# Geofence & Location

By default, Netmera SDK does not collect location information from the device. To use features like geofence messaging and location-based user targeting, you must enable location tracking.

### Checking and Requesting Location Permission

Users may select **"Only Once"**, **"While Using the App"**, or **"Always"** when prompted for location permission. However, they can later change this permission via system settings.

To ensure **accurate** location tracking, always check the **current** system-level location permission before accessing any location-based features. If the required permission is missing or no longer valid, re-trigger the location permission request using Netmera.

**What to do:**

* Check the current location permission status.
* If the permission is **missing or limited**:
  * **Request location permission again via Netmera.**

> Always ensure the necessary permission is granted before initializing any location-based operations.

### Add Dependencies (If Using a Podfile)

If your project uses a **Podfile**, add the following dependencies:

```swift
pod "NetmeraLocation"  
pod "NetmeraGeofence"
```

If you are not using a **Podfile**, you can skip this step.

### Step 1: Enable Location History

To target users based on location, enable **Location History** in the Netmera web panel:\
**Developers > App Info > App Config > Location History Enabled**

### Step 2: Configure Location Permissions

Add the necessary authorization keys to your **Info.plist** file:

1. **For Geofence Messaging (iOS 10 and earlier)**

* Set `NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription` with a description of why the app uses region monitoring.
* This allows the SDK to monitor region entry/exit actions for geofence regions configured in the Netmera Dashboard.

2. **For Geofence Messaging (iOS 11 and later)**

* Set `NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription` with a description of why the app uses region monitoring.
* This allows the SDK to monitor region entry/exit actions for geofence regions configured in the Netmera Dashboard.

3. **For Occasional Location Updates**

* Set `NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription` with a description.
* This sends the most recent location once per session.

### Step 3: Request Location Authorization

Request location access from users by calling:

```swift
Netmera.requestLocationAuthorization()
```

#### Location Permission Helper

A helper method lets apps know when to request location permission:

```swift
Netmera.shouldRequestLocationAuthorization()
```

### Step 4: Configure Geofence Region Limits

To set the maximum number of active geofence regions, use:

```swift
Netmera.setNetmeraMaxActiveRegions(20) // Default is 20
```

If you set the number greater than **20** or less than **0**, it will be reset to **20** by default.


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