---
title: "Get started"
slug: "get-started-flutter-engage"
updated: 2026-04-17T09:13:18Z
published: 2026-04-17T09:13:18Z
canonical: "docs.mapp.com/get-started-flutter-engage"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mapp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Get started

The Mapp Engage Flutter plugin connects your Flutter application to the native Mapp Engage SDKs on Android and iOS. It lets you initialize the SDK, register devices, manage user aliases, enable push notifications, and use engagement features such as in-app messaging and geofencing.

This guide helps you complete a basic integration and verify that the SDK is ready to use.

---

## Before you begin

Make sure the following prerequisites are in place:

- A Flutter application
- Access to your Mapp Engage credentials:
  - SDK key
  - App ID
  - Tenant ID
  - Server region
- For Android, a Google project ID if required by your setup
- For iOS, the required push notification capabilities and APNs configuration in Xcode

If you plan to use geofencing, add the required location permissions for the target platform before enabling those features.

### Minimum requirements

- Dart 3.5.0 or later, Flutter 3.24.0 or later
- Android: compileSdkVersion 36 or later
- iOS: iOS 12.0 or later (SDK 6.x)

---

## Install the Flutter plugin

Add the plugin to your `pubspec.yaml` file:

```yaml
dependencies:
  mapp_sdk: ^0.0.13
```

Then install the dependency:

```bash
flutter pub get
```

---

## Import the SDK

Import the required package in your application:

```dart
import 'package:mapp_sdk/mapp_sdk.dart';
import 'package:mapp_sdk/helper_classes.dart';
import 'package:mapp_sdk/notification_mode.dart';
```

The `notification_mode.dart` import is only required if you want to customize the notification mode during initialization.

---

## Initialize the SDK

Initialize Mapp Engage before calling `runApp()`. This must be the first Mapp Engage call in your application lifecycle.

```dart
Future<void> main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();

  await MappSdk.engage(
    'YOUR_SDK_KEY',
    'YOUR_GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID', 
    SERVER.L3,
    'YOUR_APP_ID',
    'YOUR_TENANT_ID',
    NotificationMode.backgroundAndForeground,
  );

  runApp(MyApp());
}
```

### Initialization parameters

| Parameter | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `sdkKey` | `String` | The SDK key provided for your Mapp Engage setup. |
| `googleProjectId` | `String` | The Google project ID. On iOS, pass an empty string if it is not used. |
| `server` | `SERVER` | The Mapp Engage backend region. |
| `appID` | `String` | Your application ID, provided as a string. |
| `tenantID` | `String` | Your Mapp Engage tenant identifier. |
| `notificationMode` | `NotificationMode?` | Optional. Controls when push notifications are shown. The default is `backgroundAndForeground`. |

---

## Select a notification mode

You can control how notifications are displayed during initialization.

| Value | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `backgroundAndForeground` | Show notifications when the app is in the background and foreground. This is the default value. |
| `backgroundOnly` | Show notifications only when the app is in the background. |
| `silentOnly` | Receive push payloads without displaying a visible notification. |

---

## Verify that the SDK is ready

After initialization, check whether the SDK is ready before calling other SDK methods.

```dart
final bool ready = await MappSdk.isReady();

if (ready) {
  print('Mapp Engage is ready.');
} else {
  print('Mapp Engage is not ready yet.');
}
```

---

## Retrieve the current alias

When initialization succeeds, the SDK assigns an anonymous AUTO alias to the device. You can retrieve it with `getAlias()`.

```dart
final String alias = await MappSdk.getAlias();
print('Current alias: $alias');
```

This alias represents the current device until you assign a known user identifier with `setAlias()`.

---

## Next steps

After the basic integration is complete, continue with the following topics:

- [Device and alias model](/docs/en/device-and-alias-model-flutter-engage) — understand how devices and user identities are tracked
- [Push notifications](/docs/en/push-notifications-flutter-engage) — enable and configure push delivery
- [User identification](/docs/en/user-identification-flutter-engage) — set a known user alias after login
- [Tags and custom attributes](/docs/en/tags-and-custom-attributes-flutter-engage) — add segmentation data to the device profile
- [In-app messaging and inbox](/docs/en/in-app-messaging-and-inbox-flutter-engage) — trigger in-app messages and manage inbox content