rn-native-places

By Ibrahim Hamed · GitHub

A React Native native module that wraps the Google Places SDK for both Android (Kotlin) and iOS (Swift) to enable platform-restricted API keys (SHA-1 / Bundle ID).

Why This Exists

Every JS-based Google Places library (react-native-google-places-autocomplete, etc.) makes HTTP requests from JavaScript. Those requests are sent from an IP address — not from the app itself. This means:

• ❌ You cannot use Android SHA-1 key restrictions
• ❌ You cannot use iOS Bundle ID restrictions
• ❌ Your API key is exposed and can be abused

This module calls the native Google Places SDK directly (Java/Kotlin on Android, Swift on iOS). Native SDK calls include the app signature automatically:

• ✅ Android: Signs requests with SHA-1 certificate fingerprint
• ✅ iOS: Signs requests with Bundle ID
• ✅ API key restrictions work perfectly

Installation

npm install rn-native-places
# or
yarn add rn-native-places

Android Setup

1. Add the Places SDK dependency to android/app/build.gradle:

dependencies {
  implementation 'com.google.android.libraries.places:places:2.7.0'
}

2. Add your API key to android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml:

<meta-data
  android:name="com.google.android.geo.API_KEY"
  android:value="YOUR_ANDROID_API_KEY" />

3. Register the package in MainApplication.kt:

import com.yourpackage.NativePlacesPackage

override fun getPackages(): List<ReactPackage> = PackageList(this).packages.apply {
  add(NativePlacesPackage())
}

4. Copy android/NativePlacesModule.kt and android/NativePlacesPackage.kt into your Android source directory (e.g. android/app/src/main/java/com/yourapp/), and update the package declaration at the top of each file.

iOS Setup

1. Add GooglePlaces to your Podfile:

pod 'GooglePlaces', '~> 9.0'

2. Run pod install.

3. Initialize the Places client in AppDelegate.swift:

import GooglePlaces

// Inside application(_:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:)
GMSPlacesClient.provideAPIKey("YOUR_IOS_API_KEY")

4. Copy ios/NativePlacesAutocomplete.swift and ios/NativePlacesAutocomplete.m into your Xcode project, making sure to add them to your app target in Xcode (check the Target Membership box).

Usage

import { getAutocompletePredictions, getPlaceDetails, resetSession } from 'rn-native-places';

// Autocomplete search
const predictions = await getAutocompletePredictions('New York', 'us');
// Returns: PlacePrediction[]

// Get place details
const details = await getPlaceDetails(predictions[0].place_id);
// Returns: PlaceDetails

// Reset autocomplete session token (call after user selects a place)
await resetSession();

API

getAutocompletePredictions(query: string, countryCode?: string): Promise<PlacePrediction[]>

Returns autocomplete predictions for the given query.

| Param | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | query | string | Search text | | countryCode | string | ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (default: 'us') |

getPlaceDetails(placeId: string): Promise<PlaceDetails>

Returns full details for a place by its Place ID.

resetSession(): Promise<void>

Resets the autocomplete session token. Call this after the user selects a place to start a fresh billing session.

Types

interface PlacePrediction {
  place_id: string;
  description: string;
  main_text: string;
  secondary_text: string;
}

interface AddressComponent {
  long_name: string;
  short_name: string;
  types: string[];
}

interface PlaceDetails {
  place_id: string;
  name: string;
  formatted_address: string;
  latitude: number;
  longitude: number;
  address_components: AddressComponent[];
}

Google Cloud Console Configuration

In console.cloud.google.com:

1. Enable Places API and Places API (New)
2. Create two separate API keys:

Android Key:

• Application restrictions → Android apps
• Add package name + SHA-1 fingerprint (both debug and release)
• API restrictions → Places API, Places API (New), Maps SDK for Android

iOS Key:

• Application restrictions → iOS apps
• Add Bundle ID
• API restrictions → Places API, Places API (New), Maps SDK for iOS

Get your SHA-1 fingerprints:

# Debug
keytool -list -v -keystore ~/.android/debug.keystore -alias androiddebugkey -storepass android

# Release
keytool -list -v -keystore your-release.jks -alias your-alias

How It Works

User types → JS calls NativeModule → Kotlin/Swift SDK call → Google servers
                                           ↑
                              App signature attached automatically
                              (SHA-1 for Android, Bundle ID for iOS)

When you call the native SDK, Google's SDK attaches your app's signature to the request automatically — no manual signing required. Google's servers verify the signature matches the key's restrictions.

Common Errors

| Error | Cause | Fix | |-------|-------|-----| | 9011: not authorized from IP | Still using an HTTP/JS call somewhere | Make sure you're calling the native module, not a web API | | REQUEST_DENIED | Key restriction mismatch | Verify SHA-1 / Bundle ID in Google Console | | NativeModule available: false (iOS) | Swift/ObjC files not added to Xcode target | Open Xcode → target → check file Target Membership | | Places SDK not initialized | provideAPIKey() not called | Add to AppDelegate before any Places usage |

License

MIT — Ibrahim Hamed
🌐 ibrahimtoulba.com · 🐙 github.com/ibrahimhamed11