Adding a Map with a Marker

This tutorial shows you how to add a Google map to your iOS app. The map includes a marker, also called a pin, to indicate a specific location.

Get the code

Clone or download the Google Maps iOS samples repository from GitHub.

/*
 * Copyright 2016 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 loadView() {

    // Create a GMSCameraPosition that tells the map to display the
    // coordinate -33.86,151.20 at zoom level 6.
    let camera = GMSCameraPosition.camera(withLatitude: -33.86, longitude: 151.20, zoom: 6.0)
    let mapView = GMSMapView.map(withFrame: CGRect.zero, camera: camera)
    view = 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

  }

}

Set up your development project

Follow these steps to install the Google Maps SDK for iOS:

1. Download and install Xcode.
2. If you don't already have the CocoaPods tool, install it on macOS by running the following command from the terminal:

   sudo gem install cocoapods

3. Clone or download the Google Maps iOS samples repository.
4. Navigate to the map-with-marker directory.
5. Run the pod install command. This will install the APIs specified in the Podfile, along with any dependencies they may have.
6. Open map-with-marker.xcworkspace in Xcode.

Get an API key and enable the necessary APIs

To complete this tutorial, you need a Google API key that's authorized to use the Google Maps SDK for iOS. Click the button below to get a key and activate the API.

For more details, see Get an API key.

Add the API key to your application

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

1. Add the following import statements:

   import GoogleMaps

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

   GMSServices.provideAPIKey("YOUR_API_KEY")

Build and run your app

1. Connect an iOS device to your computer, or select a simulator from the Xcode scheme pop-up menu.
2. If you're using a device, make sure that location services are enabled. If you're using a simulator, select a location from the Debug/Location menu.
3. In Xcode, click the Product/Run menu option (or the play button icon).

Xcode builds the app, and then runs the app on the device or on the simulator.

You should see a map with a marker centered on Sydney on the east coast of Australia, similar to the image on this page.

Troubleshooting:

• If you don't see a map, check that you've obtained an API key and added it to the app, as described above. Check Xcode's debugging console for error messages about the API key.
• Ensure that you have a good WiFi or GPS connection.
• Use the Xcode debugging tools to view logs and debug the app.

Understand the code

1. Create a map and set it as the view in loadView().

// Create a GMSCameraPosition that tells the map to display the
// coordinate -33.86,151.20 at zoom level 6.
let camera = GMSCameraPosition.camera(withLatitude: -33.86, longitude: 151.20, zoom: 6.0)
let mapView = GMSMapView.map(withFrame: CGRect.zero, camera: camera)
view = mapView

2. Add a marker to the map in loadView().

// 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

By default, the Google Maps SDK for iOS displays the content of the info window when the user taps a marker. There's no need to add a click listener for the marker if you're happy to use the default behavior.

Congratulations! You've built an iOS app that displays a Google map with a marker to indicate a particular location. You've also learned how to use the Maps SDK for iOS.

Next steps

Learn more about the map object, and what you can do with markers.