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Background location

Last updated: March 31, 2026 | 1 minute read

Learn how to enable location updates while your app is in background on iOS.

Step 1: Configure Info.plist​

Add permission and background modes:

<key>NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
<string>Location is needed for map localization and navigation.</string>

<key>UIBackgroundModes</key>
<array>
    <string>location</string>
    <string>processing</string>
</array>

Step 2: Enable background updates in data source configuration​

let source = DataSourceContext()
let config = DataSourceConfigurationObject()

config.setAllowBackgroundLocationUpdates(true)

_ = source.setConfiguration(config, for: .position)
_ = source.start()
warning

Make sure setAllowBackgroundLocationUpdates(true) is called only if the Info.plist is properly configured.

Step 3: Continue consuming updates​

Use your existing PositionContext flow in the same way as foreground mode:

let positionContext = PositionContext(context: source)
positionContext.startUpdatingPositionDelegate(.position)
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