Gems | Android Universal Geolocation Hunting Game Template

iOS and Android versions can share the same database on back4app

22 Apr 2022
• Upgraded to Android 12
• All libraries updated
• Gradle updated
• File provider issue fixed
• Location issue fixed
• Manifest issue fixed
• Firebase updated
• Added notification channel to support Api 26+ devices
• Admob crash fixed
• Apk updated

21 Mar 2021
• Updated facebook login and its developer account settings
• Updated code to support android X version
• Fixed crash related to apache class 

28 May 2020
• Migrated to AndroidX. Full app change logs. 

24 Apr 2020
• Gradle files updated. Google libraries updated.
• Documentation updated with images as per latest update from Google.
• FCM Firebase Cloud Messaging implemented. Code clean up.

6 Sep 2019
• Fixed issue of Login with Facebook.  
• Fixed issue “Compatibility Issue with Facebook SDK 4.38.0” so we have downgrade Facebook SDK to “4.37.0” still using the old constructor, so using that version fixes this particular issue.

8 Aug 2019
• Fixed Back Stack issues on the entire application 
• Updated Login/ Signup Screen UIs 
• Fixed Crash issue in GemsMap.java line no 484 "PolylineOptions cannot be null".
• Updated Gems screen design by using Card View and alignments.
• Updated Top Hunters screen design by apply Card View.
• Improved the “Other User Identity” Screen design.
• Updated Identity screen UI as per latest app style.
• Updated 'compileSdkVersion' and  'targetSdkVersion' to 28 in build.gradle
• Applied Camel Notation in Edit Text Fields Hints

13 Oct 2018
• Fixed the possibility to obtain the same gem multiple times after pressing the back button
• Fixed issue with gem not showing if the device doesn’t have an orientation sensor
Both fixes involved some changes to GetGem.java class

25 May 2018
• Accordingly to the new EU GDPR terms, I've updated the 'tou.html' file and Documentation.
IMPORTANT: This means that if a User asks for his/her Account deletion, you must do it within 24 hours, as the GDPR's "Right to be forgotten" Article states (LINK: 

8 May 2018
• Changed Parse verison in build.gradle into 1.16.0, due to some issue on the latest Parse SDK and FCM:
    implementation 'com.parse:parse-android:1.16.0'

15 April 2018
• Updated to Android Studio 3.1.1
• Removed all dependencies of play-services | left only this one in build.gradle:
     implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services:+'

11 April 2018
• Updated to Android Studio 3.1
• Updated 'compileSdkVersion' and  'targetSdkVersion' to 27 in build.gradle
• Replaced 'compile' with 'implementation' in build.gradle (Module: app)
• Updated classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:3.1.1' in build.gradle (Project:)

Gems is a Universal App Template where you have to collect as many gems as you can around your area and climb the Top Hunters leaderboard. The app gets your current location and generates a few random Gems within a customizable range in meters, so you can walk or drive to get at least 50 meters close and get them.

Since its backend is by Parse Server, you don’t have to buy any domain/hosting, there are NO php files to upload to a web server so you’ll save some money for server side.

Gems is a native Android Studio project, Java/XML language, Universal, super easy to customize, backend with Parse SDK hosted on

About Parse SDK and back4app

Read this article for more info about back4app and Parse SDK:

Can I host Parse Server on my own server?

Yes, although I don’t provide support for the setup process, you can read the official Guide here:

What about free support for this template?

I can offer free support for bugs encountered in the original code. Instead, if you’ve edited the code and messed something up with it, I may apply some fee to fix it either via TeamViewer or by checking your app project files directly on my computer.

How do I rename the app’s package name?

Read this tutorial to learn how to rename a package name:

Should I use the latest version of Android Studio to edit this template?

Yes, I always update my apps to the latest version of the IDE and you also should make sure you’ve updated the Android Tools to their latest version of the Android SDK manager.

The demo APK crashes on startup

Make sure that the minimum Android version of your device is the one listed in the FEATURES section below. If the problem persists, please contact me by my profile’s contact form and send me the Logcat message of you get when the app crashes along with the steps you made to reproduce the crash. Please note that not all real devices print an error Logcat message, in this case just run the APK into the Android Studio’s emulator and you’ll surely get the red messages about your issue.

How do I remove AdMob banner ads?

1. Enter the .xml files where there’s an AdView and remove its code:

       <com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView
           android:id="@+id/admobBanner" 
           android:layout_width="wrap_content" 
           android:layout_height="wrap_content" 
           ads:adSize="BANNER" 
           ads:adUnitId="@string/ADMOB_BANNER_UNIT_ID" 
           android:layout_alignParentBottom="true" 
           android:layout_centerHorizontal="true">
       </com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView>
   

2. Enter the .java files where there’s an AdRequest instance into its onCreate() method and remove its code:

           // Init AdMob banner
           AdView mAdView = (AdView) findViewById(R.id.admobBanner);
           AdRequest adRequest = new AdRequest.Builder().build();
           mAdView.loadAd(adRequest);
   

3. Lastly, remove the play-services-ads reference in the build.gradle file:

       compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-ads:+'
   

• Android Studio 3.x project – Universal – Android 5.0+
• AdMob banners
• It generates random Gems around your current location (requires Location service enabled)
• Rotate device to get a Gem (based on a custom compass code)
• See other players profiles and Statistics
• Share your stats on social netwroks>/li>
• PDF User Guide and PSD icons included
• Easy to customize | Well commented code

• Apple Mac or Windows PC with their latest OS version installed
• The latest version of Android Studio and some knowledge about its UI interface
• Photoshop or any other image editor software
• A Google Developer account to submit apps to the Play Store
• An AdMob account to generate your own banner UNIT ID
• A free account on back4app.com