Integrate the iOS SDK

You can integrate the MobilePush SDK into your iOS app to enable push notifications and user engagement features.

There are three ways to implement the SDK:

To add the SDK as a dependency in your app’s Podfile, add the pod to your Xcode project. See Using CocoaPods: Adding Pods to an Xcode project.

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

Don’t open .xcodeproj directly. Opening a project file instead of a workspace can lead to errors.

Starting with version 8.0.0 of the MobilePush SDK, you can implement the SDK using Swift Package Manager (SPM).

  1. In Xcode, open your project and select Project Settings.

  2. Go to the Package Dependencies tab, and click + to add a new package.

  3. Enter the repository URL and add these packages required for your implementation:

  4. Review the package details and confirm to complete the installation.

For information about migrating from older versions of the SDK, see Migrate and Upgrade the MobilePush SDK

To implement the SDK manually, complete these steps.

  1. Download the latest versions of the required frameworks:

  2. Copy the relevant .xcframework directories from your downloads folder into your project folder.

  3. In Xcode, open your project and select the appropriate target. Add the required .xcframework files to Frameworks, Libraries, and Embedded Content in the target’s General settings.

  4. Add MarketingCloudSDK.bundle to Copy Bundle Resources under Build Phases.

  5. In Build Settings, add -ObjC to Other Linker Flags.

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 the MobilePush SDK.

Configuring the SDK using a JSON file is deprecated. Move existing implementations to the builder method. For more information about configuration methods, see the MarketingCloudSDKConfigBuilder reference for SDK version 7 and later, and the PushConfigBuilder reference for SDK versions 8 and later.

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 Developer Documentation: 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.

If your app uses version 8 of the SDK, use this code.

If your app uses version 7 of the SDK, use this code.

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 this 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 you enable push notifications, provision your app for push notifications.

  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. This code example shows how to configure the version 9 and later of the SDK for iOS apps.

    If your app uses version 10 of the SDK, use this code.

    If your app uses version 8 of the SDK, use this code.

    This code example shows how to configure the version 7 of the SDK for iOS apps.

  4. Add the required UIApplicationDelegate protocol methods to support push registration to your AppDelegate class. This code example shows how to configure the version 8 and later of the SDK for iOS apps.

    If your app uses version 10 of the SDK, use this code.

    If your app uses version 8 of the SDK, use this code.

    This code example shows how to configure the version 7 and earlier of the SDK for iOS apps.

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

    If your app uses version 10 of the SDK, use this code.

    If your app uses version 9 of the SDK, use this code.

    If your app uses version 8 of the SDK, use this code.

    If your app uses version 7 of the SDK, use this code.

    The methods described in this procedure use MarketingCloud SDK APIs to facilitate the framework’s functionality to manage push notifications, which include contact registration and push analytics tracking. If you implement the methods without using the MarketingCloud SDK methods, these features don’t work as expected.