Add a Map with a Marker

This tutorial shows how to add a Google map with a marker to your iOS app. It suits people with a beginner or intermediate knowledge of Swift or Objective-C along with general knowledge of Xcode. For an advanced guide to creating maps, read the developers' guide.

You'll create the following map using this tutorial. The marker is positioned at Sydney, Australia.

Get the code

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

Alternatively, click the following button to download the source code:

Give me the code

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 camera = GMSCameraPosition.camera(withLatitude: -33.86, longitude: 151.20, zoom: 6.0)
        let mapView = GMSMapView.map(withFrame: self.view.frame, camera: camera)
        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
  }
}
      

#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.
  GMSCameraPosition *camera = [GMSCameraPosition cameraWithLatitude:-33.86
                                                          longitude:151.20
                                                               zoom:6];
  GMSMapView *mapView = [GMSMapView mapWithFrame:self.view.frame camera:camera];
  mapView.myLocationEnabled = YES;
  [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
      

Get started

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 Maps SDK for iOS. Click the following button 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. Note that following import statement has been added to the file:

   import GoogleMaps

2. Edit the following line in 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 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 Features 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 previously. Check Xcode's debugging console for error messages about the API key.
• If you have restricted the API key by the iOS bundle identifier, edit the key to add the bundle identifier for the app: com.google.examples.map-with-marker.
• Make sure 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 viewDidLoad().

   Swift

   // 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
         

   Objective-C

   // Create a GMSCameraPosition that tells the map to display the
   // coordinate -33.86,151.20 at zoom level 6.
   GMSCameraPosition *camera = [GMSCameraPosition cameraWithLatitude:-33.86
                                                           longitude:151.20
                                                                zoom:6.0];
   GMSMapView *mapView = [[GMSMapView alloc] initWithFrame: CGRectZero camera:camera];
   self.view = mapView;
         

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

   Swift

   // 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

   // 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;
         

By default, the 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.