An Android library for detecting and ranging Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons with support for custom beacon formats.
Android Beacon Library is an open-source Java library that allows Android applications to detect and range Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons. It provides APIs for monitoring beacon presence and measuring proximity, solving the problem of bringing iOS-like beacon interaction capabilities to the Android platform. The library supports the AltBeacon specification by default but can be configured to work with custom beacon formats.
Android developers building location-aware applications, proximity-based services, or indoor navigation systems that require interaction with BLE beacons.
Developers choose this library because it provides a reliable, well-documented solution for beacon interaction on Android with support for both open standards and proprietary formats. Its integration with standard Android build tools and Maven Central simplifies dependency management compared to custom implementations.
Allows Android apps to interact with BLE beacons
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Library is available via Maven Central, simplifying Gradle setup with standard Android build tools as highlighted in the README.
The BeaconParser class allows configuration for proprietary or custom beacon formats, enabling support beyond the default AltBeacon specification.
Default detection for the open AltBeacon specification ensures broad hardware compatibility and promotes interoperability in beacon ecosystems.
The project website provides full documentation, including detailed guides and Javadoc references for easier implementation and troubleshooting.
By default, it only detects AltBeacon beacons, requiring manual BeaconParser configuration for proprietary formats like iBeacon, which adds setup complexity.
Ranging updates are provided at approximately 1Hz, which may be too slow for applications requiring high-frequency real-time proximity data.
The library is exclusively for Android, lacking cross-platform capabilities, making it unsuitable for projects targeting iOS or other operating systems.