Installation

This guide will walk you through installing the Radar iOS SDK in your iOS application.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

Xcode 12.0 or later
iOS 10.0+ deployment target
A Radar account with a publishable API key (sign up here)

Installation Methods

The Radar iOS SDK can be installed using CocoaPods or Swift Package Manager.

CocoaPods
Swift Package Manager

Install CocoaPods

If you don’t have CocoaPods installed, install it:

sudo gem install cocoapods

Create or update Podfile

In your project directory, create a Podfile (if you don’t have one) or add the Radar SDK:

platform :ios, '10.0'
use_frameworks!

target 'YourApp' do
  pod 'RadarSDK', '~> 3.27.0'
end

The current version is 3.27.0. Check radar.com for the latest version.

Install the SDK

Run the following command in your project directory:

pod install

After running pod install, always open your project using the .xcworkspace file, not the .xcodeproj file.

Add package dependency

In Xcode, go to File > Add Packages…Enter the Radar SDK repository URL:

https://github.com/radarlabs/radar-sdk-ios-spm

For Swift Package Manager, use the radar-sdk-ios-spm repository instead of the main repository.

Select version

Choose the version rule:

Up to Next Major: Recommended for automatic minor updates
Exact Version: 3.27.0 for the current release

Add to target

Select your app target and click Add Package.Choose RadarSDK from the list of products.

Configure Info.plist

The Radar SDK requires location permissions. Add the following keys to your Info.plist file:

Add location usage descriptions

Add usage description strings that explain why your app needs location access. These are shown to users in permission prompts.

<key>NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
<string>We use your location to provide location-based features and notifications.</string>

<key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
<string>We use your location to provide location-based features.</string>

Required: Both keys are required even if you only need foreground location access. Customize the descriptions to match your app’s use case.

Add motion usage description (optional)

If you want to use motion tracking for improved accuracy, add:

<key>NSMotionUsageDescription</key>
<string>We use motion data to improve location accuracy.</string>

Enable Background Modes

If you need background location tracking, enable the Location updates background mode:

Open project settings

In Xcode, select your project in the Project Navigator.

Select your target

Select your app target from the TARGETS list.

Enable background modes

Go to the Signing & Capabilities tab.Click + Capability and add Background Modes.Check Location updates.

This allows your app to receive location updates while running in the background, which is required for features like geofencing and background tracking.

Import the SDK

In your Swift files, import the Radar SDK:

import RadarSDK

For Objective-C:

#import <RadarSDK/RadarSDK.h>

Initialize the SDK

Initialize the SDK in your AppDelegate before using any Radar methods:

import UIKit
import RadarSDK

@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
    
    func application(
        _ application: UIApplication,
        didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?
    ) -> Bool {
        // Initialize Radar with your publishable key
        Radar.initialize(publishableKey: "prj_live_pk_...")
        
        return true
    }
}

#import "AppDelegate.h"
#import <RadarSDK/RadarSDK.h>

@implementation AppDelegate

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application
    didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions {
    // Initialize Radar with your publishable key
    [Radar initializeWithPublishableKey:@"prj_live_pk_..."];
    
    return YES;
}

@end

Replace prj_live_pk_... with your actual publishable API key from the Radar dashboard.Never use your secret key in client-side code!

Advanced Initialization Options

You can pass additional options during initialization:

let options = RadarInitializeOptions()
options.autoLogNotificationConversions = true
options.autoHandleNotificationDeepLinks = true

Radar.initialize(publishableKey: "prj_live_pk_...", options: options)

Available Options

autoLogNotificationConversions: Automatically log conversions when users interact with notifications
autoHandleNotificationDeepLinks: Automatically open deep links from Radar notifications
silentPush: Enable silent push notifications for location updates

Verify Installation

To verify the SDK is installed correctly, check the SDK version:

print("Radar SDK version: \(Radar.sdkVersion)")

You should see output like:

Radar SDK version: 3.27.0

Minimum iOS Version

The Radar iOS SDK supports:

iOS 10.0+ for Swift Package Manager
iOS 12.0+ for CocoaPods (recommended)

While the SDK supports iOS 10.0+, we recommend targeting iOS 12.0+ for the best experience and full feature support.

Next Steps

Now that you’ve installed the SDK, you’re ready to start tracking location!

Quickstart

Complete your first location tracking implementation

Getting Started

Core Features

Location Services

Configuration

Advanced

Migration & Support

Prerequisites

Installation Methods

Configure Info.plist

Enable Background Modes

Import the SDK

Initialize the SDK

Advanced Initialization Options

Available Options

Verify Installation

Minimum iOS Version

Next Steps

Quickstart

​Prerequisites

​Installation Methods

​Configure Info.plist

​Enable Background Modes

​Import the SDK

​Initialize the SDK

​Advanced Initialization Options

​Available Options

​Verify Installation

​Minimum iOS Version

​Next Steps

Quickstart

Prerequisites

Installation Methods

Configure Info.plist

Enable Background Modes

Import the SDK

Initialize the SDK

Advanced Initialization Options

Available Options

Verify Installation

Minimum iOS Version

Next Steps