Location Sharing With Custom Attachments on Android

Stream's Android Chat SDK allows developers to send custom attachments, such as location data, with messages by leveraging the SDK's capabilities. This tutorial outlines the process of sending location data as a custom attachment, assuming familiarity with the Stream API. It begins with obtaining the user's current location using the FusedLocationProviderClient and collecting the data safely within an activity. Developers are then guided through setting up a Google Maps API Key, adding location data as an attachment to a message, and creating a custom view for rendering the map preview in the chat interface. The tutorial explains how to override the AttachmentViewFactory class to display the map, manage the MapView lifecycle, and integrate the custom view with the MessageListView. The tutorial concludes by suggesting potential extensions, such as implementing live location sharing, and provides resources for further exploration of the SDK's features.