PhoneGap + Google Maps API v3 : Not displaying (at all) on Android

Question

The Situation

I\'m currently developing an app for a customer, who wishes to have a Google Maps integration. He wants the map to show the route from

Answer 1

I had the same issue and it turned out to just be me not updating the whitelist after I created the phonegap project. Phonegap was rejecting the google maps JS URL, so it never got downloaded and executed.

For example:

 <access origin="*.google.com"/>
    <access origin="*.googleapis.com"/>

Answer 2

For me, it turned out that specifying the map's div width and height as percentages did not work. Specifying them as px or vw/vh worked.

The odd thing - as with the original question - was that the percentage sizes did work in the browser and on iPhone, but not on Android. So I was convinced that the problem was something else - maybe permissions or network connections. But it was just that the percentage sizes made the div invisible.

Answer 3

I never solved this directly, but I started using Intel's App Framework, which had an example plugin for google maps (the original link is dead, see edit below). This plugin works great for me and I was able to add directions to it.

The code I ended up using is below. No permissions or any other adjustments needed. See the comments in the code. The map will show up regardless of geolocation success or error, but if it gets the current position it adds directions to the map. Otherwise it shows a static point.

// @author Ian Maffett
// @copyright App Framework 2012
// Modified by Rami@alphastagestudios.com - 2013
// - Added markers & directions

(function () {
    var gmapsLoaded = false; //internal variable to see if the google maps API is available

    //We run this on document ready.  It will trigger a gmaps:available event if it's ready
    // or it will include the google maps script for you
    $(document).ready(function () {
        if(window["google"]&&google.maps){
            $(document).trigger("gmaps:available");
            gmapsLoaded = true;
            return true;
        }
        var gmaps = document.createElement("script");
        gmaps.src = "http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?v=3.exp&sensor=true&callback=gmapsPluginLoaded";
        // Updated API url
        $("head").append(gmaps);
        window["gmapsPluginLoaded"] = function () {
            $(document).trigger("gmaps:available");
            gmapsLoaded = true;
        }
    });

    //Local cache of the google maps objects
    var mapsCache = {};

    //We can invoke this in two ways
    //If we pass in positions, we create the google maps object
    //If we do not pass in options, it returns the object
    // so we can act upon it.

    $.fn.gmaps = function (opts) {
        if (this.length == 0) return;
        if (!opts) return mapsCache[this[0].id];
        //Special resize event
        if(opts=="resize"&&mapsCache[this[0].id])
        {
            var map = mapsCache[this[0].id];
            var center = map.getCenter();
            google.maps.event.trigger(map, "resize");
            map.setCenter(center);
            map.setZoom(13);
            // Extended resize to recenter and reset zoom

            return map;
        }

        //loop through the items and create the new gmaps object
        for (var i = 0; i < this.length; i++) {
            new gmaps(this[i], opts);
        }
    };


    //This is a local object that gets created from the above.
    var gmaps = function (elem, opts) {
        var createMap = function () {
            var officePos = new google.maps.LatLng(55.689403, 12.521281);
            if (!opts || Object.keys(opts).length == 0) {
                opts = {
                    zoom: 13,
                    center: officePos,
                    mapTypeId: google.maps.MapTypeId.ROADMAP
                }
            }
            mapsCache[elem.id] = new google.maps.Map(elem, opts);

            // Added marker for static location 
            var officeMarker = new google.maps.Marker({
                position: officePos,
                map: mapsCache[elem.id],
                title: 'Danmarks Flyttemand ApS'
            });

            // Added custom event listener for availability of userPosition
            $(document).one('userPositionAvailable', function(evt, userPos) {
                if (userPos != null && userPos != '') {
                    addDirections(mapsCache[elem.id], userPos);
                }
            });
        }

        // Adds directions on gmap from userPos to a fixed position
        var addDirections = function(gmap, userPos) {
            var officePos = new google.maps.LatLng(55.689403, 12.521281); // fixed position
            var userMarker = new google.maps.Marker({
                icon: {
                    path: google.maps.SymbolPath.FORWARD_CLOSED_ARROW,
                    strokeColor: "green",
                    scale: 5
                },
                position: userPos,
                map: gmap,
                title: 'Your location'
            });

            var directionsService = new google.maps.DirectionsService();
            var directionsDisplay = new google.maps.DirectionsRenderer({suppressMarkers: true});
            directionsDisplay.setMap(gmap);
            directionsDisplay.setPanel(document.getElementById('googledirections')); // add id here

            var request = {
                origin: userPos,
                destination: officePos,
                travelMode: google.maps.DirectionsTravelMode.DRIVING
            };
            directionsService.route(request, function(response, status) {
                if (status == google.maps.DirectionsStatus.OK) {
                    directionsDisplay.setDirections(response);
                }
            });
        }

        //If we try to create a map before it is available
        //listen to the event
        if (!gmapsLoaded) {
            $(document).one("gmaps:available", function () {
                createMap()
            });
        } else {
            createMap();
        }
    }
})(af);


function onGeoSuccess(position) {
    var userPos = new google.maps.LatLng(position.coords.latitude, position.coords.longitude);
    $(document).trigger('userPositionAvailable', userPos);
}

function onGeoError(error) {
    navigator.notification.alert('Geolocation error: ' + error.message);
}

function initMaps() {
    navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(onGeoSuccess, onGeoError);

    var mapOptions = {
        zoom: 13,
        center: new google.maps.LatLng(55.689403, 12.521281),
        mapTypeId: google.maps.MapTypeId.ROADMAP
    };
    $('#googlemap').gmaps(mapOptions); // update id selector

    $('#googlemap-panel').on('loadpanel', function() { // update event for other framework and id selector
        $('#googlemap').gmaps('resize'); // update id selector
    });
}

[EDIT] It appears the original link for the example plugin is dead, so here is a quickly-found new link (untested and only skimmed quickly): New Google Maps Plugin Demo for Intel's App-Framework

Answer 4

For some reason there is another config.xml in the assets/www/ directory

Make sure you are modifying the right file when adding the url to the whitelist. This is the right one: android/res/xml/config.xml