Integrate the MobilePush iOS SDK

You can integrate the MobilePush iOS SDK into your app to enable push notifications and user engagement features. You can add the SDK using CocoaPods, Swift Package Manager (SPM), or manually.

Depending on your preferred implementation methods, refer to the instructions provided in these sections:

To add the SDK as a dependency in your app's Podfile, follow the instructions for Adding Pods to an Xcode project on CocoaPods' documentation site.

Next, open the .xcworkspace created by the install process using Xcode and start using the SDK.

Avoid opening .xcodeproj directly. Opening a project file instead of a workspace can lead to errors.

Starting with version 8.0.0 of the MobilePush iOS SDK, you can implement the SDK using SPM by following these instructions:

  1. In your Xcode project, go to the Package Dependencies tab of your project's settings.

  2. Add a package by clicking the plus sign (+).

  3. Search for the package MarketingCloudSDK using the url https://github.com/salesforce-marketingcloud/MarketingCloudSDK-iOS.git

  4. Select the package to include it in your app.

If you’re looking to migrate from older versions of the SDK to the 8.x version, see Migrate to the Next-Gen MobilePush SDK for iOS.

To implement the SDK manually, do the following:

  1. Download the SDKs MarketingCloudSDK and SFMCSDK.

  2. Copy the MarketingCloudSDK.xcframework and SFMCSDK.xcframework directories from your downloads folder to your project directory.

  3. Open your application project and select the appropriate target.

  4. Add MarketingCloudSDK.xcframework and SFMCSDK.xcframework to Frameworks, Libraries, and Embedded Content in your target’s General settings.

  5. Add MarketingCloudSDK.bundle to Copy Bundle Resources in your target’s Build Phases settings.

  6. Add -ObjC to your target’s Other Linker Flags build settings.

For reference documentation on SDK configuration methods, refer to these links:

The configuration example in this section uses the MarketingCloudSDK ConfigBuilder configuration method, as it’s the most flexible means to support your application’s usage of MobilePush.

Configuring the SDK using a JSON file (included in our GitHub repository) is deprecated. We encourage you to move existing implementations to the builder method. For more information on our configuration methods, see the MarketingCloudSDKConfigBuilder reference for SDK versions 7.x and the PushConfigBuilder reference for SDK versions 8.x.

All method names contain the prefix sfmc_. This convention allows the application implementing the SDK to avoid namespace collisions between the external libraries it uses. The MarketingCloudSDK doesn’t cause compile, link, or runtime collisions with other code your application implements. For more information, see Apple's documentation on Customizing Existing Classes.

Configure the SDK in your application using the Access Token, App ID, App Endpoint, and MID values noted when you Retrieve Required SDK Configuration Data.

Enable or disable analytics, location, or inbox entries depending on the application's needs and your usage of Marketing Cloud Engagement.

iOS Data Protection affects the SDK as described in the following table.

iOS Data Protection LevelSDK Behavior
No protectionSDK works in the foreground and background
Complete until first user authenticationSDK works in the foreground and background after first unlock
Complete unless openSDK works in the foreground and background after first unlock
CompleteSDK works only in the foreground after the device is unlocked

Before enabling push notifications, make sure you've provisioned your app for push notifications, as outlined in Provision Your App for Push with Apple.

  1. Enable push notifications in your target’s Capabilities settings.

  2. Set your AppDelegate class to adhere to the UIApplicationDelegate and UNUserNotificationCenterDelegate protocol.

  3. Extend the SDK configuration code outlined in Configure the SDK to add support for push registration.

  4. Add the required UIApplicationDelegate protocol methods to support push registration to your AppDelegate class.

  5. Add the required UNUserNotificationCenterDelegate protocol methods to support push notifications to your AppDelegate class.

    The methods described in the preceding instructions use MarketingCloud SDK APIs to facilitate the framework’s functionality to manage push notifications, which include MobilePush contact registration and push analytics tracking.

    If you implement the methods without using the MarketingCloud SDK methods as demonstrated, MobilePush functionality doesn't work as expected. Additionally, if you choose not to implement these methods altogether, MobilePush functionality doesn't work at all.