.NET MAUI Maps

maui-maps

Guidance for adding map controls, pins, polygons, polylines, geocoding, Google Maps API key configuration, and platform setup in .NET MAUI apps using Microsoft.Maui.Controls.Maps. USE FOR: "add map", "map control", "map pins", "polygons on map", "polylines", "geocoding", "Google Maps API key", "M...

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SKILL.md

Full skill instructions

.NET MAUI Maps

Common gotchas

Issue	Fix
Map is blank on Android	Google Maps API key missing or wrong in `AndroidManifest.xml`
Map crashes on startup	`.UseMauiMaps()` not called in `MauiProgram.cs`
`Map` type ambiguous	Conflicts with `Microsoft.Maui.ApplicationModel.Map` — add namespace alias
Map doesn't show on Windows	Windows has no native support — must use `CommunityToolkit.Maui.Maps`
User location dot missing	`IsShowingUser="True"` set but location permission not granted
Android 11+ can't launch external map app	Missing `<queries>` for `geo` scheme in manifest

⚠️ Name conflict — always alias

Microsoft.Maui.Controls.Maps.Map conflicts with Microsoft.Maui.ApplicationModel.Map. This causes confusing compile errors.

// ✅ Correct — explicit alias
using Map = Microsoft.Maui.Controls.Maps.Map;

<!-- ✅ Correct — namespace prefix in XAML -->
xmlns:maps="clr-namespace:Microsoft.Maui.Controls.Maps;assembly=Microsoft.Maui.Controls.Maps"
<maps:Map ... />

<!-- ❌ Wrong — bare <Map> is ambiguous -->
<Map ... />

Platform setup pitfalls

Android — API key must be inside `<application>`

<!-- ✅ Correct -->
<application ...>
  <meta-data android:name="com.google.android.geo.API_KEY"
             android:value="YOUR_GOOGLE_MAPS_KEY" />
</application>

<!-- ❌ Outside <application> — key is silently ignored -->

⚠️ Also required: Google Play Services version meta-data and <queries> for geo scheme on API 30+ (see references/maps-api.md).

iOS / Mac Catalyst

⚠️ Without NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription in Info.plist, location permission is denied without prompt.

Windows — no native support

Must add CommunityToolkit.Maui.Maps + Bing key. Use conditional package reference and #if WINDOWS for setup.

MauiProgram.cs — don't forget UseMauiMaps

// ✅ Required — without this, Map control throws at runtime
builder.UseMauiMaps();

// ❌ Forgetting this causes "No registered handler for Map" crash

Performance tips

⚠️ Don't add hundreds of pins directly — use ItemsSource with data binding for large pin sets.
Set initial region with MoveToRegion() to avoid the default world view zoom animation.
Avoid frequent MoveToRegion() calls — each triggers a map animation; debounce if driven by data changes.

Data-bound pins — do this for dynamic data

<!-- ✅ Correct — data-bound pins for dynamic collections -->
<maps:Map ItemsSource="{Binding Locations}">
    <maps:Map.ItemTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <maps:Pin Label="{Binding Name}"
                      Address="{Binding Description}"
                      Location="{Binding Position}" />
        </DataTemplate>
    </maps:Map.ItemTemplate>
</maps:Map>

<!-- ❌ Wrong — manually adding pins in code-behind for data-driven scenarios -->

Decision framework

Need	Approach
Basic map with pins	`Map` control + `Pins.Add()` or `ItemsSource` binding
Map with shapes	`MapElements` — `Polygon`, `Polyline`, `Circle`
Address → coordinates	`Geocoding.Default.GetLocationsAsync(address)`
Coordinates → address	`Geocoding.Default.GetPlacemarksAsync(lat, lon)`
Custom map overlays	Use handlers to access native map APIs
Windows support	Must add `CommunityToolkit.Maui.Maps` + Bing key

Quick checklist

NuGet: Microsoft.Maui.Controls.Maps added
.UseMauiMaps() called in MauiProgram.cs
Android: Google Maps API key inside <application> in AndroidManifest.xml
Android: Google Play Services version meta-data present
Android 11+: <queries> for geo scheme added
iOS/Mac: NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription in Info.plist
Windows: CommunityToolkit.Maui.Maps + Bing Maps key (conditional)
Namespace alias added to avoid Map type conflict

Install skill

Copy and run in your terminal

npx -y skills add https://github.com/davidortinau/maui-skills --skill maui-maps

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plugins/maui-skills/skills/maui-maps/SKILL.md

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