mapkit

name mapkit description Implement, review, or improve maps and location features in iOS/macOS apps using MapKit and CoreLocation. Use when working with Map views, annotations, markers, polylines, user location tracking, geocoding, reverse geocoding, search/autocomplete, directions and routes, geofencing, region monitoring, CLLocationUpdate async streams, or location authorization flows. Also use when working with maps, coordinates, addresses, places, directions, distance calculations, or location-based features in Swift apps. MapKit Build map-based and location-aware features targeting iOS 17+ with SwiftUI MapKit and modern CoreLocation async APIs. Use Map with MapContentBuilder for views, CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() for streaming location, and CLMonitor for geofencing. Read references/mapkit-patterns.md when you need full map setup, search, routes, Look Around, snapshots, or iOS 26 place APIs. Read references/mapkit-corelocation-patterns.md when the task involves location update lifecycle, geofencing, background location, testing, or privacy keys. Contents Workflow SwiftUI Map View (iOS 17+) CoreLocation Modern API Geocoding Search Directions PlaceDescriptor (iOS 26+) Common Mistakes Review Checklist References Workflow 1. Add a map with markers or annotations Import MapKit . Create a Map view with optional MapCameraPosition binding. Add Marker , Annotation , MapPolyline , MapPolygon , or MapCircle inside the MapContentBuilder closure. Configure map style with .mapStyle() . Add map controls with .mapControls { } . Handle selection with a selection: binding. 2. Track user location Add NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription to Info.plist. On iOS 18+, create a CLServiceSession to manage authorization. Iterate CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() in a Task . Filter updates by distance or accuracy before updating the UI. Stop the task when location tracking is no longer needed. 3. Search for places Configure MKLocalSearchCompleter for autocomplete suggestions. Debounce user input (at least 300ms) before setting the query. Convert selected completion to MKLocalSearch.Request for full results. Display results as markers or in a list. 4. Get directions and display a route Create an MKDirections.Request with source and destination MKMapItem . Set transportType ( .automobile , .walking , .transit , .cycling ). Await MKDirections.calculate() . Draw the route with MapPolyline(route.polyline) . 5. Review existing map/location code Run through the Review Checklist at the end of this file. SwiftUI Map View (iOS 17+) import MapKit import SwiftUI struct PlaceMap : View { @State private var position: MapCameraPosition = .automatic var body: some View { Map (position: $position ) { Marker ( "Apple Park" , coordinate: applePark) Marker ( "Infinite Loop" , systemImage: "building.2" , coordinate: infiniteLoop) } .mapStyle(.standard(elevation: .realistic)) .mapControls { MapUserLocationButton () MapCompass () MapScaleView () } } } Marker and Annotation // Balloon marker -- simplest way to pin a location Marker ( "Cafe" , systemImage: "cup.and.saucer.fill" , coordinate: cafeCoord) .tint(.brown) // Annotation -- custom SwiftUI view at a coordinate Annotation ( "You" , coordinate: userCoord, anchor: .bottom) { Image (systemName: "figure.wave" ) .padding( 6 ) .background(.blue.gradient, in: .circle) .foregroundStyle(.white) } Overlays: Polyline, Polygon, Circle Map { // Polyline from coordinates MapPolyline (coordinates: routeCoords) .stroke(.blue, lineWidth: 4 ) // Polygon (area highlight) MapPolygon (coordinates: parkBoundary) .foregroundStyle(.green.opacity( 0.3 )) .stroke(.green, lineWidth: 2 ) // Circle (radius around a point) MapCircle (center: storeCoord, radius: 500 ) .foregroundStyle(.red.opacity( 0.15 )) .stroke(.red, lineWidth: 1 ) } Camera Position MapCameraPosition controls what the map displays. Bind it to let the user interact and to programmatically move the camera. // Center on a region @State private var position: MapCameraPosition = .region( MKCoordinateRegion ( center: CLLocationCoordinate2D (latitude: 37.334 , longitude: - 122.009 ), span: MKCoordinateSpan (latitudeDelta: 0.05 , longitudeDelta: 0.05 ) ) ) // Follow user location @State private var position: MapCameraPosition = .userLocation(fallback: .automatic) // Specific camera angle (3D perspective) @State private var position: MapCameraPosition = .camera( MapCamera (centerCoordinate: applePark, distance: 1000 , heading: 90 , pitch: 60 ) ) // Frame specific items position = .item( MKMapItem .forCurrentLocation()) position = .rect( MKMapRect ( ... )) Map Style Default to .standard ; select .imagery or .hybrid , realistic elevation, traffic, and point-of-interest filtering only when the feature requires them. See Complete Map View Setup . Map Interaction Modes Keep .all for an interactive map. Restrict modes only for intentional gesture coordination; use [] for a static embedded map. See Map in a List or ScrollView . Map Selection @State private var selectedMarker: MKMapItem ? Map (selection: $selectedMarker ) { ForEach (places) { place in Marker (place.name, coordinate: place.coordinate) .tag(place.mapItem) // Tag must match selection type } } .onChange(of: selectedMarker) { _ , newValue in guard let item = newValue else { return } // React to selection } CoreLocation Modern API CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() (iOS 17+) Replace CLLocationManagerDelegate callbacks with a single async sequence. Each iteration yields a CLLocationUpdate containing an optional CLLocation . On iOS 18+, handle diagnostic states such as denied authorization, globally disabled Location Services, unavailable location, and insufficient in-use conditions with a visible degraded path instead of silently waiting forever. Store the task so the feature can cancel it, and reject invalid, inaccurate, stale, or unusable movement data before driving map UI or background work. import CoreLocation @MainActor @Observable final class LocationTracker { var currentLocation: CLLocation ? private var updateTask: Task < Void , Never >? func startTracking () { updateTask = Task { do { let updates = CLLocationUpdate .liveUpdates() for try await update in updates { guard let location = update.location else { continue } // Filter by horizontal accuracy guard location.horizontalAccuracy >= 0 , location.horizontalAccuracy < 50 else { continue } currentLocation = location } } catch is CancellationError { // Expected when tracking stops. } catch { currentLocation = nil } } } func stopTracking () { updateTask ? .cancel() updateTask = nil } } CLServiceSession (iOS 18+) Declare authorization requirements for a feature's lifetime. Hold a reference to the session for as long as you need location services. // When-in-use authorization with full accuracy preference let session = CLServiceSession ( authorization: .whenInUse, fullAccuracyPurposeKey: "NearbySearchPurpose" ) // Hold `session` as a stored property; release it when done. On iOS 18+, CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() and CLMonitor take an implicit CLServiceSession if you do not create one explicitly. Create one explicitly when you need .always authorization or full accuracy. Authorization Flow // Info.plist keys (required): // NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription // NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription (only if .always needed) // Check authorization and guide user to Settings when denied struct LocationPermissionView : View { @Environment (\.openURL) private var openURL var body: some View { ContentUnavailableView { Label ( "Location Access Denied" , systemImage: "location.slash" ) } description: { Text ( "Enable location access in Settings to use this feature." ) } actions: { Button ( "Open Settings" ) { if let url = URL (string: UIApplication .openSettingsURLString) { openURL(url) } } } } } Geocoding CLGeocoder (iOS 8+) let geocoder = CLGeocoder () // Forward geocoding: address string -> coordinates let placemarks = try await geocoder.geocodeAddressString( "1 Apple Park Way, Cupertino" ) if let location = placemarks.first ? .location { print (location.coordinate) // CLLocationCoordinate2D } // Reverse geocoding: coordinates -> placemark let location = CLLocation (latitude: 37.3349 , longitude: - 122.0090 ) let placemarks = try await geocoder.reverseGeocodeLocation(location) if let placemark = placemarks.first { let address = [placemark.name, placemark.locality, placemark.administrativeArea] .compactMap { $0 } .joined(separator: ", " ) } MKGeocodingRequest and MKReverseGeocodingRequest (iOS 26+) New MapKit-native geocoding that returns MKMapItem with richer data and MKAddress / MKAddressRepresentations for flexible address formatting. @available ( iOS 26 , * ) func reverseGeocode ( location : CLLocation ) async throws -> MKMapItem ? { guard let request = MKReverseGeocodingRequest (location: location) else { return nil } let mapItems = try await request.mapItems return mapItems.first } @available ( iOS 26 , * ) func forwardGeocode ( address : String ) async throws -> [ MKMapItem ] { guard let request = MKGeocodingRequest (addressString: address) else { return [] } return try await request.mapItems } Search MKLocalSearchCompleter (Autocomplete) @Observable final class SearchCompleter : NSObject , MKLocalSearchCompleterDelegate { var results: [ MKLocalSearchCompletion ] = [] var query: String = "" { didSet { completer.queryFragment = query } } private let completer = MKLocalSearchCompleter () override init () { super . init () completer.delegate = self completer.resultTypes = [.address, .pointOfInterest] } func completerDidUpdateResults ( _ completer : MKLocalSearchCompleter ) { results = completer.results } func completer ( _ completer : MKLocalSearchCompleter , didFailWithError error : Error ) { results = [] } } MKLocalSearch (Full Search) func search ( for completion : MKLocalSearchCompletion ) async throws -> [ MKMapItem ] { let request = MKLocalSearch . Request (completion: completion) request.resultTypes = [.pointOfInterest, .address] let search = MKLocalSearch (request: request) let response = try await search.start() return response.mapItems } // Search by natural language query within a region func searchNearby ( query : String , region : MKCoordinateRegion ) async throws -> [ MKMapItem ] { let request = MKLocalSearch . Request () request.naturalLanguageQuery = query request.region = region let search = MKLocalSearch (request: request) let response = try await search.start() return response.mapItems } Directions func getDirections ( from source : MKMapItem , to destination : MKMapItem , transport : MKDirectionsTransportType = .automobile) async throws -> MKRoute ? { let request = MKDirections . Request () request.source = source request.destination = destination request.transportType = transport let directions = MKDirections (request: request) let response = try await directions.calculate() return response.routes.first } Display Route on Map @State private var route: MKRoute ? Map { if let route { MapPolyline (route.polyline) .stroke(.blue, lineWidth: 5 ) } Marker ( "Start" , coordinate: startCoord) Marker ( "End" , coordinate: endCoord) } .task { route = try? await getDirections(from: startItem, to: endItem) } ETA Calculation func getETA ( from source : MKMapItem , to destination : MKMapItem ) async throws -> TimeInterval { let request = MKDirections . Request () request.source = source request.destination = destination let directions = MKDirections (request: request) let response = try await directions.calculateETA() return response.expectedTravelTime } Cycling Directions (iOS 14+) Use .cycling as the request transport type; see the complete cycling route example. PlaceDescriptor (iOS 26+) Create rich place references from coordinates or addresses without needing a Place ID. Requires import GeoToolbox . import GeoToolbox @available ( iOS 26 , * ) func lookupPlace ( name : String , coordinate : CLLocationCoordinate2D ) async throws -> MKMapItem { let descriptor = PlaceDescriptor ( representations: [.coordinate(coordinate)], commonName: name ) let request = MKMapItemRequest (placeDescriptor: descriptor) return try await request.mapItem } Common Mistakes DON'T: Request always authorization upfront. DO: Start with when-in-use authorization. On iOS 18+, hold a CLServiceSession for the feature lifetime; request .always only for background features that need system relaunch after termination. DON'T: Use CLLocationManagerDelegate for simple location fetches on iOS 17+. DO: Use CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() async stream for cleaner, more concise code. DON'T: Ignore CLLocationUpdate diagnostics such as denied, globally denied, or unavailable location. DO: Stop or degrade the feature, show recovery UI such as Settings guidance, and keep search/manual flows usable. DON'T: Let liveUpdates() run from an unowned task after the map/view is gone. DO: Store the Task , cancel it when the feature stops, and filter invalid, inaccurate, stale, or impossible movement fixes. DON'T: Force-unwrap CLPlacemark properties — they are all optional. DO: Use nil-coalescing: placemark.locality ?? "Unknown" . DON'T: Fire MKLocalSearchCompleter queries on every keystroke. DO: Debounce with .task(id: searchText) + Task.sleep(for: .milliseconds(300)) . DON'T: Silently fail when location authorization is denied. DO: Detect .denied status and show an alert with a Settings deep link.