Sample CodeiOS, iPadOS, Mac CatalystReviewed 2026-07-21View on Apple Developer

Adopting live updates in Core Location

At a glance

Item Summary
Purpose Simplify location delivery using asynchronous events in Swift.
App architecture A Swift sample with the source-visible chain LiveUpdatesSampleAppContentViewLocationsHandlerCoreLocation APIs.
Main patterns Delegate or data-source callbacks, Publisher-backed observable state
Project style 3 scanned source file(s) across Swift, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries.
Execution model Source-visible boundaries: @MainActor, Task, await suspension point; none alone proves a background thread.
State/event model Source-visible mechanisms: ObservableObject, @Published, SwiftUI state property wrapper.
Key frameworks/packages os, SwiftUI, CoreLocation, Foundation, UIKit; these are source dependencies, not architecture labels.

Project structure

Source bundle/
├── liveUpdatesSample/
│   ├── LiveUpdatesSampleApp.swift
│   ├── AppDelegate.swift
│   ├── ContentView.swift
│   └── Info.plist
├── Configuration/
│   └── SampleCode.xcconfig
└── LiveUpdatesSample.xcodeproj/
    ├── .xcodesamplecode.plist
    └── project.pbxproj

Structure observations

  • Architecturally prominent files are ranked from entry points and role-named declarations; resource-only paths are omitted.
  • Primary languages: Swift.
  • The verified tree contains 4 project/configuration file(s) and 5 source declaration(s).

Overall architecture

Reference code

liveUpdatesSample/LiveUpdatesSampleApp.swift:9 — architecture anchor

@main
struct LiveUpdatesSampleApp: App {
    @UIApplicationDelegateAdaptor private var appDelegate: AppDelegate
    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup {
            ContentView()
        }
    }
}

Interpretation

The arrows summarize the source-visible entry, role-named types or folders, and framework direction; when nodes come from structural folders, the sequence is a high-level interpretation rather than proof that every adjacent node calls the next. Ownership is claimed only where the next section cites a stored property or assignment. The diagram is intentionally limited to the dominant path into Core Location.

Ownership and state

Ownership evidence

liveUpdatesSample/LiveUpdatesSampleApp.swift:11 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor

@main
struct LiveUpdatesSampleApp: App {
    @UIApplicationDelegateAdaptor private var appDelegate: AppDelegate
    // ...
}
Owner Object or state Relationship Mutation authority
LiveUpdatesSampleApp AppDelegate (appDelegate) stores or receives Owning lexical scope
AppDelegate Logger (logger) creates and retains Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable
LocationsHandler Logger (logger) creates and retains Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable
LocationsHandler LocationsHandler (shared) creates and retains Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable

Composition arrows indicate a source-visible construction expression or locally owned value state; aggregation means the owner stores or receives a dependency without proving exclusive lifetime ownership.

Concurrency, scheduling, and thread safety

Evidence limit: actor isolation, async/await, or Task creation does not by itself prove background-thread execution; Sendable conformance alone does not prove thread-safe mutation.

Concern Source mechanism Verified placement or handoff Evidence
Main isolation @MainActor The cited annotation marks its attached declaration or closure as main-actor isolated. liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:17
Task creation Task The source creates an unstructured task; surrounding context determines inherited actor isolation. liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:54
Suspension boundary await suspension point The source declares or crosses an asynchronous boundary; it does not by itself establish background execution. liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:55

@MainActor/MainActor.run, DispatchQueue.main, and RunLoop.main are reported as distinct isolation, queue, and event-loop mechanisms. A plain Task is kept separate from Task.detached; neither is labeled as a background thread.

Reference code

liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:17 — representative execution boundary

@MainActor class LocationsHandler: ObservableObject {
    let logger = Logger(subsystem: "com.apple.liveUpdatesSample", category: "LocationsHandler")
    // ...
}

State propagation, frameworks, and dependencies

Evidence limit: an import proves a source-level compilation dependency at the cited line; it does not prove runtime use, architectural adoption, or whether a Swift package is a direct application dependency.

Category Mechanism or module Verified role Evidence
State propagation ObservableObject ObservableObject supplies an observation contract. liveUpdatesSample/AppDelegate.swift:12
State propagation @Published A published property can emit owner-controlled changes. liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:25
State propagation SwiftUI state property wrapper A SwiftUI property wrapper supplies or observes UI state. liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:96
Source import os The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. liveUpdatesSample/AppDelegate.swift:10
Source import SwiftUI The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:9
Source import CoreLocation The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:10
Source import Foundation The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. liveUpdatesSample/AppDelegate.swift:8
Source import UIKit The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. liveUpdatesSample/AppDelegate.swift:9

receive(on:) describes downstream delivery scheduling, while subscribe(on:) describes upstream subscription/request/cancel scheduling. An import Combine alone establishes neither behavior nor a Store, reducer, Redux, or other application architecture.

Class and protocol design

liveUpdatesSample/LiveUpdatesSampleApp.swift:10 — representative type boundary

@main
struct LiveUpdatesSampleApp: App {
    @UIApplicationDelegateAdaptor private var appDelegate: AppDelegate
    // ...
}
Type Responsibility Depends on or conforms to
LiveUpdatesSampleApp Application entry and top-level composition App
AppDelegate Receives callback-driven events NSObject, UIApplicationDelegate, ObservableObject
LocationsHandler Handles callbacks or feature events ObservableObject
ContentView User-interface presentation and input forwarding View
ErrorView User-interface presentation and input forwarding View

No local protocol conformance is claimed as protocol-oriented design; external framework conformances are listed only as dependencies.

Access control

Symbol Access Verified effect Likely rationale
backgroundActivitySession (liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:23) private Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation.
notificationCenter (liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:46) private Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation.
notificationContent (liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:47) private Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation.
ContentView (liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:49) private Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. Inference: hide an implementation step that is not part of the collaboration surface.

Reference code

liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:23 — representative boundary

@MainActor class LocationsHandler: ObservableObject {
    // ...
    private var backgroundActivitySession: CLBackgroundActivitySession?
    // ...
}

Swift declarations without a modifier are internal; explicit private, fileprivate, private(set), public, or open entries above are interpreted by language semantics. Objective-C/C samples instead rely on header and implementation boundaries, which are not equivalent to Swift lexical privacy.

Logic ownership and placement

Logic Owning type or file Placement rationale
Application entry and top-level composition LiveUpdatesSampleApp The source’s App suffix makes this role explicit.
Receives callback-driven events AppDelegate The source’s Delegate suffix makes this role explicit.
Handles callbacks or feature events LocationsHandler The source’s Handler suffix makes this role explicit.
User-interface presentation and input forwarding ContentView, ErrorView The source’s View suffix makes this role explicit.

Design patterns

Pattern Source evidence Purpose or tradeoff
Delegate or data-source callbacks liveUpdatesSample/AppDelegate.swift:12 Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner.
Publisher-backed observable state liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift:25 Published properties notify observers while mutation remains with the state object.

Naming conventions

  • Types: App: LiveUpdatesSampleApp; Delegate: AppDelegate; Handler: LocationsHandler; View: ContentView, ErrorView.
  • Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
  • Methods: application, startLocationUpdates, stopLocationUpdates.
  • Files: liveUpdatesSample/LiveUpdatesSampleApp.swift, liveUpdatesSample/AppDelegate.swift, liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift.

Architecture takeaways

  • LiveUpdatesSampleApp is the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.
  • Framework work reaches SwiftUI, CoreLocation, UIKit through a deliberately small high-level chain; the detailed API graph remains inside the cited implementation files.
  • Stored-property evidence identifies lifecycle collaboration; it does not by itself prove exclusive object ownership.
  • Access-control conclusions separate verified language visibility from the likely design rationale.
  • The source does not justify labeling the design protocol-oriented.

Source map

Source file Relevant symbols
liveUpdatesSample/LiveUpdatesSampleApp.swift Cited implementation, LiveUpdatesSampleApp
liveUpdatesSample/ContentView.swift Cited implementation, @MainActor, Task, await suspension point, @Published, SwiftUI state property wrapper, SwiftUI, CoreLocation, LocationsHandler, ContentView, ErrorView
liveUpdatesSample/AppDelegate.swift Cited implementation, ObservableObject, os, Foundation, UIKit, AppDelegate