// the find
transistorsoft/cordova-background-geolocation-lt
The most sophisticated background location-tracking & geofencing module with battery-conscious motion-detection intelligence for iOS and Android.
A Cordova plugin wrapping Transistor Software's proprietary background geolocation SDK for iOS and Android. It handles the hard parts of mobile location tracking — motion-detection to kill GPS when the device is stationary, geofencing, battery conservation — so you don't have to fight platform APIs directly. Aimed at Cordova/Ionic apps that need reliable background location without draining the battery.
The stationary/moving detection using accelerometer+gyroscope to gate GPS is genuinely well-thought-out — this is the main reason background location kills batteries and most libraries ignore it. The SDK is maintained across seven platforms (React Native, Flutter, Capacitor, Swift, Kotlin) from what appears to be a shared native core, so platform-specific bugs tend to get fixed uniformly. Debug builds are fully functional with no license required, which lets you actually evaluate it before paying. The plugin.xml and Gradle integration are mature — no manual AndroidManifest editing required.
It's a commercial SDK with a per-app license for release builds on Android — the GitHub repo is essentially a wrapper and docs site; the real native code is closed. If Transistor Software disappears or raises prices, you're stuck. The v4-to-v5 migration invalidates existing license keys, which is a paid upgrade dressed up as a version bump. Cordova itself is in decline — most teams have moved to Capacitor or React Native, and this Cordova variant will likely see reduced investment compared to the other platform ports. There are no automated tests visible anywhere in the repo.