Added #

• 🔔 Foreground Service Support: Reliable step counting on Android ≤10

  • Automatically detects Android version and uses foreground service when needed
  • Persistent notification keeps step counting active even when app is minimized
  • Customizable notification title and text via StepDetectorConfig
  • No additional code required - works automatically!

• 📱 New Config Options in StepDetectorConfig:

  • useForegroundServiceOnOldDevices - Enable/disable foreground service mode (default: true)
  • foregroundNotificationTitle - Custom notification title (default: "Step Counter")
  • foregroundNotificationText - Custom notification text (default: "Tracking your steps...")

• 🔍 New API Properties:

  • isUsingForegroundService - Check if foreground service mode is active

• 📄 New Platform Methods (internal):

  • getAndroidVersion() - Get device Android API level
  • startForegroundService() / stopForegroundService() - Control the service
  • getForegroundStepCount() - Read steps from service
  • resetForegroundStepCount() - Reset service step counter

Changed #

• 🔧 Smart Mode Selection: Package now auto-detects Android version:

  • Android 11+ (API 30+): Uses native step detection + terminated state sync
  • Android 10 and below (API ≤29): Uses foreground service with notification

• 🚀 Native Step Detection: Replaced sensors_plus with native Kotlin implementation

  • Uses TYPE_STEP_DETECTOR sensor for hardware-optimized step counting
  • Falls back to accelerometer with software algorithm if unavailable
  • Zero third-party dependencies
  • Better battery efficiency

Removed #

• 🗑️ Dependency Cleanup: Removed sensors_plus package

  • Step detection now handled entirely in native Kotlin code
  • Reduces package size and dependency complexity

• 🗑️ Removed plugin_platform_interface: Now zero external dependencies

  • Removed unused boilerplate platform interface files
  • Package now only depends on Flutter SDK

• 📱 iOS Support Removed: Package is now Android-only

  • Removed iOS platform declaration and all iOS files
  • Package will not crash on iOS but step detection won't function

Technical Details #

• New File: StepCounterForegroundService.kt - Kotlin foreground service implementation
• New File: NativeStepDetector.kt - Native step detection with TYPE_STEP_DETECTOR
• Notification: Uses low-priority, silent notification to minimize user impact
• Wake Lock: Keeps CPU active for accurate sensor reading
• EventChannel: Real-time step events from native to Flutter

Migration Guide #

No breaking changes! Existing code works without modification.

// The foreground service is automatic for Android ≤10
await stepCounter.start();

// Customize notification (optional)
await stepCounter.start(config: StepDetectorConfig(
  foregroundNotificationTitle: 'Walking Tracker',
  foregroundNotificationText: 'Counting your steps...',
));

// Disable foreground service if desired (not recommended for Android ≤10)
await stepCounter.start(config: StepDetectorConfig(
  useForegroundServiceOnOldDevices: false,
));

Android Manifest Changes #

The following permissions are now included in the plugin:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_HEALTH"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK"/>

Note: On Android 13+, users may need to grant notification permission for the foreground service notification to appear.

---

Removed #

• 🗑️ Dependency Cleanup: Removed unnecessary health package dependency
  • The health package was included but never used in the plugin code
  • Removed unused health_connect_service.dart file
  • Reduces package size and eliminates unnecessary dependencies
  • Users can still integrate with health platforms by adding the health package to their own app

Added #

• 📊 Comprehensive Logging System: Added detailed logging throughout the package

  • Android Kotlin: Enhanced logging in all methods with structured tags
    • AccurateStepCounter: Plugin lifecycle and method calls
    • StepCounter: Sensor events and step data
    • StepSync: Terminated state synchronization with detailed validation logs
  • Dart: Added logging to platform channel calls and error handling
  • Logs include sensor details (name, vendor, version)
  • Step sync logs show elapsed time, step rate, and validation results
  • Makes debugging and troubleshooting much easier for developers

• 📖 Debugging Documentation: Added comprehensive debugging section to README

  • How to view logs using adb logcat
  • Explanation of all log tags
  • Example log output for common scenarios
  • Commands for filtered logging

Changed #

• 📖 Documentation Updates:

  • Updated README with clear guidance on optional health platform integration
  • Updated TERMINATED_STATE_USAGE.md with health integration examples as optional feature
  • Clarified that health platform integration is the responsibility of the consuming app
  • Added example code showing how to integrate with health platforms if needed
  • Added "Debugging & Logging" section with practical examples
  • Updated GitHub repository URLs to use rahulshahDEV username

• 🔧 Code Quality: Fixed lint warning about unnecessary library name

Improved #

• 🎯 Package Focus: Narrowed package scope to core step counting functionality

  • Package now focuses exclusively on accurate step detection and counting
  • Health platform integrations are left to the consuming application
  • Provides better separation of concerns and flexibility for users

• 🔍 Enhanced Error Tracking: Improved error handling and logging

  • Platform exceptions are caught and logged with details
  • Better sensor availability detection and reporting
  • Validation failures in sync process are clearly logged with reasons

• 🛠️ Developer Experience: Package is now much easier to debug

  • Clear log messages at every step
  • Sensor information logged on initialization
  • Detailed terminated state sync process with timestamps and calculations
  • All validation checks logged with pass/fail reasons

Migration Guide #

No breaking changes! Existing code continues to work without modifications.

If you were expecting health platform integration:

1. Add health: ^13.1.4 to your app's pubspec.yaml (not the plugin)
2. Use the onTerminatedStepsDetected callback to write steps to health platforms
3. See README and TERMINATED_STATE_USAGE.md for complete examples

Debugging #

Use these commands to view logs:

# View all plugin logs
adb logcat -s AccurateStepCounter StepCounter StepSync

# View only sync logs
adb logcat -s StepSync

---

Fixed #

• 🐛 Critical Fix: Terminated state step sync now works correctly when app returns from killed state
  • Fixed issue where syncStepsFromTerminated() was never called from Dart side
  • Enhanced Kotlin sensor handling to wait for fresh sensor data when app resumes
  • Added sensor re-registration with 1.5-second wait loop to ensure data availability
  • Improved fallback to SharedPreferences when sensor doesn't respond immediately

Added #

• ✨ New Feature: onTerminatedStepsDetected callback for handling missed steps
  • Automatically triggered during start() when steps from terminated state are detected
  • Provides (missedSteps, startTime, endTime) parameters for easy Health Connect integration
  • Example: stepCounter.onTerminatedStepsDetected = (steps, start, end) { ... }
• 📚 New Method: syncTerminatedSteps() - Manual sync for terminated state steps
  • Returns Map<String, dynamic>? with missed steps data
  • Useful for on-demand synchronization scenarios
• 📖 Documentation: Added comprehensive TERMINATED_STATE_USAGE.md guide
  • Complete API documentation with examples
  • Health Connect integration patterns
  • Troubleshooting guide and best practices
  • Device reboot handling explanation

Improved #

• 🔍 Enhanced Logging: Added detailed debug logs to Kotlin plugin
  • StepCounter tag for sensor events and data retrieval
  • AccurateStepCounter tag for Dart-side sync operations
  • Helps diagnose issues when steps aren't syncing
• ⚡ Better Sensor Handling: Improved reliability when returning from terminated state
  • Re-registers sensor listener to trigger immediate callbacks
  • Implements retry logic with configurable wait time
  • Falls back gracefully to cached data if sensor unavailable
• 🎯 Automatic Sync: Terminated state sync now happens automatically on start()
  • No manual intervention required
  • Only triggers when enableOsLevelSync: true (default)
  • Validates data before returning results

Changed #

• 📦 Internal: Added dart:developer import for logging in AccurateStepCounterImpl
• 🔧 Behavior: start() method now includes terminated state sync in initialization flow
  • Maintains backward compatibility - no breaking changes
  • Existing code continues to work without modifications

Technical Details #

• Sensor Wait Logic: Kotlin plugin now waits up to 1500ms for sensor data with 50ms check intervals
• Validation: All existing validation checks remain in place (max steps, step rate, time checks)
• Thread Safety: Sensor wait loop properly handles interruptions
• Fallback Chain: Sensor → Wait for callback → SharedPreferences → null

Migration Guide #

No breaking changes! Existing implementations continue to work. To use the new callback feature:

// Before starting, register the callback
stepCounter.onTerminatedStepsDetected = (missedSteps, startTime, endTime) {
  // Handle missed steps (e.g., write to Health Connect)
  print('Synced $missedSteps steps from terminated state');
};

// Start as usual - sync happens automatically
await stepCounter.start();

Performance Impact #

• Minimal: Adds ~0-1.5 seconds to app startup only when terminated state data exists
• No impact during normal operation or when no missed steps are found
• Sensor wait timeout is configurable in Kotlin code if needed

Testing #

Verified fix with test scenario:

1. Start app → step counter active
2. Walk 100 steps → confirmed counted
3. Force kill app → terminate completely
4. Walk 50 steps while terminated
5. Reopen app → automatic sync triggers
6. ✅ Callback receives ~50 missed steps correctly

Known Issues #

• None identified in this release

---

Added #

• ✨ Initial release of Accurate Step Counter plugin
• 📱 Accelerometer-based step detection with advanced filtering algorithms
• 🔧 Configurable sensitivity with preset modes (walking, running)
• 📊 Real-time step count event stream
• 🛡️ Comprehensive state management:
  • Foreground tracking with real-time updates
  • Background tracking support
  • Terminated state recovery (syncs steps taken while app was closed)
• 🔒 Validated step data with safety checks:
  • Maximum reasonable step count (50,000)
  • Maximum step rate validation (3 steps/second)
  • Device reboot detection
  • Time validation
• 📱 Android native integration:
  • OS-level step counter synchronization
  • SharedPreferences for state persistence
  • TYPE_STEP_COUNTER sensor support
• 📚 Complete documentation:
  • Comprehensive README with examples
  • API reference documentation
  • Integration tests
  • Example application
• 🎯 Core features:
  • Low-pass filtering to reduce noise
  • Peak detection algorithm
  • Minimum time between steps validation
  • Configurable threshold and filter parameters
  • Battery-efficient implementation

Supported Platforms #

• ✅ Android (Full support)
• 🚧 iOS (Planned for future release)

Requirements #

• Flutter SDK: >=3.3.0
• Dart SDK: ^3.9.0
• Android: API 19+ (Android 4.4 KitKat)

Dependencies #

• sensors_plus: ^6.0.1 - For accelerometer access
• plugin_platform_interface: ^2.0.2 - For plugin architecture

Known Limitations #

• iOS support not yet implemented
• Requires ACTIVITY_RECOGNITION permission on Android 10+
• Background tracking may be limited by device-specific battery optimization settings

Breaking Changes #

• None (initial release)

Migration Guide #

• None (initial release)

---

Future Roadmap #

Planned for v1.2.0 #

• 📊 Step history tracking with daily/weekly summaries
• 🔔 Configurable step goal notifications
• 📈 Calorie estimation based on step count
• 🎨 Additional preset configurations (stairs, hiking, etc.)

Planned for v2.0.0 #

• 🍎 iOS support with CoreMotion integration
• 🔄 Cloud sync capabilities
• 📊 Advanced analytics and insights
• 🏃 Activity type detection (walking, running, cycling)

---

Contributing #

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please open an issue.

Want to contribute? Check out our contributing guidelines.

---

Version History #

• 1.2.0 (2025-12-30) - Foreground service support for Android ≤10
• 1.1.1 (2025-12-03) - Removed unnecessary health dependency, added logging
• 1.1.0 (2025-01-27) - Fixed terminated state sync + added callback feature
• 1.0.0 (2025-01-20) - Initial release with Android support