How to Implement Geo-Fencing in Android & iOS Mobile Apps
Learn to Use Geo-Fencing in Mobile apps, in mobile CI/CD with a Data-Driven DevSecOps™ build system.
What is Geo-Fencing?
Geo-fencing provides mobile app developers with effective tools to enforce location-based access controls. This capability is particularly valuable for apps in regulated sectors such as finance, where meeting compliance and Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements is critical. Through geo-fencing, applications can restrict or allow access based on specific geographic regions. By implementing this feature, apps ensure adherence to regulations such as the US FFIEC (United States Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council), the EU’s GDPR (European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation), and Singapore’s MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore). This targeted control reduces the risk of legal penalties and enhances compliance posture.
How Does Geo-Fencing Benefit Mobile Apps?
Geo-fencing on Appdome provides a robust defense mechanism against various security threats, including location spoofing and unauthorized access. It helps prevent:
- Fraudulent Activities: Geo-fencing reduces the risk of fraud, such as fake transactions from high-risk or non-compliant regions, by restricting where the app can be accessed.
- Fake Account Creation: In social and dating apps, geo-fencing can block users who attempt to register using spoofed locations, thus maintaining the integrity of the user base.
- Regulatory Penalties: It ensures that apps do not operate in regions where they are not compliant with local laws, thereby avoiding fines and sanctions.
In addition, mobile app developers have the option to specify and manage the list of banned countries directly through the platform. This flexibility allows developers to customize their geo-fencing settings according to their app’s specific compliance needs.
Note: Ensure that your .apk or .ipa includes the following permissions.
Understanding the Geographic Data Sources for Geo-Fencing
To ensure transparency and accuracy in our geo-fencing capabilities, Appdome utilizes detailed vector maps from Natural Earth, specifically the “Admin 0 – Details” which focuses on sovereignty maps. “Admin 0” refers to administrative level 0 maps, representing sovereign states at their highest administrative level. These maps are crucial for defining the geographical boundaries used in our geo-fencing features, allowing us to adhere to the most accurate and universally recognized borders.
Additionally, for varying perspectives on geopolitical boundaries, we reference the “Admin 0 – Countries point-of-views” maps. While these maps are primarily categorized by country rather than sovereignty, they still include sovereignty attributes in their associated data. This careful selection of sources ensures that our implementation of geo-fencing respects international norms and accurate representations of territorial sovereignty.
Disclaimer About Banned Countries
The list of banned countries provided by Appdome is based on US, UN, and UK sanction laws. These sanctions can vary and may include different countries. The primary sources for these sanctions are:
- US: Sanctions Programs and Country Information | Office of Foreign Assets Control
- UN: EU sanctions tracker
- UK: Financial sanctions targets by regime
The most economically sanctioned countries are:
- China
- Russia
- Belarus
- Republic of Congo
- Iran
- Iraq
- Venezuela
- Cuba
- Afghanistan
- Myanmar
- Nicaragua
- North Korea
- Syria
- Libya
- Lebanon
- Sudan
- Somalia
- Yemen
- Zimbabwe
Prerequisites for Using Geo-Fencing:
To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Use Geo-Fencing , you’ll need:
- Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
- A license for Geo-Fencing
- Mobile App (.ipa for iOS, or .apk or .aab for Android)
- Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)
Use Geo-Fencing on Mobile apps using Appdome
On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Mobile Apps that Use Geo-Fencing without an SDK or gateway:
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Upload the Mobile App to Appdome.
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Upload an app to Appdome’s Mobile App Security Build System
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Upload Method: Appdome Console or DEV-API
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Mobile App Formats: .ipa for iOS, or .apk or .aab for Android
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Geo-Fencing Compatible With: Obj-C, Java, JS, C#, C++, Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, and more
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Build the feature: Geo-Fencing.
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Building Geo-Fencing by using Appdome’s DEV-API:
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Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Geo-Fencing feature as shown below:
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Follow the steps in Sections 2.2.1-2.2.2 of this article, Building the Geo-Fencing feature via Appdome Console, to add the Geo-Fencing feature to this Fusion Set.
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Open the Fusion Set Detail Summary by clicking the “...” symbol on the far-right corner of the Fusion Set. Copy the Fusion Set ID from the Fusion Set Detail Summary (as shown below):
Figure 2: Fusion Set Detail Summary
Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory). -
Follow the instructions below to use the Fusion Set ID inside any standard mobile DevOps or CI/CD toolkit like Bitrise, App Center, Jenkins, Travis, Team City, Circle CI or other system:
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Build an API for the app – for instructions, see the tasks under Appdome API Reference Guide
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Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository
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Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Geo-Fencing feature
Note: Naming the Fusion Set to correspond to the protection(s) selected is for illustration purposes only (not required). -
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Building the Geo-Fencing feature via Appdome Console
To build the Geo-Fencing protection by using Appdome Console, follow the instructions below.
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Where: Inside the Appdome Console, go to Build > Geo Compliance Tab > Geo Compliance section.
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How: Check whether is toggled On (enabled), otherwise enable it . The feature Geo-Fencing is enabled by default, as shown below. Toggle (turn ON) Geo-Fencing, as shown below.
Figure 3: Use Geo-Fencing option
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When you select the Geo-Fencing you'll notice that your Fusion Set you created in step 2.1.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Geo-Fencing
Figure 4: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Geo-Fencing protection
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Select the Threat-Event™ in-app mobile Threat Defense and Intelligence policy for Geo-Fencing:
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Threat-Events™ OFF > In-App Defense
If the Threat-Events™ setting is cleared (not selected). Appdome will detect and defend the user and app by enforcing Use Geo-Fencing.
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Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Detection
When this setting is used, Appdome detects if the app is running in a banned location and passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence to the app’s business logic for processing, enforcement, and user notification. For more information on consuming and using Appdome Threat-Events™ in the app, see section Using Threat-Events™ for Geo-Fencing Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
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Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Defense
When this setting is used, Appdome detects and defends against Geo-Fencing (same as Appdome Enforce) and passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence the app’s business logic for processing. For more information on consuming and using Appdome Threat-Events™ in the app, see section Using Threat-Events™ for Geo-Fencing Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
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Click Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 3).
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Congratulations! The Geo-Fencing protection is now added to the mobile app -
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Certify the Geo-Fencing feature in Mobile Apps
After building Geo-Fencing, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Geo-Fencing protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Geo-Fencing protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below:
Figure 5: Certified Secure™ certificate
Each Certified Secure™ certificate provides DevOps and DevSecOps organizations the entire workflow summary, audit trail of each build, and proof of protection that Geo-Fencing has been added to each Mobile app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Geo-Fencing and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app
Using Threat-Events™ for Geo-Fencing Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps
Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when Geo-Fencing is detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for Geo-Fencing in Mobile Apps, use AddObserverForName in Notification Center, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for Geo-Fencing shown below.
The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Geo-Fencing are:
| Threat-Event™ Elements | Use Geo-Fencing Method Detail |
|---|---|
| Appdome Feature Name | Geo-Fencing |
| Threat-Event Mode | |
| OFF, IN-APP DEFENSE | Appdome detects, defends and notifies user (standard OS dialog) using customizable messaging. |
| ON, IN-APP DETECTION | Appdome detects the attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (app chooses how and when to enforce). |
| ON, IN-APP DEFENSE | Uses Appdome Enforce mode for any attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (gather intel on attacks and threats without losing any protection). |
| Certified Secure™ Threat Event Check | |
| Visible in ThreatScope™ | |
| Developer Parameters for Using Geo-Fencing Threat-Event™ | |
| Threat-Event NAME | GeoFencingUnauthorizedLocation |
| Threat-Event DATA | reasonData |
| Threat-Event CODE | reasonCode |
| Threat-Event REF | 6801 |
| Threat-Event SCORE | |
| currentThreatEventScore | Current Threat-Event score |
| threatEventsScore | Total Threat-events score |
| Threat-Event Context Keys | |
|---|---|
| message | Message displayed for the user on event |
| failSafeEnforce | Timed enforcement against the identified threat |
| externalID | The external ID of the event which can be listened via Threat Events |
| osVersion | OS version of the current device |
| deviceModel | Current device model |
| deviceManufacturer | The manufacturer of the current device |
| fusedAppToken | The task ID of the Appdome fusion of the currently running app |
| kernelInfo | Info about the kernel: system name, node name, release, version and machine. |
| carrierPlmn | PLMN of the device. Only available for Android devices. |
| deviceID | Current device ID |
| reasonCode | Reason code of the occurred event |
| buildDate | Appdome fusion date of the current application |
| devicePlatform | OS name of the current device |
| carrierName | Carrier name of the current device. Only available for Android. |
| updatedOSVersion | Is the OS version up to date |
| deviceBrand | Brand of the device |
| deviceBoard | Board of the device |
| buildUser | Build user |
| buildHost | Build host |
| sdkVersion | Sdk version |
| timeZone | Time zone |
| deviceFaceDown | Is the device face down |
| locationLong | Location longitude conditioned by location permission |
| locationLat | Location latitude conditioned by location permission |
| locationState | Location state conditioned by location permission |
| wifiSsid | Wifi SSID |
| wifiSsidPermissionStatus | Wifi SSID permission status |
With Threat-Events™ enabled (turned ON), Mobile developers can get detailed attack intelligence and granular defense control in Mobile applications and create amazing user experiences for all mobile end users when Geo-Fencing is detected.
The following is a code sample for native Mobile apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Geo-Fencing:
Important! Replace all placeholder instances of <Context Key> with the specific name of your threat event context key across all language examples. This is crucial to ensure your code functions correctly with the intended event data. For example, The <Context Key> could be the message, externalID, OS Version, reason code, etc.
xxxxxxxxxxIntentFilter intentFilter = new IntentFilter();intentFilter.addAction("GeoFencingUnauthorizedLocation");BroadcastReceiver threatEventReceiver = new BroadcastReceiver() { public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) { String message = intent.getStringExtra("message"); // Message shown to the user String reasonData = intent.getStringExtra("reasonData"); // Threat detection cause String reasonCode = intent.getStringExtra("reasonCode"); // Event reason code // Current threat event score String currentThreatEventScore = intent.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore"); // Total threat events score String threatEventsScore = intent.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore"); // Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key // String variable = intent.getStringExtra("<Context Key>"); // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...) }};if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) { registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter, Context.RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED);} else { registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter);}xxxxxxxxxxval intentFilter = IntentFilter()intentFilter.addAction("GeoFencingUnauthorizedLocation")val threatEventReceiver = object : BroadcastReceiver() { override fun onReceive(context: Context?, intent: Intent?) { var message = intent?.getStringExtra("message") // Message shown to the user var reasonData = intent?.getStringExtra("reasonData") // Threat detection cause var reasonCode = intent?.getStringExtra("reasonCode") // Event reason code // Current threat event score var currentThreatEventScore = intent?.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore") // Total threat events score var threatEventsScore = intent?.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore") // Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key // var variable = intent?.getStringExtra("<Context Key>") // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...) }}if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) { registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter, Context.RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED)} else { registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter)}x
let center = NotificationCenter.defaultcenter.addObserver(forName: Notification.Name("GeoFencingUnauthorizedLocation"), object: nil, queue: nil) { (note) in guard let usrInf = note.userInfo else { return } let message = usrInf["message"]; // Message shown to the user let reasonData = usrInf["reasonData"]; // Threat detection cause let reasonCode = usrInf["reasonCode"]; // Event reason code // Current threat event score let currentThreatEventScore = usrInf["currentThreatEventScore"]; // Total threat events score let threatEventsScore = usrInf["threatEventsScore"]; // Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key // let variable = usrInf["<Context Key>"]; // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)}xxxxxxxxxx[[NSNotificationCenter defaultCenter] addObserverForName: @"GeoFencingUnauthorizedLocation" object:nil queue:nil usingBlock:^(NSNotification *org_note) { __block NSNotification *note = org_note; dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^(void) { // Message shown to the user NSString *message = [[note userInfo] objectForKey:@"message"]; // Threat detection cause NSString *reasonData = [[note userInfo] objectForKey:@"reasonData"]; // Event reason code NSString *reasonCode = [[note userInfo] objectForKey:@"reasonCode"]; // Current threat event score NSString *currentThreatEventScore = [[note userInfo] objectForKey:@"currentThreatEventScore"]; // Total threat events score NSString *threatEventsScore = [[note userInfo] objectForKey:@"threatEventsScore"]; // Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key // NSString *variable = [[note userInfo] objectForKey:@"<Context Key>"]; // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...) });}];xxxxxxxxxxconst { ADDevEvents } = NativeModules;const aDDevEvents = new NativeEventEmitter(ADDevEvents);function registerToDevEvent(action, callback) { NativeModules.ADDevEvents.registerForDevEvent(action); aDDevEvents.addListener(action, callback);}export function registerToAllEvents() { registerToDevEvent( "GeoFencingUnauthorizedLocation", (userinfo) => Alert.alert(JSON.stringify(userinfo)) var message = userinfo["message"] // Message shown to the user var reasonData = userinfo["reasonData"] // Threat detection cause var reasonCode = userinfo["reasonCode"] // Event reason code // Current threat event score var currentThreatEventScore = userinfo["currentThreatEventScore"] // Total threat events score var threatEventsScore = userinfo["threatEventsScore"] // Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key // var variable = userinfo["<Context Key>"] // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...) );}x
RegisterReceiver(new ThreatEventReceiver(), new IntentFilter("GeoFencingUnauthorizedLocation")); class ThreatEventReceiver : BroadcastReceiver{ public override void OnReceive(Context context, Intent intent) { // Message shown to the user String message = intent.GetStringExtra("message"); // Threat detection cause String reasonData = intent.GetStringExtra("reasonData"); // Event reason code String reasonCode = intent.GetStringExtra("reasonCode"); // Current threat event score String currentThreatEventScore = intent.GetStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore"); // Total threat events score String threatEventsScore = intent.GetStringExtra("threatEventsScore"); // Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key // String variable = intent.GetStringExtra("<Context Key>"); // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...) }}x
NSNotificationCenter.DefaultCenter.AddObserver( (NSString)"GeoFencingUnauthorizedLocation", // Threat-Event Identifier delegate (NSNotification notification) { // Message shown to the user var message = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("message"); // Threat detection cause var reasonData = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("reasonData"); // Event reason code var reasonCode = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("reasonCode"); // Current threat event score var currentThreatEventScore = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("currentThreatEventScore"); // Total threat events score var threatEventsScore = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("threatEventsScore"); // Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key // var variable = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("<Context Keys>"); // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...) });xxxxxxxxxxwindow.broadcaster.addEventListener("GeoFencingUnauthorizedLocation", function(userInfo) { var message = userInfo.message // Message shown to the user var reasonData = userInfo.reasonData // Threat detection cause var reasonCode = userInfo.reasonCode // Event reason code // Current threat event score var currentThreatEventScore = userInfo.currentThreatEventScore // Total threat events score var threatEventsScore = userInfo.threatEventsScore // Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key // var variable = userInfo.<Context Keys> // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)});x
import 'dart:async';import 'package:flutter/material.dart';import 'package:flutter/services.dart';class PlatformChannel extends StatefulWidget { const PlatformChannel({super.key}); State<PlatformChannel> createState() => _PlatformChannelState();}class _PlatformChannelState extends State<PlatformChannel> { // Replace with your EventChannel name static const String _eventChannelName = "GeoFencingUnauthorizedLocation"; static const EventChannel _eventChannel = EventChannel(_eventChannelName); void initState() { super.initState(); _eventChannel.receiveBroadcastStream().listen(_onEvent, onError: _onError); } void _onEvent(Object? event) { setState(() { // Adapt this section based on your specific event data structure var eventData = event as Map; // Example: Accessing 'externalID' field from the event var externalID = eventData['externalID']; // Customize the rest of the fields based on your event structure String message = eventData['message']; // Message shown to the user String reasonData = eventData['reasonData']; // Threat detection cause String reasonCode = eventData['reasonCode']; // Event reason code // Current threat event score String currentThreatEventScore = eventData['currentThreatEventScore']; // Total threat events score String threatEventsScore = eventData['threatEventsScore']; // Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key // String variable = eventData['<Context Keys>']; }); } // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)}Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Mobile Apps by using Geo-Fencing. There is no SDK and no library to code or implement in the app and no gateway to deploy in your network. All protections are built into each app and the resulting app is self-defending and self-protecting.
Releasing and Publishing Mobile Apps with Geo-Fencing
After successfully securing your app by using Appdome, there are several available options to complete your project, depending on your app lifecycle or workflow. These include:
- Customizing, Configuring & Branding Secure Mobile Apps
- Deploying/Publishing Secure mobile apps to Public or Private app stores
- Releasing Secured Android & iOS Apps built on Appdome.
Related Articles:
How to Use Appdome Geo Compliance
How to Detect Teleportation in Android & iOS Mobile Apps
How to Check for Missing SIM Cards on Android & iOS Devices
How Do I Learn More?
If you have any questions, please send them our way at support.appdome.com or via the chat window on the Appdome platform.
Thank you!
Thanks for visiting Appdome! Our mission is to secure every app on the planet by making mobile app security easy. We hope we’re living up to the mission with your project.
