CocoaPods Firebase Integration

Overview

CocoaPods doesn't work perfectly with ARMv8 architecture used in M1 MacBooks when downloading resources. However, you can resolve this issue for both M1 and Intel Macs with a small modification to the installation commands.

CocoaPods Installation

Step 1: Open Terminal

Press Command + Space to open Terminal.

Step 2: Install CocoaPods

Enter the following command to install CocoaPods on your system:

sudo gem install cocoapods

Step 3: Navigate to Project Directory

Use cd commands in Terminal to navigate to your XCode project folder.

Step 4: Initialize Podfile

Enter the following command in your project folder to create your pod file:

pod init

Step 5: Configure Firebase Modules

1. Decide which Firebase modules to add by visiting the Firebase iOS setup documentation
2. Add the appropriate modules below the use_frameworks! line in your Podfile

Step 6: Install Dependencies

Run the following command in your project folder to download resources and create your workspace project:

pod install

Adding Firebase Modules to Your Project

Step 1: Create XCode Project

First, create your project in XCode, then log into the Firebase console and paste your BundleID (BundleIdentifier).

Step 2: Download Configuration File

1. Download the .plist file that Google created for your app
2. Drag and drop it into your XCode project
3. Important: If you download multiple times, the file name might become (1).plist, which will prevent Firebase connection. Be careful!

Step 3: Configure AppDelegate.swift

You need to establish Firebase connections in AppDelegate.swift. Add the Firebase library at the top and write the configure code line in the func application section (lines 9 and 18).

import UIKit
import Firebase

@main
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {

    func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
        // Override point for customization after application launch.
        FirebaseApp.configure()
        return true
    }

    // MARK: UISceneSession Lifecycle

    func application(_ application: UIApplication, configurationForConnecting connectingSceneSession: UISceneSession, options: UIScene.ConnectionOptions) -> UISceneConfiguration {
        // Called when a new scene session is being created.
        // Use this method to select a configuration to create the new scene with.
        return UISceneConfiguration(name: "Default Configuration", sessionRole: connectingSceneSession.role)
    }

    func application(_ application: UIApplication, didDiscardSceneSessions sceneSessions: Set<UISceneSession>) {
        // Called when the user discards a scene session.
        // If any sessions were discarded while the application was not running, this will be called shortly after application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions.
        // Use this method to release any resources that were specific to the discarded scenes, as they will not return.
    }
}

Step 4: Import Firebase in ViewControllers

After importing the Firebase module in your ViewController or other Swift files, you can perform Firebase-related operations.

Common Firebase Modules

Here are some commonly used Firebase modules you can add to your Podfile:

pod 'Firebase/Analytics'
pod 'Firebase/Auth'
pod 'Firebase/Firestore'
pod 'Firebase/Storage'
pod 'Firebase/Messaging'
pod 'Firebase/Crashlytics'

Troubleshooting

M1 Mac Issues

If you encounter issues on M1 Macs, try these solutions:

1. Use Rosetta Terminal: Open Terminal with Rosetta
2. Update CocoaPods: sudo gem update cocoapods
3. Clear Pod Cache: pod cache clean --all

Common Errors

• Bundle ID Mismatch: Ensure your Bundle ID matches exactly in Firebase console and XCode
• Missing .plist File: Make sure the GoogleService-Info.plist is properly added to your project
• Pod Install Failures: Try pod install --repo-update