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SwiftUI · MapKit · Google Places API

Ummm

2025Mobile · iOS · SwiftUI · Maps · Places

The problem

Deciding what to eat is weirdly hard — for an indecisive person, or a group with no consensus, "what should we eat?" turns into a stalemate nobody wants to break.

The solution

Umm turns the decision into a game: spin a wheel for a random craving — ramen, boba, sushi — and the app instantly finds real, nearby restaurants for it on a map. On a four-person student team, I built the data layer behind the fun: the Google Places integration (text search, place details, and photos), CoreLocation-based location so results are genuinely nearby, and a result cache keyed by search term and location that skips redundant API calls and loads faster on repeat searches. Teammates built the spin-wheel UI, favourites, and coupons.

Key features & challenges

  • Built the Google Places integration in SwiftUI — text search, place details, and photos via URLSession.
  • CoreLocation-based location so recommendations are genuinely nearby.
  • A result cache keyed by search term + location — cuts redundant API calls and loads faster on repeat searches.
  • Results shown on an interactive MapKit map and a scrollable list.

My contributions

  • Four-person student iOS app; I built the data / integration layer.
  • Google Places API integration: text search, place details, and photo fetching via URLSession.
  • CoreLocation location manager, plus the map and list result views.
  • Result caching keyed by search term and location to reduce API calls.
  • Teammates built the spin-wheel UI, favourites, and coupons.