Maps & Location

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Learn how to integrate MapKit and Core Location to unlock the power of location-based features in your app.

Maps & Location Documentation

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Polyline rendering below street labels in MapKitJS
Hello (: I’m working with MapKitJS and would like to render polylines that follow roads — similar to the behavior seen on maps.apple.com. While I can align polylines to roads manually, I haven’t found a way to render them below street names and road shields. Currently, all polylines appear above labels, which reduces readability when displaying routes in urban areas. On maps.apple.com, polylines are rendered under street labels, which provides a much cleaner appearance. Is there a way to achieve this layering behavior in MapKitJS? If not, are there plans to support this kind of layer control in the future? Thanks in advance! MapKitJS (5.45.0): maps.apple.com:
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May ’25
How can I prevent virtual location from affecting the security of my app
Hello, I have noticed that some users have modified their real location through an app called "MGU" to bypass my app's security checks. I want to know how to protect my app and detect users using virtual location. I have reproduced the process of virtual positioning here: Insert a plug-in through the interface at the bottom of the phone and connect it via Bluetooth on the phone Set the desired positioning target on the "MGU" app Turn off your phone's WiFi, network, and location for 10 seconds, then turn it back on At this point, virtual positioning is successful. Please assist me in troubleshooting this issue and inform me of the principle of implementing virtual positioning in this app and how to prevent it. The following is the screen recording of virtual positioning operation: https://flowus.cn/share/145b3232-26c3-4ea3-b3ff-4aad1495eb4d
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Apr ’25
kCLErrorLocationUnknown becoming a big issue
In the last few months we have seen a lot of the following errors in which it fails to retrieve location information. This seems to happen across multiple browsers and feels related to apple/mac OS more than the browsers. Error: "CoreLocationProvider: CoreLocation framework reported a kCLErrorLocationUnknown failure." Any suggestions or an ETA on when this can be fixed? I have seen other threads/posts on this but wanted a new one to highlight the issue is prevalent.
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Sep ’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
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Jun ’25
XCFramework Location Behavior Differs from Standalone App in Background/Sleep Mode
Hi Apple Dev Team & Community, We’ve encountered an issue with background location updates when using an XCFramework we’ve built from our main app. Context: We have a standalone app called TravelSafely that reliably performs background location updates and alerts, even during sleep mode. From this app, we extracted some core functionality into an XCFramework, including location management, and provided it as an SDK to a client. We created a demo app to test this SDK in isolation. Problem: In the demo app, we notice that location updates work fine in the foreground. However, in the background or sleep mode, location updates sometimes stop completely. When we bring the app to the foreground again, location resumes. This does not happen in the original standalone app. What We’ve Already Checked: UIBackgroundModes includes location Info.plist has the required permissions Location is started correctly using startUpdatingLocation We maintain strong references and use background tasks as needed Question: Why would an app using a binary XCFramework (with location logic) behave differently from the original app in terms of background execution? Is there any known issue or recommendation when working with SDKs/XCFrameworks that need to manage background tasks and location updates? Any insights or recommendations to maintain proper background behavior would be highly appreciated. Thank you!
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Jun ’25
Background Modes Capability Missing in App ID Configuration
Hello, I upgraded my Apple Developer account from free to paid (Individual), but I cannot enable “Background Modes” (specifically “Location updates”) for any of my App IDs—including both old App IDs created while on the free account and brand new App IDs created after upgrading. When I go to Apple Developer Portal > Identifiers > [select App ID] > Edit, the option for “Background Modes” is missing from the list of capabilities. This is preventing me from enabling required entitlements for background location in Xcode, and all provisioning profiles fail with errors such as: Provisioning profile "iOS Team Provisioning Profile: [my bundle id]" doesn't include the com.apple.developer.location.always and com.apple.developer.location.background entitlements. Steps I’ve Taken: Upgraded to a paid Apple Developer Program (verified in my account). Created new App IDs after upgrading—Background Modes is still missing. Created new Xcode projects with new App IDs and bundle identifiers—same result. Refreshed provisioning profiles, cleaned Xcode, logged out/in—no change. Contacted Apple Support; advised to file a Code-Level Support request, but the issue is with the portal/App ID capabilities, not my code. My Question: Has anyone experienced this issue where Background Modes capability is missing for all App IDs, even after upgrading to a paid account? Is there any workaround, or does this require intervention from Apple Developer Support to “unlock” the missing capabilities for my developer account? Any insight or advice would be appreciated! Thank you.
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Jun ’25
Constraining Beacon with CLBeaconIdentityCondition
In reference to this webpage, I'm turning my iPad to an iBeacon device. class BeaconViewModel: NSObject, ObservableObject, CBPeripheralManagerDelegate { private var peripheralManager: CBPeripheralManager? private var beaconRegion: CLBeaconRegion? private var beaconIdentityConstraint: CLBeaconIdentityConstraint? //private var beaconCondition: CLBeaconIdentityCondition? override init() { super.init() if let uuid = UUID(uuidString: "abc") { beaconIdentityConstraint = CLBeaconIdentityConstraint(uuid: uuid, major: 123, minor: 456) beaconRegion = CLBeaconRegion(beaconIdentityConstraint: beaconIdentityConstraint!, identifier: "com.example.myDeviceRegion") peripheralManager = CBPeripheralManager(delegate: self, queue: nil, options: nil) } } func peripheralManagerDidUpdateState(_ peripheral: CBPeripheralManager) { switch peripheral.state { case .poweredOn: startAdvertise() case .poweredOff: peripheralManager?.stopAdvertising() default: break } } func startAdvertise() { guard let beaconRegion = beaconRegion else { return } let peripheralData = beaconRegion.peripheralData(withMeasuredPower: nil) peripheralManager?.startAdvertising(((peripheralData as NSDictionary) as! [String: Any])) } func stopAdvertise() { peripheralManager?.stopAdvertising() } } In Line 10, I'm using CLBeaconidentityConstraint to constrain the beacon. Xcode says that this class is deprecated and suggests that we use CLBeaconIdentityCondition. But if I try to use it, Xcode says Cannot find type 'CLBeaconIdentityCondition' in scope I've just updated Xcode to 16.4. I still get the same error. So how do we use CLBeaconIdentityCondition to constrain the beacon? My macOS version is Sequoia 15.5. Thanks.
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Jun ’25
"Compiler failed to build request" Spam when using MKTileOverlay
I'm building a weather map that shows the rain on the map. I'm able to retrieve PNG images that are used as tiles to put onto the map. I then reload all the tiles on the map with each timeframe (tile set for every 10 minutes). I'm able to get the map loaded up and I'm able to place the tiles and reload the data for each time slot. But I'm getting a ton of spam on the console every time the tiles are reloaded. Failed to locate resource named "sky20Grey0@2x.png" Failed to locate resource named "sky20Grey0@2x.png" Compiler failed to build request Compiler failed to build request Compiler failed to build request Compiler failed to build request Compiler failed to build request Compiler failed to build request Compiler failed to build request Compiler failed to build request Compiler failed to build request Yet the images are showing on the map just fine. But I feel like it's a bit sluggish due to all the spam coming out as I'm reloading this every 0.5 seconds with a timer. I've tried to load the data from a remote server on demand by overriding the - (void)loadTileAtPath:(MKTileOverlayPath)path result:(void (^)(NSData *tileData, NSError *error))result function. But due to the timer this can lead to the data not getting loaded fully before it switches to the next time slot of data. I therefore pre-load everything. I can then store the NSData in memory and use loadTileAtPath or the NSURL to a stored file and use - (NSURL *)URLForTilePath:(MKTileOverlayPath)path. Both cases work. But both cases have this spam. I've further refined things such that the MKTileOverlayRenderer is reused but that didn't help. Here's the function for that.. - (MKOverlayRenderer*)mapView:(MKMapView*)mapView rendererForOverlay:(id<MKOverlay>)overlay { if ([overlay isKindOfClass:[MKTileOverlay class]]) { if (!self.rainRenderer) { self.rainRenderer = [[MKTileOverlayRenderer alloc] initWithTileOverlay:overlay]; self.rainRenderer.alpha = 0.5; } return self.rainRenderer; } return nil; } I'm using one MKOverlay and then just reloading the tiles as needed. Otherwise there is quite a pronounced flicker. Here's that function which is triggered by the NSTimer to happen every 0.5 seconds. - (void) updateRainFrame { self.currentFrameIndex = (self.currentFrameIndex + 1) % self.timestamps.count; if ((self.currentFrameIndex >= 0) && (self.timestamps.count > self.currentFrameIndex)) { NSLog (@"self.currentFrameIndex = %lu", self.currentFrameIndex); NSString *timestamp = self.timestamps[self.currentFrameIndex]; [self.overlay setTimestamp:timestamp]; [self.rainRenderer reloadData]; } } In that function I'm updating the "timestamp" in the overlay which is the time slot that contains all the tiles for that time. This way my overridden MKTileOverlay can then pass the correct path for the tiles. For example for loading from a file: - (NSURL *)URLForTilePath:(MKTileOverlayPath)path { return [self getWeatherTileFileURLForPath:path]; } Or NSData stored in memory - (void)loadTileAtPath:(MKTileOverlayPath)path result:(void (^)(NSData *tileData, NSError *error))result { return [self getWeatherTileDataForPath:path]; } But no matter which way I use I keep getting this spam and unfortunately there is no error or anything to point to why it is spamming out. Also the tiles themselves are PNG files either 256x256 or 512x512 in pixel size. I saw that this could be something to do with Metal but I'm assuming that's something that MapKit uses. Very much welcome any thoughts to what could be causing this?
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Jun ’25
Ios26 CarPlay, not working
I have a Nissan Rogue 2021 and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Carplay was working fine until I decided to update to the new beta program and now my carplay does not seem to want to operate at all. I do the fixes online suggest in rebooting both systems, forgetting entirely and reconnecting. In the process of doing so, I can get the prompts to start with "Allow while unlocked?" But once selecting that I am unable to actually use the Carplay from the phone. It doesn't even give option to switch to it when I attempt to change audio output.
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Jun ’25
Dynamic Location Tracking using CLServiceSession and CLBackgroundActivitySession
Hello, I'm currently implementing code to track routes and determine if users have arrived at their destination using CLServiceSession, CLBackgroundActivitySession, and CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates. I want to obtain location data across all app states: foreground, background, and terminated. I have two questions: Background Location Indicator Issue: I'm using CLBackgroundActivitySession to get location updates in the background. Normally, the background location indicator (blue bar) doesn't appear at the top left of the screen for my app. However, when another app (e.g., LiveUpdatesSample) activates CLBackgroundActivitySession, my app's background location indicator suddenly becomes visible. Can you explain why this happens? or Can I Control showsBackgroundLocationIndicator in CLBackgroundActivitySession Session Management: Is there a way to terminate all currently active CLBackgroundActivitySessions? I understand that when CLBackgroundActivitySession is activated and the app is terminated and then relaunched, a new CLBackgroundActivitySession needs to be created. In this case, are the previously created and running CLBackgroundActivitySessions automatically released when the app is relaunched?
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Jul ’25
Lifecycle and Usage of CLServiceSession after the app is terminated
Hi, I am creating a Driving Behaviour Monitoring app in which I range beacons and I require location updates in foreground, background and in terminated state all the time. I am using CLServiceSession with "Always Authorisation" to get location events. I create CLServiceSession object in the foreground and start monitoring driving and then re-create it when the app is relaunched after termination. Doing this works fine. But sometimes when app is terminated and is not opened again, the app runs on its own even when the device is stationary ( I can see the app is using Location in the Control Centre) and after that Location updates are not received and I am not able to track the driving behaviour. I tried to add diagnostics to know the cause and found "Insufficiently In Use" and then "Service Session Required" in the diagnostics. It would be of great help if the proper usage of CLServiceSession is provided. Important Question: When does the CLServiceSession gets invalidated or destroyed that was created when the app was in foreground ? What happens to the CLServiceSession which was created in the foreground if the app is not opened for long duration, let's say a day or two?
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Aug ’25
Bluetooth permissions Query
Hi Team, when our customers turn on bluetooth connectivity whether Apple creates a profile of the user or their locations and if it is used for any other purpose. Could you please clarify this? we are getting the below message in the Bluetooth permissions popup below the map "Information from Bluetooth devices can be used to determine your location and create a profile of you." What is this profile? and what is the purpose of creating it while the user uses Bluetooth in ios app.
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Aug ’25
Do I need to maintain CLServiceSession when app relaunches from terminated state due to CLMonitor events?
I'm currently testing the CLMonitor API and have a question about CLServiceSession management. When my app is relaunched from a terminated state in the background due to CLMonitor events, do I still need to create and maintain a CLServiceSession instance? I'm wondering if CLServiceSession is necessary even when I don't need to continuously receive GPS updates through liveUpdates. Since CLMonitor can trigger app launches for region monitoring events without requiring constant location updates, I'm unclear about whether the CLServiceSession is still required in this scenario. Any clarification on the proper implementation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Sep ’25
Country from MKReverseGeocoding
As GeoCoder is now deprecated I am struggling to get the country only information from the new MKReverseGeocoding. Maybe someone can guide me or give me direction? Or is this just not possible anymore? let request = MKReverseGeocodingRequest(location: self.lastLocation ?? fallbackLocation) request?.getMapItems { items, error in guard let items = items else { return } self.cityName = items.first?.addressRepresentations?.cityWithContext ?? "" self.countryName = items.first?.addressRepresentations?.regionName ?? "" } I couldn't find anything here, sure you can get the full Address but I need single values to store so the user can search for (example City, Country) In case the structure is always the same, let us say the country is always third part, sure I could split the string but it is not a reliable way to do this, at least for me. Any help would be much appreciated.
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Sep ’25
SwiftUI issue with onTap using Map using IOS 26
I have a sample that stop working on IOS 26, using the latest XCode and IOS sdk, the onTapGesture event is no longer happening. Maybe this is no longer the way to drop pins on the map. Also not working on the iPhone 17 sim or iPhone 16 max pro device upgrading to IOS 26 Thanks, any help Sample: import SwiftUI import MapKit import CoreLocation import Foundation struct Pin: Identifiable { let id = UUID() let coordinate: CLLocationCoordinate2D } struct ContentTestPinDropView: View { @State private var pins: [Pin] = [] var body: some View { MapReader { reader in Map(selection: .constant(nil)) { ForEach(pins) { pin in Marker("Pin", coordinate: pin.coordinate) } } .onTapGesture { screenPoint in if let coordinate = reader.convert(screenPoint, from: .local) { pins.append(Pin(coordinate: coordinate)) } } } } }
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Oct ’25
External 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. 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.
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Oct ’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.
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Oct ’25
Geolocation tracking for IOS apps using .net Maui
I'm working on an in-house iOS app designed to help users accurately track their routes during trips. Currently, I've implemented a method to track users when the app is open in the background. However, I'm facing challenges, as the tracking stops when the device is locked for more than 10 minutes. I'm looking for a solution to continuously track a user's geolocation, even if the app is closed or not in use. Specifically, I want to ensure uninterrupted tracking, especially when the device is locked. Here are some key points: Current Method: I'm currently using the Core Location method and a combination of background tasks and a repeating timer to fetch the user's location and update a log for geolocation tracking when the app is open in the background. Issues Faced: The tracking stops when the device is locked for more than 10 minutes. This limitation impacts the accuracy of the route tracking during longer trips. Objective: My goal is to achieve continuous geolocation tracking, even when the app is closed or not actively used, to provide users with a seamless and accurate record of their routes. Platform: The app is developed for iOS using the .net maui platform, and I'm seeking solutions or suggestions that are compatible with the iOS .net maui environment. If anyone has experience or insights into achieving continuous geolocation tracking on iOS, especially when the app is not in use or the device is locked, I would greatly appreciate the assistance.
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1k
Feb ’25