Google Maps & Places API – AdventureTube iOS

Location Services with Google Maps SDK and Places API

AdventureTube integrates Google Maps SDK and Google Places API for location-based storytelling.

Key Features

✅ Interactive Maps – Display story locations on Google Maps
✅ Place Search – Find locations using Google Places API
✅ Custom Markers – Show chapters on map with custom pins
✅ Place Details – Rich location metadata (rating, photos, types)
✅ Coordinates – Latitude/longitude for precise positioning

APIs Used

Google Maps SDK for iOS v7.3.0
Google Places SDK for iOS v5.0.0
Google Maps iOS Utils v4.2.2

API Key Configuration

⚠️ Security Note: API keys should never be committed to source code or published publicly.

// Configure in AppDelegate or SceneDelegate
static let API_KEY = "YOUR_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY"

// Best practice: Store in .xcconfig file or environment variables
// Add to .gitignore to prevent accidental commits

UIKit Bridges

AdventureTube uses UIKit bridges to integrate Google Maps into SwiftUI:

StoryMapViewController.swift – UIKit map controller
StoryMapViewControllerBridge.swift – SwiftUI wrapper
GoogleMapViewForCreateStoryController.swift – Chapter creation map

Location Data Models

AdventureTubePlace

struct AdventureTubePlace: Codable {
    let placeID: String
    let name: String
    let latitude: Double
    let longitude: Double
    let rating: Double?
    let types: [String]?
    let formattedAddress: String?
}

PlaceEntity (Core Data)

Stores Google Place data with coordinates, rating, types, and photos.

Best Practices

✅ Restrict API keys in Google Cloud Console
✅ Cache place photos in Core Data
✅ Use coordinate bounds for multiple markers
✅ Handle location permissions properly
✅ Store API keys securely (never in source code)

❌ Don’t expose API keys in client code
❌ Don’t make excessive API calls – implement caching
❌ Don’t ignore rate limits
❌ Don’t commit API keys to version control

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