7 Unique Uses of Location-Based Services in Apps

Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes

compass-828660_1920

Using a user’s location to improve or enrich an app’s service or user experience have been around for a while. The location information that is available is becoming wider, and now apps can have more than just the actual location, but the mobility status of their users. Mobile developers that wish to create unique features based on user’s mobility status and LBS, will usually use Anagog’s free SDK.

We wanted to provide some inspiration, so we have listed below 7 apps, both for iOS and Android, that we think make good use of location based services.

1. Find My Friends
Locate and Find My Friends is a friend locator app that makes it easy to find your friends in real time. If you’re out with friends and lose someone, you can find your missing friend’s exact location through the app. The app uses your phone’s positioning sensors to pinpoint your friend’s location and provides you with navigational help.

boardwalk-1209671_1920

2. Pokémon GO
This app has taken the world by storm. Pokémon GO uses augmented reality technology to allow players to use their smartphone as a map and viewfinder. The app uses the smartphone’s location sensors to guide the user to the location of the next Pokémon. Through exploring familiar and unfamiliar areas, users can discover and “catch” Pokémon creatures and items in “Pokestops.” This hit No. 1 in the App Store almost immediately after its release. Its great success can be almost fully attributed to the ingenious use of location-based services. We had a previous, deeper look at Pokémon GO, and you can read all about it here: believe it or not, Pokemon Go can be an even more ‘powerful’ creature.

3. YouDrive
YouDrive, powered by the Anagog free SDK allows you to easily find your car! No more stressing about remembering where you parked! Its function is simple and ingenious since it solves the everlasting struggle of meter
parking. You log the time you paid for in the app and it tracks it for you. If you’re not sure how much time you have left you can easily check by tapping the app. The location-based services also track where you parked your car and will navigate you to it easily.

4. Speed Camera Radar
Speed Camera Radar, again, powered by the Anagog free SDK, enables you to detect road hazards like speed cameras and speed bumps, as well as see the speed limit for the road you’re traveling on. In addition, you can receive real-time alerts of mobile radar traps. Using the geospatial sensors and positioning of your vehicle in relation to the hazards is the key to this very useful radar.

5. Zomato
We all like to check reviews before trying out a new restaurant, and this is exactly what Zomato (formerly UrbanSpoon) is all about. The app uses location-based services to tell you which restaurants are nearby while providing all the relevant reviews people have ever left about the place. The creators have maintained the patented “shake” interface from the previous version of the app, which activates a ‘slot-machine-like’ menu.

dining-room-103464_1920

6. Nike+ Run Club
This running app uses your smartphone’s GPS function to track your location and speed as you run. It allows you to set goals, monitors your progress, and lets you share results with your friends. It also offers information about your surroundings to help you improve your run; it provides your pace, location, distance, elevation, and mile splits. Additional fun features include music control (including custom Nike+ Run Club playlists), personalized coaching services and the ability to create customized posts with photos, stats, and stickers.

7. Groupon – Shop Deals & Coupons
Groupon provides amazing deals for activities, restaurants, nd products. These location-based deals are available to users all over the world. The company also offers an instant mobile deal, offering a service called Groupon Now. The deals differ by the user’s geolocation. The app features restaurants and businesses which are close by and relevant to the users.

In conclusion
Collecting and compiling data is relatively easy for developers, but it can be quite difficult to harness all this information into an app that can offer better, more personalized services to users. To achieve this, you need a location-based SDK that allows you to leverage deep knowledge of consumer behavior and location. This way you can equip your app with exciting features and interesting capabilities and offer unique and relevant services to your users. This will help mobile developers drive user engagement and ultimately create more revenue.

 

An entrepreneur and Signal Processing expert with 16 years of multi-disciplinary experience in leading technology groups in a wide range of fields including speech, audio, video, biology and physics. Gil holds a B.Sc. from Tel-Aviv University, and an MBA from Ben-Gurion University.

To learn more about how Anagog’s solutions can increase transparency and eliminate the need to collect private information, contact us