();
return () => subscription?.remove(); // cleanup on unmount
}, []);Displaying Coordinates on Screen
Once you have a location object, display the coordinates in a human-readable format. Round latitude and longitude to 5-6 decimal places for readability — that corresponds to roughly 1-meter precision. Display the accuracy value so users understand how precise the reading is, especially on devices that cannot get a good GPS fix indoors.
export default function LocationDisplay() {
const [location, setLocation] = React.useState(null);
// ... permission check and fetch ...
if (!location) return <Button title='Get Location' onPress={fetchLocation} />;
return (
<View>
<Text>Latitude: {location.coords.latitude.toFixed(6)}</Text>
<Text>Longitude: {location.coords.longitude.toFixed(6)}</Text>
<Text>Accuracy: {location.coords.accuracy?.toFixed(0)} m</Text>
</View>
);
}Reverse Geocoding: Coordinates to Address
Location.reverseGeocodeAsync converts latitude and longitude coordinates into a human-readable address. It returns an array of LocationGeocodedAddress objects with fields like street, city, region, country, and postalCode. Use the first result — it is the most likely match for the given coordinates.
async function getAddress(latitude: number, longitude: number) {
const results = await Location.reverseGeocodeAsync({ latitude, longitude });
if (results.length > 0) {
const addr = results[0];
return [addr.street, addr.city, addr.region, addr.country]
.filter(Boolean)
.join(', ');
}
return 'Unknown location';
}Forward Geocoding: Address to Coordinates
Location.geocodeAsync converts a text address into latitude and longitude. This is useful for features like 'search nearby' where users type a location name. The function returns an array of results (multiple matches are possible for ambiguous addresses) each containing latitude, longitude, and altitude.
async function searchAddress(address: string) {
const results = await Location.geocodeAsync(address);
if (results.length > 0) {
const { latitude, longitude } = results[0];
console.log('Coordinates:', latitude, longitude);
return { latitude, longitude };
}
return null;
}Handling Location Errors
Location requests can fail when the user is indoors, when the device's GPS is disabled, or on simulators that do not have a simulated location set. Wrap location calls in try-catch and show a fallback UI. Check Location.hasServicesEnabledAsync() before requesting a position to detect when the device's location services are turned off in system settings.
async function fetchLocationSafe() {
const enabled = await Location.hasServicesEnabledAsync();
if (!enabled) {
Alert.alert('Location Off', 'Please enable Location Services in Settings.');
return;
}
try {
const loc = await Location.getCurrentPositionAsync({
accuracy: Location.Accuracy.Balanced,
});
setLocation(loc);
} catch (err) {
Alert.alert('Error', 'Could not get your location. Please try again.');
}
}Background Location Tracking
Tracking location when the app is in the background requires background location permission (requestBackgroundPermissionsAsync) and a background task defined with expo-task-manager. This is only needed for apps like fitness trackers or delivery apps. Apple and Google have strict review requirements for apps that use background location, so only request it if the feature is core to your app.
Quick Check
Test your understanding of React Native Mobile Development concepts from this lesson.
Lesson Recap
In this lesson you learned: requestForegroundPermissionsAsync must be called and granted before any location reading is possible, getCurrentPositionAsync performs a one-time position fix while watchPositionAsync tracks continuous movement, and reverseGeocodeAsync converts coordinates to a human-readable address. Next up we explore scheduling local notifications.
Preguntas frecuentes
¿La lección «Lectura de la ubicación GPS con expo-location» es gratis?
Sí — el texto completo de «Lectura de la ubicación GPS con expo-location» es gratis para leer aquí en la web. Para practicarla de forma interactiva (editor de código integrado y tutor de IA 24/7) y desbloquear el resto del curso de React Native Academy, actualiza a CoddyKit PRO. El curso de React Native Academy incluye 4 lecciones en total.
¿Qué aprenderé en «Lectura de la ubicación GPS con expo-location»?
Solicite permiso de ubicación en primer plano, obtenga las coordenadas actuales con getCurrentPositionAsync y muestre la latitud y la longitud en pantalla. Practicas React Native Academy con código real que ejecutas directamente en el navegador, y un tutor de IA 24/7 responde tus preguntas mientras trabajas en la lección.
¿Necesito experiencia previa para empezar React Native Academy?
No se requiere experiencia previa. React Native Academy en CoddyKit está estructurado para principiantes hasta estudiantes avanzados, así que puedes empezar aquí o desde el inicio y avanzar a tu ritmo. Esta es la lección 2 de 4.
¿Cuánto tiempo toma la lección «Lectura de la ubicación GPS con expo-location»?
La mayoría de las lecciones de CoddyKit toman alrededor de 5–10 minutos. Cada una es compacta e interactiva, así que avanzas constantemente y retomas exactamente por donde dejaste en la web y la app.
¿Puedo escribir y ejecutar código en esta lección de React Native Academy?
Sí. Cada lección de React Native Academy incluye un editor de código integrado, así que escribes y ejecutas código real directamente en tu navegador y obtienes retroalimentación instantánea de IA — sin configuración local necesaria.
Todas las lecciones de este curso
- Acceso a la cámara con expo-camera
- Lectura de la ubicación GPS con expo-location
- Programación de notificaciones locales
- Gestión adecuada de permisos