@capgo/capacitor-launch-navigator

Overview

The Capacitor Launch Navigator plugin enables launching native navigation apps on iOS and Android devices with coordinate-based navigation. This plugin provides seamless integration with popular mapping applications and supports multiple transportation modes for comprehensive navigation solutions.

Multi-app support

Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, Citymapper and more 🗺️

Transport modes

Driving, walking, transit, and cycling directions 🧭

App detection

Check availability and list installed navigation apps 🔍

Coordinate-based

Navigate using latitude/longitude coordinates 📍

Installation

npm install @capgo/capacitor-launch-navigator
npx cap sync

iOS Configuration

Add URL schemes to your Info.plist to detect installed navigation apps:

<key>LSApplicationQueriesSchemes</key>
<array>
    <string>googlemaps</string>
    <string>waze</string>
    <string>citymapper</string>
    <!-- Add other navigation app schemes -->
</array>

Core API Methods

Navigation

• navigate(options) - Launch navigation to specified coordinates
• isAppAvailable(options) - Check if a specific navigation app is installed
• getAvailableApps() - List all available navigation apps on device
• getSupportedApps() - Get all supported apps for current platform

Usage Example

import { LaunchNavigator, TransportMode } from '@capgo/capacitor-launch-navigator';

// Basic navigation to coordinates
await LaunchNavigator.navigate({
  destination: [37.7749, -122.4194], // San Francisco coordinates
});

// Advanced navigation with options
await LaunchNavigator.navigate({
  destination: [37.7749, -122.4194],
  options: {
    start: [37.7849, -122.4094], // Optional starting point
    transportMode: TransportMode.DRIVING,
    app: 'google_maps', // Preferred navigation app
    appDisplayName: 'Google Maps'
  }
});

// Check if specific app is available
const result = await LaunchNavigator.isAppAvailable({
  app: 'google_maps'
});

if (result.available) {
  console.log('Google Maps is installed');
} else {
  console.log('Google Maps is not available');
}

// Get all available navigation apps
const availableApps = await LaunchNavigator.getAvailableApps();
console.log('Available navigation apps:', availableApps);

// Get all supported apps for platform
const supportedApps = await LaunchNavigator.getSupportedApps();
console.log('Supported apps:', supportedApps);

Navigation Options

interface NavigationOptions {
  start?: [number, number];      // Starting coordinates [lat, lng]
  transportMode?: TransportMode; // Transportation method
  app?: string;                  // Preferred navigation app
  appDisplayName?: string;       // Display name for app
  launchMode?: LaunchMode;       // How to launch the app
}

Transport Modes

enum TransportMode {
  DRIVING = 'driving',
  WALKING = 'walking',
  TRANSIT = 'transit',
  CYCLING = 'cycling'
}

Supported Navigation Apps

iOS

• Apple Maps (built-in)
• Google Maps
• Waze
• Citymapper
• Transit
• Moovit
• Uber
• Lyft
• And many more…

Android

• Google Maps (built-in)
• Waze
• Citymapper
• HERE WeGo
• Sygic
• MapQuest
• Moovit
• And many more…

Coordinate Requirements

⚠️ Important: This plugin only accepts latitude/longitude coordinates for navigation. Use @capgo/capacitor-nativegeocoder to convert addresses to coordinates.

// Example with geocoding
import { NativeGeocoder } from '@capgo/capacitor-nativegeocoder';

// Convert address to coordinates
const geocodeResult = await NativeGeocoder.forwardGeocode({
  address: '1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA'
});

if (geocodeResult.results.length > 0) {
  const coords = geocodeResult.results[0];

  // Launch navigation with geocoded coordinates
  await LaunchNavigator.navigate({
    destination: [coords.latitude, coords.longitude]
  });
}

App Detection and Selection

// Check multiple apps and use the first available
const appsToCheck = ['google_maps', 'waze', 'apple_maps'];
let selectedApp = null;

for (const app of appsToCheck) {
  const result = await LaunchNavigator.isAppAvailable({ app });
  if (result.available) {
    selectedApp = app;
    break;
  }
}

if (selectedApp) {
  await LaunchNavigator.navigate({
    destination: [37.7749, -122.4194],
    options: { app: selectedApp }
  });
} else {
  console.log('No supported navigation apps found');
}

Error Handling

try {
  await LaunchNavigator.navigate({
    destination: [37.7749, -122.4194],
    options: {
      app: 'google_maps',
      transportMode: TransportMode.DRIVING
    }
  });
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Navigation failed:', error);
  // Handle error - app not available, invalid coordinates, etc.
}

Use Cases

• Location-based services: Navigate users to points of interest
• Delivery apps: Guide drivers to delivery locations
• Event apps: Direct attendees to venue locations
• Real estate apps: Navigate to property locations
• Travel apps: Guide tourists to attractions

Best Practices

• Always check app availability before attempting navigation
• Provide fallback options when preferred apps aren’t available
• Use meaningful app display names for user selection
• Handle errors gracefully with user-friendly messages
• Consider user preferences for default navigation apps

Documentation

Check the complete documentation for detailed implementation guides and advanced navigation patterns.