Android and iOs indoor location

The distance estimations to beacons will never be super reliable. They’re based on the strength of the signal that reaches the phone, but the problem is, this signal can travel multiple paths (straight line, or bounced off walls, etc.), or be absorbed on the way (e.g., by other person) … even how you hold your phone matters (switch from portrait mode holding it in one hand, to landscape mode with both hands, and there will be a difference). And the phone can’t tell if the signal strength went down because sb is standing in the way, or because you really moved away from the beacon.

This is why in Indoor Location, we employ a ton of complex techniques to predict where the user is. Replicating the same on Android is quite challenging due to the vast landscape of Android devices, each of which behaves differently when it comes to their Bluetooth support. (different BT hardware, different positions of the antennas, different form factors and materials they’re made of, etc.)

If you want to create a universal iOS+Android experience, I’d recommend trying to do so based on “more-or-less proximity” to various beacons, rather than precise position. That’s the downside of hybrid development—you can’t always use all the greatest features, because you have to go for the maximum cross-device compatibility.

What app are you working on? We’ll be happy to advise about the best user-experience for your use case.