Build maps and location awareness capabilities into your apps.

All subtopics
Posts under Maps and Location topic

Post

Replies

Boosts

Views

Activity

Associating App Clips to Apple Map Location
Question: Does anyone have experience or documentation on how to get an App Clip to show on Apple Maps for a location? What I've tried: I have tried to associate my App Clip with an Apple Maps location. We are working with a physical restaurant that has an Apple Maps location, our full app is listed there but not the App Clip. I've gone through the steps of setting up the Advanced App Clip Experience and giving it the location we want it associated with, and have gone through Apple Business Connect and done all the setup there to get the full app to show with the location, but the app clip still does not show. I've contacted Apple Support and they gave me the criteria of "The App Clip is hosted within the app" and "The app is associated to the same physical location". When asking for clarification with the first criteria they said they could help and closed the chat.
2
0
899
May ’25
Location streaming onto Live Activity
Hello forum, I want to keep my app running in the background after user swaps up, for the purpose of workout tracking. start up the task and continuously receipt GPS updates process the location data show the data on a live activity Two examples Strava paddlelogger Question: Does this mean, these two apps would just pause when the .backgroundTimeRemaining becomes 0? How does a workout app "work" in background mode, do I need to handle budget running out?
2
0
134
Jun ’25
Clustering on MapKit for SwiftUI iOS17+
Hi What would be the best way to achieve clustering on MapKit within SwiftUI? We're building a decentralized commerce auction platform that is currently live in Switzerland with 3'500 live auctions that can be discovered on a map. We're now running into the issue that the map gets cluttered, when zooming out and haven't been able to find a way to cluster We moved back to UIKit, where clustering works, but UIKit has other drawdowns. So ideally there is a way to handle it within SwiftUI without having to wrap UIKit or move back entirely to UIKit. Thanks for any help or suggestions! Developer Documentation https://developer.apple.com/documentation/mapkit/mapkit-for-swiftui Julius Ilg AuctionShack
2
1
211
Jun ’25
Problem receiving Remote Notification in the background after Review Rejected
I created an app. One if its functionalities is receive Remote Notification in the background, while app is monitoring Significant Location Changes (SLC). This functionality worked fine. I was receiving these notifications correctly. Sometimes instantly, sometime with small or large delay. And then I send the app for review. It was rejected with 3 remarks: The app or metadata includes information about third-party platforms that may not be relevant for App Store users, who are focused on experiences offered by the app itself (I wrote that app communication works both for iOS and Android.) The app declares support for audio in the UIBackgroundModes key in your Info.plist but we are unable to locate any features that require persistent audio. EULA (End User License Agreement) is missing for in-app purchases. After the rejection the app is no longer receiving these notifications. They are there, since the app receives them, when I open app, or significant location change is detected. It also works, when I run the app directly from Xcode (in debug mode), not from TestFlight nor in Sandbox. It seem to me like Apple somehow spoiled my background capabilities on purpose or accidentally. Is it possible? What can I do with it? Is it the case that I should just fix the review remarks and send the app back to review, and once the app passes it, it will work again? Or should I not count on it? Any suggestions? I asked Apple using: https://developer.apple.com/contact/topic/#!/topic/select but so far no response.
2
0
182
Aug ’25
How to access launchOptions in SceneDelegate?
Previously, when using AppDelegate, I was able to check the app’s launch options (launchOptions) to determine cases such as: Location updates (UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey.location) Background push notifications (UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey.remoteNotification) However, after migrating to the SceneDelegate approach, launchOptions is no longer available — it always returns nil. In my app, I need to branch the code depending on the launch options, but I can’t find a way to achieve this in the SceneDelegate environment. 👉 Is there a way to access launch options in SceneDelegate, similar to how it worked in AppDelegate? Or, if that’s no longer possible, what would be the proper alternative approach? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
2
0
334
Sep ’25
OS Location via Bluetooth GPS receiver
Hello, We are a software and hardware development company for the forestry and environmental sectors. We have been based in Quebec (Canada) for over 30 years now. Our Canadian market covers Quebec, Ontario, and the Maritime provinces in the east. We are currently expanding across Canada and into the northern United States. We are on Android platforms with several map and data entry applications. To ensure the success of our expansion, we aim to become part of the Apple family, which is why we are contacting you today. We have developed our own GNSS receiver to increase the location accuracy of our users. This device is called GSFGPS. It uses Bluetooth BLE to communicate with mobile devices and a high-precision GPS that transmits its position using the NMEA protocol. We would like this device to be compatible with an iPhone/iPad. We have developed a mock location application in MAUI (multi-platform). Based on our interpretation of your documentation, we understand that the concept of mock location does not exist at Apple. How can we ensure that our Bluetooth GNSS device is compatible with your iPhone/iPad devices and that they can use the position of the Bluetooth device rather than the internal GPS of your devices? We are a reseller for Juniper Systems, and we know that they have an app on the App Store that has the same features as our product. https://junipersys.com/index.php/support/article/14709 We look forward to your follow-up and recommendations.
2
0
280
Oct ’25
CLLocation.sourceInformation.isSimulatedBySoftware not detecting third-party location spoofing tools
Summary CLLocationSourceInformation.isSimulatedBySoftware (iOS 15+) fails to detect location spoofing when using third-party tools like LocaChange, despite Apple's documentation stating it should detect simulated locations. Environment iOS 18.0 (tested and confirmed) Physical device with Developer Mode enabled Third-party location spoofing tools (e.g., LocaChange etc.) Expected Behavior According to Apple's documentation, isSimulatedBySoftware should return true when: "if the system generated the location using on-device software simulation. " Actual Behavior Tested on iOS 18.0: When using LocaChange sourceInformation.isSimulatedBySoftware returns false This occurs even though the location is clearly being simulated. Steps to Reproduce Enable Developer Mode on iOS 18 device Connect device to Mac via USB Use LocaChange to spoof location to a different city/country In your app, request location updates and check CLLocation.sourceInformation?.isSimulatedBySoftware Observe that it returns false or sourceInformation is nil Compare with direct Xcode location simulation (Debug → Simulate Location) which correctly returns true
2
0
268
Oct ’25
iOS 26: Maps share sheet no longer provides com.apple.mapkit.map-item and only shares short maps.apple/p/... URLs (how to get coordinates?)
Since iOS 26, the Apple Maps share sheet no longer provides a com.apple.mapkit.map-item attachment when sharing a location to my Share Extension. Additionally, on real devices the shared URL is now a short link (https://maps.apple/p/...), which does not contain coordinates. On the simulator, the URL still includes coordinates (as in previous iOS versions). I'm trying to find the official or recommended way to extract coordinates from these new short URLs. Environment: Devices: iPhone (real device) on iOS 26.0 / 26.0.1 Simulator: iOS 26.0 / 26.0.1 simulator (behaves like iOS 18 — see below) App: Share Extension invoked from Apple Maps -> Share -> my app Xcode: 26.0.1 Steps to Reproduce Open Apple Maps on iOS 26 (real device). Pick a POI (store/restaurant). Share -> choose my share extension. iOS 18 and earlier (lldb) po extensionContext?.inputItems ▿ Optional<Array<Any>> ▿ some : 1 element - 0 : <NSExtensionItem: 0x60000000c5d0> - userInfo: { NSExtensionItemAttachmentsKey = ( "<NSItemProvider: 0x600002930d20> {types = (\"public.plain-text\")}", "<NSItemProvider: 0x600002930c40> {types = (\"com.apple.mapkit.map-item\")}", "<NSItemProvider: 0x600002930bd0> {types = (\"public.url\")}" ); } Typical URL: https://maps.apple.com/place?address=Apple%20Inc.,%201%20Apple%20Park%20Way,%20Cupertino,%20CA%2095014,%20United%20States&coordinate=37.334859,-122.009040&name=Apple%20Park&place-id=I7C250D2CDCB364A&map=explore iOS 26 (lldb) po extensionContext?.inputItems ▿ 1 element - 0 : <NSExtensionItem: 0x6000000058d0> - userInfo: { NSExtensionItemAttachmentsKey = ( "<NSItemProvider: 0x600002900b60> {types = (\"public.url\")}", "<NSItemProvider: 0x600002900fc0> {types = (\"public.plain-text\")}" ); } URL looks like: https://maps.apple/p/U8rE9v8n8iVZjr On simulator iOS 26 same missing map-item provider - but the URL is still long and contains coordinates, like this: https://maps.apple.com/place?coordinate=37.334859,-122.009040&name=Apple%20Park&.. Issue The short URLs (maps.apple/p/...) cannot be resolved directly - following redirects ends with: https://maps.apple.com/unsupported The only way I've found to get coordinates is to intercept intermediate redirects - one of them contains the expanded URL with coordinate=.... Example of my current workaround: final class RedirectSniffer: NSObject, URLSessionTaskDelegate { private(set) var redirects: [URL] = [] func urlSession(_ session: URLSession, task: URLSessionTask, willPerformHTTPRedirection response: HTTPURLResponse, newRequest request: URLRequest) async -> URLRequest? { if let url = request.url { redirects.append(url) } return request } } Then I look through redirects to find a URL containing "coordinate=". This works, but feels unreliable and undocumented. Questions Was the removal of com.apple.mapkit.map-item from the Maps share payload intentional in iOS 26? If yes, is there a new attachment type or API to obtain an MKMapItem? What’s the official or supported way to resolve https://maps.apple/p/... to coordinates? Is there any MapKit API or documented URL scheme for this? Is intercepting redirect chains the only option for now? Why does the iOS 26 simulator still return coordinate URLs, while real devices don't?
2
1
401
Oct ’25
Disable userLocationAnnotation bubble
Hello, thanks for your effort! I found that when showsUserLocation is set to true (by default), the pulsing blue dot user location annotation is shown, which is cool and beautiful. However, it will automatically and periodically attempt to call the Apple Server API GET https://api.apple-mapkit.com/v1/reverseGeocode within userLocationDidChange() and updateUserLocationAnnotation() to display, I assume, the user's current address when single-tapping on the blue dot. It will significantly use the MapKit service calls quota since the user location is automatically updated. It almost runs out of quota even though the map initialization is plenty enough. Is there any way to disable the bubble behavior but preserve the user location blue dot, which is lovely and better than drawing my own user location dot? It seems I can only turn off all user location features. Many thanks!
2
0
128
Feb ’26
Issue with calculating the distance between two points on a map
I have an error issue that I haven’t been able to solve despite doing extensive research. In fact the similar examples I have found so far have been educational but I have not been able to make work. The example below I am hoping will be easy to fix as it is only producing errors with one line of code… import SwiftUI import CoreLocation var currentLon = Double() var currentLat = Double() extension CLLocation { class func distance(from: CLLocationCoordinate2D, to: CLLocationCoordinate2D) -> CLLocationDistance { let from = CLLocation(latitude: from.latitude, longitude: from.longitude) let to = CLLocation(latitude: to.latitude, longitude: to.longitude) return from.distance(from: to) } func locationManager(_ manager: CLLocationManager, didUpdateLocations locations: [CLLocation]) { currentLon = (locations.last?.coordinate.longitude)! currentLat = (locations.last?.coordinate.latitude)! }/*⚠️ Not sure if this function will work? (Update User Location coordinates on the move?)*/ } struct Positions: Identifiable { let id = UUID() let name: String let latitude: Double let longitude: Double var coordinate: CLLocationCoordinate2D { CLLocationCoordinate2D(latitude: latitude, longitude: longitude) } } struct GameMapView: View { let from = CLLocationCoordinate2D(latitude: currentLon, longitude: currentLat) let to = CLLocationCoordinate2D(latitude: thisCardPositionLongitude, longitude: thisCardPositionLongitude) let distanceFrom = from.distance(from: to) /*⚠️ ERRORS: 1. Cannot use instance member 'from' within property initializer; property initializers run before 'self' is available. 2. Cannot use instance member 'to' within property initializer; property initializers run before 'self' is available. 3. Value of type 'CLLocationCoordinate2D' has no member 'distance'. */ @State private var region = MKCoordinateRegion( center: CLLocationCoordinate2D( latitude: thisCardPositionLatitude, longitude: thisCardPositionLongitude), span: MKCoordinateSpan( latitudeDelta: 0.0001, longitudeDelta: 0.0001) ) var body: some View { Map(coordinateRegion: $region, showsUserLocation: true, annotationItems: locations){ place in MapMarker(coordinate: place.coordinate,tint: Color.accentColor) } .edgesIgnoringSafeArea(.all) VStack { Print("Distance from Location: \(distanceFrom)") font(.largeTitle) padding() }
1
0
164
Apr ’25
Background location indicator stuck in dynamic island when using CLServiceSession and CLBackgroundActivitySession
We have a setup that's really close to the one used in the example project - Monitoring location changes with Core Location. In short, we have a flag that indicates whether or not we should start background location monitoring. If the flag is on, after the app starts, we Create a CLServiceSession with authorization: .always Create a CLBackgroundActivitySession The user can perform an action (press a button) to toggle the flag off, in which case we invalidate and dispose of the CLServiceSession and CLBackgroundActivitySession instances and cancel any liveUpdates observation. So far, so good, everything works as expected. However, we're experiencing a weird behavior on iPhones with Dynamic Island after there's an app update. When the user is on the same app version, the behavior is correct. have the flag on, background location monitoring works fine, when the app is in the the background, there's correctly a location indicator in Dynamic Island the user can go back to the app and turn the flag off (disposing of instances, cancelling location observation), and when the app is in the background, there is no location indicator in Dynamic Island The problem arises when the user updates the app open version 1.0 of the app have the flag on, background location monitoring works fine, when the app is in the the background, there's correctly a location indicator in Dynamic Island download an app update - version 2.0 the app restarts, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions gets called again and we start the background services dynamic island indicator is correctly showing a location indicator the user goes into the app, toggles the flag off - turning location observation off, we dispose of everything now, when the app is moved to the background, there's still a location indicator in the Dynamic Island, even though we're no longer observing location The indicator is hard to get rid of, there are only 2 ways we've found restart the device, or uninstall the app The question is - is this a bug in the system? Or is there anything we should be doing actively after an app update? Thank you!
1
1
197
May ’25
Apple Maps URL scheme daddr=lat,long no longer working – regression?
Hello, I'm experiencing an issue with the Apple Maps URL scheme when using raw latitude and longitude coordinates in the daddr parameter. Until recently, using a URL like this worked reliably: https://maps.apple.com/?daddr=37.7749,-122.4194 This would open Apple Maps and show directions from the current location to the specified coordinates. However, on recent iOS versions, this URL no longer behaves as expected.
1
0
240
May ’25
Location updates in background…
Hello, I’ve done a lot of testing of location services running in background with various settings, but in all scenarios location updates pause after a couple of hours, especially overnight In sleep mode. My app, for personal safety, requires regular location updates to 5m accuracy every minute. The only solution I have found is to keep the app in foreground. Location always stops updating. Background mode stops updating. Live location services stops updating. Is there a solution I may have missed other than keeping app in foreground? thank you, Brendan
1
0
172
Jun ’25
Re-enabling Background Location Services When Reconnecting to a Bluetooth Device
Hi all, We’re running into a challenge with our iOS app DriveSmarter, which uses background location updates when connected to a physical Bluetooth device (e.g., dash cam, radar detector). For battery efficiency, we disable location services in the background when no device is connected. The problem we’re now facing is: How can we programmatically re-enable location services when a Bluetooth device reconnects while the app is still in the background? From what I understand, Core Location doesn’t allow re-enabling background location updates unless the app returns to the foreground. But our core use case requires this to happen seamlessly in the background when the user starts driving and the device connects again. To clarify: We stop location updates when the device disconnects. We want to resume location updates only when the device reconnects, even if the app is still in the background. Manually bringing the app to the foreground is not a reliable or user-friendly option. So my questions: Is it possible to programmatically restart background location services upon a Bluetooth connection event while staying in the background? If not, are there any best practices or Apple-recommended alternatives to achieve a similar result? Any guidance, patterns, or creative solutions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance
1
0
172
Jun ’25
When should I convert coordinates to GCJ02?
Our backend management system uses Google for Location, and Apple Maps is just one of the solutions in our map component. When should I convert coordinates to GCJ02? Maybe you would say that when you are in mainland China? BUT NOT AT ALL! What if the user does not enable location permission? What if the user has not inserted a SIM card? Or not Chinese SIM card but location in China? OR the user location in China, But use VPN with en overseas IP? All solutions are not perfect, unless you open the API to developers and tell us whether Apple Maps currently uses the wgs84 coordinate system or gcj02, which is the most reliable.
1
0
251
Jun ’25
Uploaded Build Missing NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription Key Despite this Key Being in the Info.plist File
Hey All! I keep receiving an email from Apple stating "You have a missing purpose string in your Info.plist" for the key "NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription". The thing is, though, that we are setting that value within our build Info.plist. The data in that value is even reflected into the application after build, with the correct purpose string showing up when requesting location services. We currently do our builds via Azure Devops CI/CD, where we use xcodebuild for this process. The archive also generates an Info.plist without the location key, so I tried manually inserting it before deployment. Also no luck. Anyone else had this issue or know how to resolve it? Snippet to show how the location key is currently set during build: &lt;?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?&gt; &lt;!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"&gt; &lt;plist version="1.0"&gt; &lt;dict&gt; &lt;key&gt;NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription&lt;/key&gt; &lt;string&gt;Application uses location data for accurate maps display&lt;/string&gt; &lt;/dict&gt; &lt;/plist&gt; Thanks!
1
0
115
Jun ’25
Submission Rejected: Guideline 5.1.1 - Legal - Privacy - Data Collection and Storage
Hello Experts, I am in need of your help with this feedback from the App Reviewer. Issue Description: One or more purpose strings in the app do not sufficiently explain the use of protected resources. Purpose strings must clearly and completely describe the app's use of data and, in most cases, provide an example of how the data will be used. Next Steps: Update the location purpose string to explain how the app will use the requested information and provide a specific example of how the data will be used. See the attached screenshot. Resources: Purpose strings must clearly describe how an app uses the ability, data, or resource. The following are hypothetical examples of unclear purpose strings that would not pass review: "App would like to access your Contacts" "App needs microphone access" Feedback #2 "Regarding 5.1.1, we understand why your app needs access to location. However, the permission request alert does not sufficiently explain this to your users before accessing the location. To resolve this issue, it would be appropriate to revise the location permission request, specify why your app needs access, and provide an example of how your app will use the user's data. To learn more about purpose string requirements, watch a video from App Review with tips for writing clear purpose strings. We look forward to reviewing your app once the appropriate changes have been made." May I know how can I update my purpose string? I appealed on the first feedback by explaining what is the purpose of it but got the Feedback #2. TYIA!!
1
0
262
Jun ’25
Flutter: abnormal delay on iOS in position recovery on first opening
Good morning everyone, I am developing a Flutter app for Android and iOS. When I press a button, the app detects the location of the device (obviously with permissions already granted). On Android everything works correctly. On iOS, however, when I press the button for the first time after opening the app, the location is detected after about 30-50 seconds. On the other hand, if I repeat the operation later, the response time is drastically reduced (only a few seconds). I am using the location package (https://pub.dev/packages/location), and the code to get the location is as follows: var currentLocation = await location.getLocation(); Has anyone experienced this problem before or knows how to solve it? Thank you very much! Federico
1
0
262
Sep ’25
Associating App Clips to Apple Map Location
Question: Does anyone have experience or documentation on how to get an App Clip to show on Apple Maps for a location? What I've tried: I have tried to associate my App Clip with an Apple Maps location. We are working with a physical restaurant that has an Apple Maps location, our full app is listed there but not the App Clip. I've gone through the steps of setting up the Advanced App Clip Experience and giving it the location we want it associated with, and have gone through Apple Business Connect and done all the setup there to get the full app to show with the location, but the app clip still does not show. I've contacted Apple Support and they gave me the criteria of "The App Clip is hosted within the app" and "The app is associated to the same physical location". When asking for clarification with the first criteria they said they could help and closed the chat.
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
899
Activity
May ’25
NSLocationRequireExplicitServiceSession
Could anybody give me an example how to set the „NSLocationRequireExplicitServiceSession“ in the info.plist correctly? Thank you
Replies
2
Boosts
1
Views
698
Activity
Jun ’25
Location streaming onto Live Activity
Hello forum, I want to keep my app running in the background after user swaps up, for the purpose of workout tracking. start up the task and continuously receipt GPS updates process the location data show the data on a live activity Two examples Strava paddlelogger Question: Does this mean, these two apps would just pause when the .backgroundTimeRemaining becomes 0? How does a workout app "work" in background mode, do I need to handle budget running out?
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
134
Activity
Jun ’25
Apple Maps - Publisher Guides
Hi, Does anyone know how can a company sign up to be a publisher for guides on apple maps? Example - https://maps.apple.com/guides?publisher=17882075820533551969&_provider=9902 I'm having hard time figuring out the process.
Replies
2
Boosts
1
Views
119
Activity
Jun ’25
Clustering on MapKit for SwiftUI iOS17+
Hi What would be the best way to achieve clustering on MapKit within SwiftUI? We're building a decentralized commerce auction platform that is currently live in Switzerland with 3'500 live auctions that can be discovered on a map. We're now running into the issue that the map gets cluttered, when zooming out and haven't been able to find a way to cluster We moved back to UIKit, where clustering works, but UIKit has other drawdowns. So ideally there is a way to handle it within SwiftUI without having to wrap UIKit or move back entirely to UIKit. Thanks for any help or suggestions! Developer Documentation https://developer.apple.com/documentation/mapkit/mapkit-for-swiftui Julius Ilg AuctionShack
Replies
2
Boosts
1
Views
211
Activity
Jun ’25
Problem receiving Remote Notification in the background after Review Rejected
I created an app. One if its functionalities is receive Remote Notification in the background, while app is monitoring Significant Location Changes (SLC). This functionality worked fine. I was receiving these notifications correctly. Sometimes instantly, sometime with small or large delay. And then I send the app for review. It was rejected with 3 remarks: The app or metadata includes information about third-party platforms that may not be relevant for App Store users, who are focused on experiences offered by the app itself (I wrote that app communication works both for iOS and Android.) The app declares support for audio in the UIBackgroundModes key in your Info.plist but we are unable to locate any features that require persistent audio. EULA (End User License Agreement) is missing for in-app purchases. After the rejection the app is no longer receiving these notifications. They are there, since the app receives them, when I open app, or significant location change is detected. It also works, when I run the app directly from Xcode (in debug mode), not from TestFlight nor in Sandbox. It seem to me like Apple somehow spoiled my background capabilities on purpose or accidentally. Is it possible? What can I do with it? Is it the case that I should just fix the review remarks and send the app back to review, and once the app passes it, it will work again? Or should I not count on it? Any suggestions? I asked Apple using: https://developer.apple.com/contact/topic/#!/topic/select but so far no response.
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
182
Activity
Aug ’25
How to access launchOptions in SceneDelegate?
Previously, when using AppDelegate, I was able to check the app’s launch options (launchOptions) to determine cases such as: Location updates (UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey.location) Background push notifications (UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey.remoteNotification) However, after migrating to the SceneDelegate approach, launchOptions is no longer available — it always returns nil. In my app, I need to branch the code depending on the launch options, but I can’t find a way to achieve this in the SceneDelegate environment. 👉 Is there a way to access launch options in SceneDelegate, similar to how it worked in AppDelegate? Or, if that’s no longer possible, what would be the proper alternative approach? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
334
Activity
Sep ’25
OS Location via Bluetooth GPS receiver
Hello, We are a software and hardware development company for the forestry and environmental sectors. We have been based in Quebec (Canada) for over 30 years now. Our Canadian market covers Quebec, Ontario, and the Maritime provinces in the east. We are currently expanding across Canada and into the northern United States. We are on Android platforms with several map and data entry applications. To ensure the success of our expansion, we aim to become part of the Apple family, which is why we are contacting you today. We have developed our own GNSS receiver to increase the location accuracy of our users. This device is called GSFGPS. It uses Bluetooth BLE to communicate with mobile devices and a high-precision GPS that transmits its position using the NMEA protocol. We would like this device to be compatible with an iPhone/iPad. We have developed a mock location application in MAUI (multi-platform). Based on our interpretation of your documentation, we understand that the concept of mock location does not exist at Apple. How can we ensure that our Bluetooth GNSS device is compatible with your iPhone/iPad devices and that they can use the position of the Bluetooth device rather than the internal GPS of your devices? We are a reseller for Juniper Systems, and we know that they have an app on the App Store that has the same features as our product. https://junipersys.com/index.php/support/article/14709 We look forward to your follow-up and recommendations.
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
280
Activity
Oct ’25
CLLocation.sourceInformation.isSimulatedBySoftware not detecting third-party location spoofing tools
Summary CLLocationSourceInformation.isSimulatedBySoftware (iOS 15+) fails to detect location spoofing when using third-party tools like LocaChange, despite Apple's documentation stating it should detect simulated locations. Environment iOS 18.0 (tested and confirmed) Physical device with Developer Mode enabled Third-party location spoofing tools (e.g., LocaChange etc.) Expected Behavior According to Apple's documentation, isSimulatedBySoftware should return true when: "if the system generated the location using on-device software simulation. " Actual Behavior Tested on iOS 18.0: When using LocaChange sourceInformation.isSimulatedBySoftware returns false This occurs even though the location is clearly being simulated. Steps to Reproduce Enable Developer Mode on iOS 18 device Connect device to Mac via USB Use LocaChange to spoof location to a different city/country In your app, request location updates and check CLLocation.sourceInformation?.isSimulatedBySoftware Observe that it returns false or sourceInformation is nil Compare with direct Xcode location simulation (Debug → Simulate Location) which correctly returns true
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
268
Activity
Oct ’25
iOS 26: Maps share sheet no longer provides com.apple.mapkit.map-item and only shares short maps.apple/p/... URLs (how to get coordinates?)
Since iOS 26, the Apple Maps share sheet no longer provides a com.apple.mapkit.map-item attachment when sharing a location to my Share Extension. Additionally, on real devices the shared URL is now a short link (https://maps.apple/p/...), which does not contain coordinates. On the simulator, the URL still includes coordinates (as in previous iOS versions). I'm trying to find the official or recommended way to extract coordinates from these new short URLs. Environment: Devices: iPhone (real device) on iOS 26.0 / 26.0.1 Simulator: iOS 26.0 / 26.0.1 simulator (behaves like iOS 18 — see below) App: Share Extension invoked from Apple Maps -> Share -> my app Xcode: 26.0.1 Steps to Reproduce Open Apple Maps on iOS 26 (real device). Pick a POI (store/restaurant). Share -> choose my share extension. iOS 18 and earlier (lldb) po extensionContext?.inputItems ▿ Optional<Array<Any>> ▿ some : 1 element - 0 : <NSExtensionItem: 0x60000000c5d0> - userInfo: { NSExtensionItemAttachmentsKey = ( "<NSItemProvider: 0x600002930d20> {types = (\"public.plain-text\")}", "<NSItemProvider: 0x600002930c40> {types = (\"com.apple.mapkit.map-item\")}", "<NSItemProvider: 0x600002930bd0> {types = (\"public.url\")}" ); } Typical URL: https://maps.apple.com/place?address=Apple%20Inc.,%201%20Apple%20Park%20Way,%20Cupertino,%20CA%2095014,%20United%20States&coordinate=37.334859,-122.009040&name=Apple%20Park&place-id=I7C250D2CDCB364A&map=explore iOS 26 (lldb) po extensionContext?.inputItems ▿ 1 element - 0 : <NSExtensionItem: 0x6000000058d0> - userInfo: { NSExtensionItemAttachmentsKey = ( "<NSItemProvider: 0x600002900b60> {types = (\"public.url\")}", "<NSItemProvider: 0x600002900fc0> {types = (\"public.plain-text\")}" ); } URL looks like: https://maps.apple/p/U8rE9v8n8iVZjr On simulator iOS 26 same missing map-item provider - but the URL is still long and contains coordinates, like this: https://maps.apple.com/place?coordinate=37.334859,-122.009040&name=Apple%20Park&.. Issue The short URLs (maps.apple/p/...) cannot be resolved directly - following redirects ends with: https://maps.apple.com/unsupported The only way I've found to get coordinates is to intercept intermediate redirects - one of them contains the expanded URL with coordinate=.... Example of my current workaround: final class RedirectSniffer: NSObject, URLSessionTaskDelegate { private(set) var redirects: [URL] = [] func urlSession(_ session: URLSession, task: URLSessionTask, willPerformHTTPRedirection response: HTTPURLResponse, newRequest request: URLRequest) async -> URLRequest? { if let url = request.url { redirects.append(url) } return request } } Then I look through redirects to find a URL containing "coordinate=". This works, but feels unreliable and undocumented. Questions Was the removal of com.apple.mapkit.map-item from the Maps share payload intentional in iOS 26? If yes, is there a new attachment type or API to obtain an MKMapItem? What’s the official or supported way to resolve https://maps.apple/p/... to coordinates? Is there any MapKit API or documented URL scheme for this? Is intercepting redirect chains the only option for now? Why does the iOS 26 simulator still return coordinate URLs, while real devices don't?
Replies
2
Boosts
1
Views
401
Activity
Oct ’25
Disable userLocationAnnotation bubble
Hello, thanks for your effort! I found that when showsUserLocation is set to true (by default), the pulsing blue dot user location annotation is shown, which is cool and beautiful. However, it will automatically and periodically attempt to call the Apple Server API GET https://api.apple-mapkit.com/v1/reverseGeocode within userLocationDidChange() and updateUserLocationAnnotation() to display, I assume, the user's current address when single-tapping on the blue dot. It will significantly use the MapKit service calls quota since the user location is automatically updated. It almost runs out of quota even though the map initialization is plenty enough. Is there any way to disable the bubble behavior but preserve the user location blue dot, which is lovely and better than drawing my own user location dot? It seems I can only turn off all user location features. Many thanks!
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
128
Activity
Feb ’26
Issue with calculating the distance between two points on a map
I have an error issue that I haven’t been able to solve despite doing extensive research. In fact the similar examples I have found so far have been educational but I have not been able to make work. The example below I am hoping will be easy to fix as it is only producing errors with one line of code… import SwiftUI import CoreLocation var currentLon = Double() var currentLat = Double() extension CLLocation { class func distance(from: CLLocationCoordinate2D, to: CLLocationCoordinate2D) -> CLLocationDistance { let from = CLLocation(latitude: from.latitude, longitude: from.longitude) let to = CLLocation(latitude: to.latitude, longitude: to.longitude) return from.distance(from: to) } func locationManager(_ manager: CLLocationManager, didUpdateLocations locations: [CLLocation]) { currentLon = (locations.last?.coordinate.longitude)! currentLat = (locations.last?.coordinate.latitude)! }/*⚠️ Not sure if this function will work? (Update User Location coordinates on the move?)*/ } struct Positions: Identifiable { let id = UUID() let name: String let latitude: Double let longitude: Double var coordinate: CLLocationCoordinate2D { CLLocationCoordinate2D(latitude: latitude, longitude: longitude) } } struct GameMapView: View { let from = CLLocationCoordinate2D(latitude: currentLon, longitude: currentLat) let to = CLLocationCoordinate2D(latitude: thisCardPositionLongitude, longitude: thisCardPositionLongitude) let distanceFrom = from.distance(from: to) /*⚠️ ERRORS: 1. Cannot use instance member 'from' within property initializer; property initializers run before 'self' is available. 2. Cannot use instance member 'to' within property initializer; property initializers run before 'self' is available. 3. Value of type 'CLLocationCoordinate2D' has no member 'distance'. */ @State private var region = MKCoordinateRegion( center: CLLocationCoordinate2D( latitude: thisCardPositionLatitude, longitude: thisCardPositionLongitude), span: MKCoordinateSpan( latitudeDelta: 0.0001, longitudeDelta: 0.0001) ) var body: some View { Map(coordinateRegion: $region, showsUserLocation: true, annotationItems: locations){ place in MapMarker(coordinate: place.coordinate,tint: Color.accentColor) } .edgesIgnoringSafeArea(.all) VStack { Print("Distance from Location: \(distanceFrom)") font(.largeTitle) padding() }
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
164
Activity
Apr ’25
Background location indicator stuck in dynamic island when using CLServiceSession and CLBackgroundActivitySession
We have a setup that's really close to the one used in the example project - Monitoring location changes with Core Location. In short, we have a flag that indicates whether or not we should start background location monitoring. If the flag is on, after the app starts, we Create a CLServiceSession with authorization: .always Create a CLBackgroundActivitySession The user can perform an action (press a button) to toggle the flag off, in which case we invalidate and dispose of the CLServiceSession and CLBackgroundActivitySession instances and cancel any liveUpdates observation. So far, so good, everything works as expected. However, we're experiencing a weird behavior on iPhones with Dynamic Island after there's an app update. When the user is on the same app version, the behavior is correct. have the flag on, background location monitoring works fine, when the app is in the the background, there's correctly a location indicator in Dynamic Island the user can go back to the app and turn the flag off (disposing of instances, cancelling location observation), and when the app is in the background, there is no location indicator in Dynamic Island The problem arises when the user updates the app open version 1.0 of the app have the flag on, background location monitoring works fine, when the app is in the the background, there's correctly a location indicator in Dynamic Island download an app update - version 2.0 the app restarts, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions gets called again and we start the background services dynamic island indicator is correctly showing a location indicator the user goes into the app, toggles the flag off - turning location observation off, we dispose of everything now, when the app is moved to the background, there's still a location indicator in the Dynamic Island, even though we're no longer observing location The indicator is hard to get rid of, there are only 2 ways we've found restart the device, or uninstall the app The question is - is this a bug in the system? Or is there anything we should be doing actively after an app update? Thank you!
Replies
1
Boosts
1
Views
197
Activity
May ’25
Apple Maps URL scheme daddr=lat,long no longer working – regression?
Hello, I'm experiencing an issue with the Apple Maps URL scheme when using raw latitude and longitude coordinates in the daddr parameter. Until recently, using a URL like this worked reliably: https://maps.apple.com/?daddr=37.7749,-122.4194 This would open Apple Maps and show directions from the current location to the specified coordinates. However, on recent iOS versions, this URL no longer behaves as expected.
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
240
Activity
May ’25
Location updates in background…
Hello, I’ve done a lot of testing of location services running in background with various settings, but in all scenarios location updates pause after a couple of hours, especially overnight In sleep mode. My app, for personal safety, requires regular location updates to 5m accuracy every minute. The only solution I have found is to keep the app in foreground. Location always stops updating. Background mode stops updating. Live location services stops updating. Is there a solution I may have missed other than keeping app in foreground? thank you, Brendan
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
172
Activity
Jun ’25
Re-enabling Background Location Services When Reconnecting to a Bluetooth Device
Hi all, We’re running into a challenge with our iOS app DriveSmarter, which uses background location updates when connected to a physical Bluetooth device (e.g., dash cam, radar detector). For battery efficiency, we disable location services in the background when no device is connected. The problem we’re now facing is: How can we programmatically re-enable location services when a Bluetooth device reconnects while the app is still in the background? From what I understand, Core Location doesn’t allow re-enabling background location updates unless the app returns to the foreground. But our core use case requires this to happen seamlessly in the background when the user starts driving and the device connects again. To clarify: We stop location updates when the device disconnects. We want to resume location updates only when the device reconnects, even if the app is still in the background. Manually bringing the app to the foreground is not a reliable or user-friendly option. So my questions: Is it possible to programmatically restart background location services upon a Bluetooth connection event while staying in the background? If not, are there any best practices or Apple-recommended alternatives to achieve a similar result? Any guidance, patterns, or creative solutions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
172
Activity
Jun ’25
When should I convert coordinates to GCJ02?
Our backend management system uses Google for Location, and Apple Maps is just one of the solutions in our map component. When should I convert coordinates to GCJ02? Maybe you would say that when you are in mainland China? BUT NOT AT ALL! What if the user does not enable location permission? What if the user has not inserted a SIM card? Or not Chinese SIM card but location in China? OR the user location in China, But use VPN with en overseas IP? All solutions are not perfect, unless you open the API to developers and tell us whether Apple Maps currently uses the wgs84 coordinate system or gcj02, which is the most reliable.
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
251
Activity
Jun ’25
Uploaded Build Missing NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription Key Despite this Key Being in the Info.plist File
Hey All! I keep receiving an email from Apple stating "You have a missing purpose string in your Info.plist" for the key "NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription". The thing is, though, that we are setting that value within our build Info.plist. The data in that value is even reflected into the application after build, with the correct purpose string showing up when requesting location services. We currently do our builds via Azure Devops CI/CD, where we use xcodebuild for this process. The archive also generates an Info.plist without the location key, so I tried manually inserting it before deployment. Also no luck. Anyone else had this issue or know how to resolve it? Snippet to show how the location key is currently set during build: &lt;?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?&gt; &lt;!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"&gt; &lt;plist version="1.0"&gt; &lt;dict&gt; &lt;key&gt;NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription&lt;/key&gt; &lt;string&gt;Application uses location data for accurate maps display&lt;/string&gt; &lt;/dict&gt; &lt;/plist&gt; Thanks!
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
115
Activity
Jun ’25
Submission Rejected: Guideline 5.1.1 - Legal - Privacy - Data Collection and Storage
Hello Experts, I am in need of your help with this feedback from the App Reviewer. Issue Description: One or more purpose strings in the app do not sufficiently explain the use of protected resources. Purpose strings must clearly and completely describe the app's use of data and, in most cases, provide an example of how the data will be used. Next Steps: Update the location purpose string to explain how the app will use the requested information and provide a specific example of how the data will be used. See the attached screenshot. Resources: Purpose strings must clearly describe how an app uses the ability, data, or resource. The following are hypothetical examples of unclear purpose strings that would not pass review: "App would like to access your Contacts" "App needs microphone access" Feedback #2 "Regarding 5.1.1, we understand why your app needs access to location. However, the permission request alert does not sufficiently explain this to your users before accessing the location. To resolve this issue, it would be appropriate to revise the location permission request, specify why your app needs access, and provide an example of how your app will use the user's data. To learn more about purpose string requirements, watch a video from App Review with tips for writing clear purpose strings. We look forward to reviewing your app once the appropriate changes have been made." May I know how can I update my purpose string? I appealed on the first feedback by explaining what is the purpose of it but got the Feedback #2. TYIA!!
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
262
Activity
Jun ’25
Flutter: abnormal delay on iOS in position recovery on first opening
Good morning everyone, I am developing a Flutter app for Android and iOS. When I press a button, the app detects the location of the device (obviously with permissions already granted). On Android everything works correctly. On iOS, however, when I press the button for the first time after opening the app, the location is detected after about 30-50 seconds. On the other hand, if I repeat the operation later, the response time is drastically reduced (only a few seconds). I am using the location package (https://pub.dev/packages/location), and the code to get the location is as follows: var currentLocation = await location.getLocation(); Has anyone experienced this problem before or knows how to solve it? Thank you very much! Federico
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
262
Activity
Sep ’25