AutoLocation Tasker plug-in brings new Google location features to Tasker
A few weeks ago, Google announced the availability of some new location APIs for Android, allowing developers to access various location based information. Quickly after that, Auto*-developer joaomgcd released the beta version of a new Tasker plug-in to utilize those new features in Tasker, and the plug-in is now out of beta and available on Google Play.
AutoLocation currently works with geofencing and activities. Geofencing is similar to the location context in Tasker, allowing you to create profiles based on your location, but it uses the new APIs which are more efficient than the old ones that Tasker use, which are infamous for draining battery and being inaccurate. I have a feeling that there are a lot of location profiles out there that will be updated in the coming days as the word of AutoLocation spreads, and it’s always nice to see a better way of doing something that a lot of people use.
The activity feature taps into the Activity Recognition API and allows Tasker to act based on what activity you’re doing. This is a new feature that can detect whether you’re walking, in a vehicle, cycling, standing still, or tilting the device. This should open up a ton of a new options to Tasker users, as car modes have always been one of the most popular uses for Tasker out there, and the driving activity allows that kind of Tasker creation to be set up in new ways. Walking and cycling should also be very useful, and the various options available in AutoLocation should help limit issues.
I haven’t looked into the plug-in yet myself, but might test out the geofencing option to see if that’s accurate enough to have some fun with.
Download: Google Play
