What's new on Google Maps Platform

Updates January 2025

New Place Types in the Places API

Place types are categories that characterize a particular place. They can be used as filters to narrow down search results. Google recently added additional place types such as “public restrooms,” “beach,” and “hotel.” Read more

App Checks for Maps and Places

Firebase App Check helps you protect your Google Maps Platform calls by preventing traffic from reaching your Maps Platform applications that do not come from legitimate apps. This way, you won't be charged for unauthorized API calls. App Check for Maps and App Check for Places

Updates December 2024

The new Places Insights API offers businesses, researchers and data analysts an innovative way to analyze Google's database of more than 200 million businesses and places. This interface provides developers with detailed information about business pages in a specific geographic area, based on factors such as location, type, operating status, price range and customer ratings. The API makes it possible to examine the density of certain types of places and answer specific questions, such as:

“How many 5-star restaurants in the mid-range price category are there within a 5-kilometer radius?”

The results are displayed as an aggregated count. In addition, users can access further details about the individual locations via the PlaceID, such as ratings and reviews or images.

This service is particularly valuable for companies that want to analyze their competitors, as well as for urban planners and researchers who want to examine regional trends and patterns, or companies that want to tap into new market potential. Find out more

Updates October 2024

Update Experimental 3D Maps Feature: Simplified development & improved user experience

With the update for Experimental 3D Maps Features, the Google Maps Platform is simplifying the development process for immersive 3D maps. The new features include intuitive controls such as rotate, zoom and pan, customizable markers, support for custom 3D models, preset camera paths, and integration of the Places API to display detailed information about POIs. Our demo for Google shows the latest developments.

Places Insights API in Preview

The Places Insights API allows you to generate statistics about places in a specified area. Criteria such as location, type, operating status, price and user ratings are available to you. With the Places Insights API, you can, among other things, determine the density of certain types of places around a location or answer questions such as “How many 5-star restaurants are there within a 5km radius?” With the help of the Place Details API, further information can be obtained about certain POIs. Find out more

Updates August 2024

Data Driven Styling in General Availability

Visualizing geodata on the map – Google makes this particularly easy with Data-Driven Styling. This feature allows you to make your map application visually appealing and highlight important information. It works with your own data as well as publicly available data. Check out our official demo for more information: Google Demo.

Geocoding API Experimental Feature: Building Outlines & Entrances

The Geocoding API now provides information on building entrances and outlines. Currently, this is still an experimental feature and is not yet available for all buildings. Nevertheless, we are very excited about the development – the feature promises great potential, especially for delivery use cases. Learn more.

Updates June 2024

Gemini in Places API

With the integration of Gemini model functions into the Places API, short and long summaries of places and areas can be created using AI. For example, when searching for charging stations for electric cars, the results with Gemini contain information about restaurants and shopping opportunities in the vicinity to shorten the waiting time. See our demo for Google for more information.

Next generation Autocomplete in General Availability

The next generation of Autocomplete is now generally available. It includes seamless integration with address data validation to prevent incorrect address data in your customer database even more effectively. It also features intuitive pricing and supports the new place types of the Places API (new). Further information

Route Optimization API in General Availability

The new Route Optimization API (formerly Cloud Fleet Routing) makes it easier to optimize the navigation of vehicles and fleets. Especially on the last mile, many variables have to be taken into account in order to meet customer expectations and delivery deadlines. With the Route Optimization API, tasks can be assigned and routes with multiple stops can be planned, so that complex route guidance and changing road conditions are no longer a problem. Learn more

Updates April 2024

Next Generation Autocomplete in Preview

The widely used autocomplete feature of the Google Maps Platform has received an update, which can be used free of charge in the preview. It offers seamless integration with Google's address validation, more intuitive pricing and support for more than 200 location types from the new Places API. The new Autocomplete reduces abandoned purchases, corrects addresses as they are entered and speeds up the checkout process in e-commerce. It also enables users to find detailed information about places using the new place types. For example, they can use the free text search to look for disabled-friendly restaurants with parking spaces or charging stations for their electric cars. Learn more

EV Charging, Gas Prices, and Parking attributes in General Availability

The new Places API of the Google Maps Platform now provides information on charging stations for electric vehicles, gas prices and parking spaces. Electric vehicle owners can also search by attributes such as plug type or charging speeds and find fast EVCS suitable for their car more easily. Learn more about the new Places API

Updates November 2023

Pollen API in General Availability

The Pollen API makes it possible to provide reliable and actionable information on global pollen levels in the air. You can request pollen data for a specific location, including information on regional plant species and pollen types, as well as pollen index and actionable recommendations on how to manage exposure. The Pollen API covers over 65 countries with a resolution of 1 x 1 kilometer (0.6 x 0.6 miles). Learn more or check out our Demo

Places API Update

An update of the Places API brings new features in the areas of Text Search, Place Details and Photos as well as Nearby Search. Travel plans for drivers of electric vehicles can now be optimized with real-time information on charging stations. New categories for POIs have also been added to make the search even more precise for users. POIs can now also be provided with information on accessibility. Learn more

Map Tiles API in General Availability

With Map Tiles API, you can create immersive, customized map visualizations based on photorealistic 3D tiles, 2D tiles and StreetView tiles. Learn more

Solar API

The Solar API enables you to improve decision-making for solar projects. The highly reliable data makes it easier to create first-class offers, improve business processes and increase customer satisfaction. Learn more our check out our Demo

Air Quality API

The Air Quality API gives you access to reliable air quality data. Provide data in heatmaps and usable information to help users minimize their exposure to air pollution. It covers over 100 countries with a resolution of 500 x 500 meters. Learn more or check out our Demo

Updates August 2023

Data-driven Styling

Data-driven styling makes it easy to style and visualize your own geodata in GeoJSON, CSV, and KML formats as points, lines, and polygons on a map. With the new Maps Datasets API, you can now import, store and manage geospatial data server-side in Google Cloud Console. The demo we created of Data Driven Styling and the documentation will help you with the implementation.

Improved Maps Styling

With the new styling options of Google Maps, geodata can now be displayed even more individually. You have more control over the visualization and can integrate your own design into the map styling. The new features also include customizable map features that support nearly 100 custom map elements, as well as many new filtering options and POI categories. Learn more

Photorealistic 3D Tiles

As part of the Map Tiles API, city blocks up to entire cities can now be visualized in 3D. The photorealistic 3D Tiles are textured with the high-resolution optical RGB images of the Google Maps Platform and use the same 3D map source as Google Earth. Currently, over 2,500 cities in 49 countries can be visualized in 3D and created directly in the app. Our demo of the 3D Tiles is available here.

Aerial View API

The Aerial View API lets you create and view photo-realistic 3D aerial videos. These videos simulate, in 3D view, video of a building being circled by a drone. Currently, the view is still limited to US addresses. Learn more

Routes API

The new Routes API builds on the features of the Directions and Distance Matrix APIs and includes features such as comprehensive, up-to-date directions with real-time traffic information and calculation of distances and arrival times for origin and destination combinations. The Routes API also includes new, enhanced features for more informative and flexible routes and improved accuracy in arrival time prediction, for example, 2-wheel routes for motorized vehicles, toll data for more accurate pricing for specific routes, real-time traffic information along each segment of a route, indication of whether a waypoint is a transit point or a stop, green routing, and more. Learn more

Cloud Fleet Routing API

With the Cloud Fleet Routing API, you can solve route planning problems in seconds. Batch processing of large amounts of data can also optimize large logistics operations. This uses either a custom Distance Matrix or native integration with Google Maps for AI-powered ETAs. Learn more

November 2022

Advanced Markers

Advanced Markers enables you to create highly performant markers, and offers new marker functionalities. With Advanced Markers, you can customize the default marker's background, border, and glyph color, adjust marker size, and replace the default marker icon with a custom graphic image. You can make accessible markers that respond to DOM click events and keyboard input. For even deeper customization, Advanced Markers supports the use of custom HTML and CSS, including the ability to create completely custom markers. For 3D applications you can control the altitude at which a marker appears. Read more

Address Validation API

Address Validation helps detecting inaccurate addresses by identifying missing or unconfirmed address components. The API standardizes the input, provides typo corrections,  completes street names,  finds the appropriate locality-specific formatting and more. Read more

Earth Engine for Commercial Use

Google Earth Engine combines a multi-petabyte catalog of satellite imagery and geospatial datasets with planetary-scale analysis capabilities. Scientists, researchers, and developers use Earth Engine to detect changes, map trends, and quantify differences on the Earth's surface. Earth Engine is now available for commercial use, and remains free for academic and research use. Ubilabs is one of the first Partners in Europe who is able to resell this new product. Read more