Install & Setup the Cordova Plugin

Requirements

• cordova-ios 7.0.0 or higher
• cordova-android 12.0.0 or higher
• iOS 15+ (Xcode 16+)
• Android API 23+

Setup

Install the plugin using Cordova CLI:

cordova plugin add @ua/cordova-airship

For HMS support, you will also need the HMS module:

cordova plugin add @ua/cordova-airship-hms

iOS

Modify the app’s config.xml to enable swift support and set the min iOS version:

<!-- Deployment target must be >= iOS 15  -->
<preference name="deployment-target" value="15.0" />

<!-- Must be >= 5.0 -->
<preference name="SwiftVersion" value="5.0" />

Initialize Airship

Before you can access any of the module’s API, the Airship module needs to be initialized. This can be accomplished by calling takeOff when the device is ready.

// TakeOff
Airship.takeOff({
  production: {
    appKey: "<APP_KEY>",
    appSecret: "<APP_SECRET>"
  },
  development: {
    appKey: "<APP_KEY>",
    appSecret: "<APP_SECRET>"
  },
  inProduction: true, 
  site: "us", // use "eu" for EU cloud projects
  urlAllowList: ["*"],
  android: {
      notificationConfig: {
          icon: "ic_notification",
          accentColor: "#00ff00"
      }
  }
})

Takeoff can be called multiple times, but the config passed in takeOff won’t be applied until the next app init.

For a complete list of configuration options, see the AirshipConfig reference.

Test the integration

After completing the setup, verify your integration:

1. Build and run your app on your iOS or Android device/simulator/emulator.
2. Check the console output for Airship channel creation:
   • iOS: Look for a log message in Xcode console: Channel ID: <CHANNEL_ID>
   • Android: Look for a log message in logcat: Airship channel created: <CHANNEL_ID>
   • The channel ID confirms successful SDK initialization.
   • For more detailed logging, see Logging.

If you see the channel ID in the console and no errors, your integration is successful.

Next steps

• Advanced Configuration: Configure URL allowlists and other advanced settings
• Push Notifications: Configure push notifications
• Deep Links: Handle deep links in your app

If you don’t see a channel ID or encounter errors during initialization, see the Troubleshooting guide for common problems and solutions.