Set up an Xcode project

After you enable billing and create an API key, you're ready to set up the Xcode project that you use to develop your app.

Release notes are available for each release.

Step 1: Install the required software

To build a project using the Maps SDK for iOS, you must download and install:

• Xcode version 14.0 or later

• Cocoapods

  Note: While you can install the Maps SDK for iOS manually without using Cocoapods most developers prefer to use a package manager.

Step 2: Create the Xcode project and install the Maps SDK for iOS

To install the API in a new project, follow these steps:

Use CocoaPods

The Maps SDK for iOS is available as a CocoaPods pod. CocoaPods is an open source dependency manager for Swift and Objective-C Cocoa projects.

If you don't already have the CocoaPods tool, install it on macOS by running the following command from the terminal. For details, see the CocoaPods Getting Started guide.

sudo gem install cocoapods

Create a Podfile for the Maps SDK for iOS and use it to install the API and its dependencies:

1. If you don't have an Xcode project yet, create one now and save it to your local machine. If you're new to iOS development:
   1. Create a new project.
   2. Select the iOS > App template.
   3. On the project options screen:
      1. Enter the Project Name.
      2. Record the value of the Bundle identifier field. You can use that value to restrict your API key below.
      3. Set the project Interface to Storyboard.
      4. Set the Language to Swift or Objective-C.
2. Create a file named Podfile in your project directory. This file defines your project's dependencies.
3. Edit the Podfile and add your dependencies along with their versions. Here is an example which includes the dependency you need for the Maps SDK for iOS:

   source 'https://github.com/CocoaPods/Specs.git'
   
   platform :ios, '14.0'
   
   target 'YOUR_APPLICATION_TARGET_NAME_HERE' do
     pod 'GoogleMaps', '8.3.0'
   end
   

   Make sure to regularly run pod outdated to detect when there is a newer version to ensure you're always on the latest. If necessary, upgrade to the latest version.
4. Save the Podfile.

5. Open a terminal and go to the directory containing the Podfile:

   cd <path-to-project>

6. Run the pod install command. This will install the APIs specified in the Podfile, along with any dependencies they may have.

   pod install

7. Close Xcode, and then open (double-click) your project's .xcworkspace file to launch Xcode. From this time onwards, you must use the .xcworkspace file to open the project.

To update the API for an existing project, follow these steps:

1. Open a terminal and go to the project directory containing the Podfile.
2. Run the pod update command. This will update all of the APIs specified in the Podfile to the latest version.

Install manually

This guide shows how to manually add the XCFrameworks containing the Maps SDK for iOS to your project and configure your build settings in Xcode. An XCFramework is a binary package that you can use on multiple platforms, including machines using Apple silicon.

1. Download the following SDK binaries and resource files:
   • GoogleMaps
   • GoogleMapsBase
   • GoogleMapsCore
   • GoogleMapsM4B
   • GoogleMapsResources
2. Unpack the zipped files to access the XCFrameworks and resources.
3. If you don't have an Xcode project yet, create one now and save it to your local machine. If you're new to iOS development:
   1. Create a new project.
   2. Select the iOS > App template.
   3. On the project options screen:
      1. Enter the Project Name.
      2. Record the value of the Bundle identifier field. You can use that value to restrict your API key below.
      3. Set the project Interface to Storyboard.
      4. Set the Language to Swift or Objective-C.
4. Drag the following XCFrameworks into your project under Frameworks, Libraries, and Embedded Content. Make sure to select Do Not Embed for each XCFramework:
   • GoogleMaps.xcframework
   • GoogleMapsBase.xcframework
   • GoogleMapsCore.xcframework
   • (Premium Plan customers only) GoogleMapsM4B.xcframework
5. Drag GoogleMaps.bundle from GoogleMapsResources you downloaded into the top level directory of your Xcode project. When prompted, ensure Copy items if needed is selected.
6. Select your project from the Project Navigator, and choose your application's target.
7. Open the Build Phases tab for your application's target, and within Link Binary with Libraries, and add the following frameworks and libraries:
   • Accelerate.framework
   • CoreData.framework
   • CoreGraphics.framework
   • CoreImage.framework
   • CoreLocation.framework
   • CoreTelephony.framework
   • CoreText.framework
   • GLKit.framework
   • ImageIO.framework
   • libc++.tbd
   • libz.tbd
   • Metal.framework
   • OpenGLES.framework
   • QuartzCore.framework
   • SystemConfiguration.framework
   • UIKit.framework

8. Choose your project, rather than a specific target, and open the Build Settings tab. In the Other Linker Flags section, add -ObjC. If these settings are not visible, change the filter in the Build Settings bar from Basic to All.

9. To install the Places SDK for iOS XCFramework, see Get Started with the Places SDK for iOS.

Step 3: Add your API key to the project

In Get an API key, you generated an API key for your app. Now add that key to your Xcode project.

In the following examples, replace YOUR_API_KEY with your API key.

Note: If you recorded the Bundle identifier of your project, or obtained it from the project properties, you can use it to restrict your API key for use only with iOS applications with that specific bundle identifier. See Restricting API keys

for more information.

Swift

Add your API key to your AppDelegate.swift as follows:

1. Add the following import statement:

   import GoogleMaps

2. Add the following to your application(_:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:) method, using your API key:

   GMSServices.provideAPIKey("YOUR_API_KEY")

3. If you are also using the Places API, add your key again as shown here:

   GMSPlacesClient.provideAPIKey("YOUR_API_KEY")

Objective-C

Add your API key to your AppDelegate.m as follows:

1. Add the following import statement:

   @import GoogleMaps;

2. Add the following to your application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: method, using your API key:

   [GMSServices provideAPIKey:@"YOUR_API_KEY"];

3. If you are also using the Places API, add your key again as shown here:

   [GMSPlacesClient provideAPIKey:@"YOUR_API_KEY"];

Step 4: Add a map

Swift

/*
 *   Copyright 2020 Google Inc. All rights reserved.
 *
 *
 *   Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this
 *   file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 *   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 *   Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under
 *   the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF
 *   ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing
 *   permissions and limitations under the License.
 */

import UIKit
import GoogleMaps

class ViewController: UIViewController {

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        // Do any additional setup after loading the view.
        // Create a GMSCameraPosition that tells the map to display the
        // coordinate -33.86,151.20 at zoom level 6.

        let options = GMSMapViewOptions()
        options.camera = GMSCameraPosition.camera(withLatitude: -33.86, longitude: 151.20, zoom: 6.0)
        options.frame = self.view.bounds

        let mapView = GMSMapView(options: options)
        self.view.addSubview(mapView)

        // Creates a marker in the center of the map.
        let marker = GMSMarker()
        marker.position = CLLocationCoordinate2D(latitude: -33.86, longitude: 151.20)
        marker.title = "Sydney"
        marker.snippet = "Australia"
        marker.map = mapView
  }
}

Objective-C

/*
*   Copyright 2020 Google Inc. All rights reserved.
*
*
*   Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this
*   file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
*
*   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
*
*   Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under
*   the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF
*   ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing
*   permissions and limitations under the License.
*/

#import "ViewController.h"
#import <GoogleMaps/GoogleMaps.h>

@interface ViewController()

@end

@implementation ViewController

-   (void)viewDidLoad {
  [super viewDidLoad];
  // Do any additional setup after loading the view.
  // Create a GMSCameraPosition that tells the map to display the
  // coordinate -33.86,151.20 at zoom level 6.
  GMSMapViewOptions *options = [[GMSMapViewOptions alloc] init];
  options.camera = [GMSCameraPosition cameraWithLatitude:-33.8683
                                                        longitude:151.2086
                                                             zoom:6];
  options.frame = self.view.bounds;
  GMSMapView *mapView = [[GMSMapView alloc] initWithOptions:options];

  [self.view addSubview:mapView];

  // Creates a marker in the center of the map.
  GMSMarker *marker = [[GMSMarker alloc] init];
  marker.position = CLLocationCoordinate2DMake(-33.86, 151.20);
  marker.title = @"Sydney";
  marker.snippet = @"Australia";
  marker.map = mapView;
}

@end

Step 5 (Optional): Declare the URL schemes used by the API

Beginning with iOS 9 and Xcode 7, apps can declare the URL schemes that they intend to open, by specifying the schemes in the app's Info.plist file. The Maps SDK for iOS opens the Google Maps mobile app when the user clicks the Google logo on the map, and your app can therefore declare the relevant URL schemes.

To declare the URL schemes used by the Maps SDK for iOS, add the following lines to your Info.plist:

LSApplicationQueriesSchemes googlechromes comgooglemaps

The following screenshot shows the configuration in the Xcode user interface:

Without the above declaration, the following errors can occur when the user taps the Google logo on the map:

-canOpenURL: failed for URL: "comgooglemaps://" - error: "This app is not allowed to query for scheme comgooglemaps" -canOpenURL: failed for URL: "googlechromes://" - error: "This app is not allowed to query for scheme googlechromes"

To eliminate these errors, add the declaration to your Info.plist.

What's next

Now that you have an API key and an Xcode project, you can create and run apps. The Maps SDK for iOS provides many tutorials and sample apps that can help you get started. For more details, see:

• Code samples
• Tutorials
  • Adding a Map with a Marker
  • Select Current Place and Show Details on a Map
  • Reverse Geocoding
• Codelabs
• Maps Solutions