Select platform: [Android](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android-sdk/advanced-markers/overview.md.txt "View this page for the Android platform docs.") [iOS](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/ios-sdk/advanced-markers/overview.md.txt "View this page for the iOS platform docs.") [JavaScript](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/advanced-markers/overview.md.txt "View this page for the JavaScript platform docs.")

<br />

With advanced markers you can customize the default marker's background, border,
glyph text, collision behavior and replace the default marker icon with a custom
graphic image.

![A screenshot showing some customized
markers](https://developers.google.com/static/maps/documentation/ios-sdk/images/image_markers.png)

> [!IMPORTANT]
> **Important:** Advanced marker capabilities were released in Google Maps SDK 8.0.0 for iOS 14+. Versions iOS 13 and below are not supported in Google Maps SDK 8.0.0.

## Getting started

Advanced markers require a valid [mapID](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/get-map-id). A map
ID is a unique identifier that represents a single instance of a Google Map. You
can create map IDs and update a style associated with a map ID at any time in
the [Google Cloud console](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/ios-sdk/cloud-setup).

![A screenshot creating a
mapID](https://developers.google.com/static/maps/documentation/ios-sdk/images/ios-map-id.png)

> [!IMPORTANT]
> **Important:** For testing, you can skip the step of creating and configuring a [map
> ID](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/get-map-id), by using mapId: [`DEMO_MAP_ID`](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/ios-sdk/reference/objc/Classes/GMSMapID.md.txt) in your app code. `DEMO_MAP_ID` is intended for testing purposes only. Don't use `DEMO_MAP_ID` in a production environment.