mapbox-ios-patterns

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name: mapbox-ios-patterns description: Official integration patterns for Mapbox Maps SDK on iOS. Covers installation, adding markers, user location, custom data, styles, camera control, and featureset interactions. Based on official Mapbox documentation.

Mapbox iOS Integration Patterns

Official patterns for integrating Mapbox Maps SDK v11 on iOS with Swift, SwiftUI, and UIKit.

Use this skill when:

• Installing and configuring Mapbox Maps SDK for iOS
• Adding markers and annotations to maps
• Showing user location and tracking with camera
• Adding custom data (GeoJSON) to maps
• Working with map styles, camera, or user interaction
• Handling feature interactions and taps

Official Resources:

• iOS Maps Guides
• API Reference
• Example Apps

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Installation & Setup

Requirements

• iOS 14+
• Xcode 15+
• Swift 5.9+
• Free Mapbox account

Step 1: Configure Access Token

Add your public token to Info.plist:

<key>MBXAccessToken</key>
<string>pk.your_mapbox_token_here</string>

Get your token: Sign in at mapbox.com

Step 2: Add Swift Package Dependency

1. File → Add Package Dependencies
2. Enter URL: https://github.com/mapbox/mapbox-maps-ios.git
3. Version: "Up to Next Major" from 11.0.0
4. Verify four dependencies appear: MapboxCommon, MapboxCoreMaps, MapboxMaps, Turf

Alternative: CocoaPods or direct download (install guide)

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Map Initialization

SwiftUI Pattern

Basic map:

import SwiftUI
import MapboxMaps

struct ContentView: View {
    @State private var viewport: Viewport = .camera(
        center: CLLocationCoordinate2D(latitude: 37.7749, longitude: -122.4194),
        zoom: 12
    )

    var body: some View {
        Map(viewport: $viewport)
            .mapStyle(.standard)
    }
}

With ornaments:

Map(viewport: $viewport)
    .mapStyle(.standard)
    .ornamentOptions(OrnamentOptions(
        scaleBar: .init(visibility: .visible),
        compass: .init(visibility: .adaptive),
        logo: .init(position: .bottomLeading)
    ))

UIKit Pattern

import UIKit
import MapboxMaps

class MapViewController: UIViewController {
    private var mapView: MapView!

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()

        let options = MapInitOptions(
            cameraOptions: CameraOptions(
                center: CLLocationCoordinate2D(latitude: 37.7749, longitude: -122.4194),
                zoom: 12
            )
        )

        mapView = MapView(frame: view.bounds, mapInitOptions: options)
        mapView.autoresizingMask = [.flexibleWidth, .flexibleHeight]
        view.addSubview(mapView)

        mapView.mapboxMap.loadStyle(.standard)
    }
}

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Add Markers

The SDK offers three ways to place a point on the map. Pick the simplest one that fits.

Which API should I use?

API	Use it when	Platforms	Notes
Marker (Markers API)	You need a default pin and don't have a custom image asset	SwiftUI only	No image assets required. Experimental SPI — needs @_spi(Experimental) import MapboxMaps. Best < 100 markers.
PointAnnotation	You have a custom image and want layer-level placement	SwiftUI + UIKit	Backed by a symbol layer, so it scales well to hundreds of markers. Accepts any UIImage that UIKit can render.
View annotations (ViewAnnotation / MapViewAnnotation)	You want to render a full native view (card, badge, animated content) anchored to a coordinate	SwiftUI + UIKit	SwiftUI uses MapViewAnnotation; UIKit uses mapView.viewAnnotations with a ViewAnnotation. Each annotation is a real view — costs more than PointAnnotation at scale.

For hundreds or thousands of features, use a style layer (SymbolLayer on a GeoJSONSource) instead of annotations.

Markers API (recommended for simple cases, SwiftUI)

import SwiftUI
@_spi(Experimental) import MapboxMaps

struct ContentView: View {
    var body: some View {
        Map {
            Marker(coordinate: CLLocationCoordinate2D(latitude: 37.7749, longitude: -122.4194))
                .color(.red)
                .text("San Francisco")
        }
    }
}

Multiple markers from a collection:

Map {
    ForEvery(locations, id: \.id) { location in
        Marker(coordinate: location.coordinate)
            .color(.red)
            .text(location.name)
    }
}

Scaling note. Marker and PointAnnotation each create their own view or symbol entry per pin — fine up to about 100 markers. For larger datasets (hundreds or thousands of features — common with open-ended GeoJSON feeds), load the data into a GeoJSONSource and render it with a SymbolLayer instead. That scales to thousands of features and enables clustering.

PointAnnotation (custom image)

SwiftUI:

Map(viewport: $viewport) {
    PointAnnotation(coordinate: CLLocationCoordinate2D(latitude: 37.7749, longitude: -122.4194))
        .image(.init(image: UIImage(named: "marker")!, name: "marker"))
}

UIKit:

// Create annotation manager (once, reuse for updates)
var pointAnnotationManager = mapView.annotations.makePointAnnotationManager()

// Create marker
var annotation = PointAnnotation(coordinate: CLLocationCoordinate2D(latitude: 37.7749, longitude: -122.4194))
annotation.image = .init(image: UIImage(named: "marker")!, name: "marker")
annotation.iconAnchor = .bottom

// Add to map
pointAnnotationManager.annotations = [annotation]

Multiple markers:

let annotations = locations.map { coordinate in
    var annotation = PointAnnotation(coordinate: coordinate)
    annotation.image = .init(image: UIImage(named: "marker")!, name: "marker")
    return annotation
}

pointAnnotationManager.annotations = annotations

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Show User Location

Step 1: Add location permission to Info.plist:

<key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
<string>Show your location on the map</string>

Step 2: Request permissions and show location:

import CoreLocation

// Request permissions
let locationManager = CLLocationManager()
locationManager.requestWhenInUseAuthorization()

// Show user location puck
mapView.location.options.puckType = .puck2D()
mapView.location.options.puckBearingEnabled = true

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Performance Best Practices

Reuse Annotation Managers

// ❌ Don't create new managers repeatedly
func updateMarkers() {
    let manager = mapView.annotations.makePointAnnotationManager()
    manager.annotations = markers
}

// ✅ Create once, reuse
let pointAnnotationManager: PointAnnotationManager

init() {
    pointAnnotationManager = mapView.annotations.makePointAnnotationManager()
}

func updateMarkers() {
    pointAnnotationManager.annotations = markers
}

Batch Annotation Updates

// ✅ Update all at once
pointAnnotationManager.annotations = newAnnotations

// ❌ Don't update one by one
for annotation in newAnnotations {
    pointAnnotationManager.annotations.append(annotation)
}

Memory Management

// Use weak self in closures
mapView.gestures.onMapTap.observe { [weak self] context in
    self?.handleTap(context.coordinate)
}.store(in: &cancelables)

// Clean up on deinit
deinit {
    cancelables.forEach { $0.cancel() }
}

Use Standard Style

// ✅ Standard style is optimized and recommended
.mapStyle(.standard)

// Use other styles only when needed for specific use cases
.mapStyle(.standardSatellite) // Satellite imagery

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Troubleshooting

Map Not Displaying

Check:

1. ✅ MBXAccessToken in Info.plist
2. ✅ Token is valid (test at mapbox.com)
3. ✅ MapboxMaps framework imported
4. ✅ MapView added to view hierarchy
5. ✅ Correct frame/constraints set

Style Not Loading

mapView.mapboxMap.onStyleLoaded.observe { [weak self] _ in
    print("Style loaded successfully")
    // Add layers and sources here
}.store(in: &cancelables)

Performance Issues

• Use .standard style (recommended and optimized)
• Limit visible annotations to viewport
• Reuse annotation managers
• Avoid frequent style reloads
• Batch annotation updates

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Reference Files

Load these references when the task requires deeper patterns:

• references/annotations.md — Circle, Polyline, Polygon Annotations
• references/location-tracking.md — Camera Follow User + Get Current Location
• references/custom-data.md — GeoJSON: Lines, Polygons, Points, Update/Remove
• references/camera-styles.md — Camera Control + Map Styles
• references/interactions.md — Featureset Interactions, Custom Layer Taps, Long Press, Gestures

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Additional Resources

• iOS Maps Guides
• API Reference
• Interactions Guide
• SwiftUI User Guide
• Example Apps
• Migration Guide (v10 → v11)