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

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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)

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Installation Methods

The Radar iOS SDK can be installed using CocoaPods or Swift Package Manager.
1

Install CocoaPods

If you don’t have CocoaPods installed, install it:
sudo gem install cocoapods
2

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.
3

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.

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Configure Info.plist

The Radar SDK requires location permissions. Add the following keys to your Info.plist file:
1

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.
2

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>

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Enable Background Modes

If you need background location tracking, enable the Location updates background mode:
1

Open project settings

In Xcode, select your project in the Project Navigator.
2

Select your target

Select your app target from the TARGETS list.
3

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.

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Import the SDK

In your Swift files, import the Radar SDK: 
import RadarSDK
For Objective-C: 
#import <RadarSDK/RadarSDK.h>

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

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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)

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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

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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

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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.

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Next Steps

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

Quickstart

Complete your first location tracking implementation

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