Firebase AI Quickstart

June 25, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

This sample demonstrates how to make calls to the Gemini API via Firebase directly from your app, rather than server-side, using the Vertex AI for Firebase SDK.

Getting Started

Clone and open the sample project

  1. Clone this repo.
  2. Change into the firebaseai directory.
  3. Open FirebaseAIExample.xcodeproj using Xcode. 
    git clone https://github.com/firebase/quickstart-ios.git
cd quickstart-ios/firebaseai
open FirebaseAIExample.xcodeproj
  4. Select the FirebaseAIExample (iOS) scheme in Xcode to build the app using the Swift Package Manager distribution.

Connect the sample to your Firebase project

To have a functional application, you will need to connect the Firebase AI sample app to your Firebase project (or create a new project):

  1. Follow the instructions in Set up a Firebase project and connect your app to Firebase.
  2. Add an iOS+ app to your project. Make sure the Bundle Identifier you set matches the one in the sample.
    • The default bundle ID is com.google.firebase.quickstart.FirebaseAIExample
  3. Download the GoogleService-Info.plist for the app when prompted and save it to the firebaseai directory.

You should now be able to build and run the sample!

Request logging

The -FIRDebugEnabled option is set as a command line argument in the build scheme to log server requests to the console. Remove the option to turn off the logging.

Firebase App Check

Firebase App Check protects your Vertex AI / Gemini API resources from abuse. To simplify getting started, and to support Simulators, this sample app is configured to use the Firebase App Check debug provider AppCheckDebugProviderFactory. If you've configured a different provider in the Firebase Console, update AppCheck.setAppCheckProviderFactory(...) in the sample code to match your configured App Check provider.

To make successful API requests when running the app:

  1. Locate the generated local debug token in your Xcode console output (look for a line like: <Warning> [AppCheckCore][I-GAC004001] App Check debug token: '<YOUR_TOKEN>').
  2. Copy this token.
  3. Register the token in the Firebase Console under App Check

    Apps Manage debug tokens from your app's overflow menu (vertical dots).

For more details, see the official guide: Use the App Check debug provider on Apple platforms.

Usability Tip: Fixed Debug Token for Simulators

To avoid registering a new random debug token every time you restart/reset a simulator, you can configure a fixed debug token in Xcode:

  1. In the Firebase Console, generate a custom debug token.
  2. In Xcode, edit your active build scheme (Product > Scheme > Edit Scheme...).
  3. Under the Run section, select the Arguments tab.
  4. In the Environment Variables section, add a variable with the name AppCheckDebugToken and the value <YOUR_CUSTOM_TOKEN>.

Caution

Keep your debug token secret. Anyone who has access to a valid debug token can access your project's backend resources as a legitimate client. Never check debug tokens, or schemes containing them, into version control (like Git).

WARNING: Production Deployment

The App Check debug provider is only intended for development/testing environments. Before distributing your app to the App Store, you must migrate to a production-grade provider (such as AppAttest or DeviceCheck). Refer to the following guides:

Documentation

To learn more about the Firebase AI SDK, check out the documentation.

Support