locationManager didFailWithError Repeatedly Called - iphone

Question

I am showing alertViews when Location manager unable to find current location. I did it like this
- (void)locationManager:(CLLocationManager *)manager didFailWithError:(NSError *)error {
[manager stopUpdatingLocation];
switch([error code])
{
case kCLErrorNetwork: // general, network-related error
{
UIAlertView *alert = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:#"Error" message:#"Please check your network connection or that you are not in airplane mode" delegate:self cancelButtonTitle:#"Ok" otherButtonTitles:nil, nil];
[alert show];
[alert release];
}
break;
case kCLErrorDenied:{
UIAlertView *alert = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:#"Error" message:#"User has denied to use current Location " delegate:self cancelButtonTitle:#"Ok" otherButtonTitles:nil, nil];
[alert show];
[alert release];
}
break;
default:
{
UIAlertView *alert = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:#"Error" message:#"Unknown network error" delegate:self cancelButtonTitle:#"Ok" otherButtonTitles:nil, nil];
[alert show];
[alert release];
}
break;
}
}
My problem is locationManager didFailWithError method get called repeatedly. So my alertviews repeatedly display.
How can I solve this issue?

Answer 1

Apple documentation states:
If the location service is unable to retrieve a location right away,
it reports a kCLErrorLocationUnknown error and keeps trying. In such a
situation, you can simply ignore the error and wait for a new event.
If the user denies your application’s use of the location service,
this method reports a kCLErrorDenied error. Upon receiving such an
error, you should stop the location service.
So you might skip some cases where you stop updating and show the alert, especially the default case.

Answer 2

A good start for error messages that can be triggered by an ongoing background process - like the location manager - is to store the reference to the UIAlertView. When the delegate receives alertView:clickedButtonAtIndex:, reset this reference to nil. Before displaying new errors, check if one is already visible.
Even better, don't display modal error messages from background processes. Just walking around, you'll occasionally lose reception, and it's tedious to have to dismiss an error when that happens. If your app has a configuration or help screen, include a space there for the most recent error message from the Location Manager (or Game Center, or iCloud, or anything else that loses connectivity occasionally.)