Places API release notes

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This page is updated with each new release of the Places API. The changelog lists releases by date and includes any new features, bug fixes and significant performance improvements. You can also browse and filter all release notes for all products in the Google API Console.

See the Getting Started documentation for information on how to get started using the Places API.

October 29, 2024

New field: googleMapsLinks

The googleMapsLinks field is now available in Preview. Your users can browse to these Google Maps links to see additional information about a place in the response.

For more information, see Link to Google Maps.

New field: flagContentUri

The new flagContentUri field is now available in Preview. This field has been added to all reviews, photos, and generative summaries included in a Places API response. It contains a link, including a unique content identifier, that lets users notify Google of inappropriate content.

For more information, see Report inappropriate content.

New field: RoutingSummary.directionsUri

The RoutingSummary.directionsUri field is now available in Preview. When you calculate a routing summary, this field contains a link to open directions to the place in Google Maps. For more information, see Calculate routing summary.

If you combine routing summary calculations with search along a route, then RoutingSummary.directionsUri contains a link to open directions from the route origin to the place and then to the route destination. For more information, see Combine routing summaries with search along route.

October 15, 2024

New experimental addressDescriptor field added to the Place response object. Address descriptors include additional information that help describe a location using landmarks and areas.

This feature is available in all regions. See coverage details.

This feature is in the pre-GA Experimental stage and there is no charge, meaning billing is $0, for usage during Experimental.

Note: This feature is in the Experimental launch stage (pre-GA). Pre-GA products and features might have limited support, and changes to pre-GA products and features might not be compatible with other pre-GA versions. This Pre-GA feature does not have any latency or availability guarantee. Pre-GA Offerings are covered by the Google Maps Platform Service Specific Terms. For more information, see the launch stage descriptions.

September 17, 2024

Search along route

Search along a route is now generally available in the Places API (New). With this release, you can:

• (Text Search only) Search for places along a predefined trip route.
• (Text Search and Nearby Search) Calculate the routing summary, meaning the duration and distance, from a specified routing origin location to each place in the search results.
• (Text Search only) Calculate the routing summary for each place along a predefined trip route.

For more information, see Overview of search along route.

May 28, 2024

Autocomplete (New) and session tokens

Autocomplete (New) is now generally available. The Autocomplete (New) service returns place predictions and query predictions based on full words and substrings of an input. For more information, see Autocomplete (New).

Session tokens are user-generated strings that group the query and selection phases of a search using Autocomplete (New) into a discrete "session" for billing purposes. For more information, see Session tokens.

After making an Autocomplete (New) request, if you make a Place Details request using the SKU: Place Details (Location Only), and then make an Address Validation request before the session token expires (in that order), the request using SKU: Place Details (Location Only) is free. The Address Validation request is billed using the SKU: Address Validation Preferred. For more information, see Autocomplete (New) and session pricing.

May 13, 2024

Places API (New) field maxResultCount deprecated

To better meet developer needs, the Text Search (New) field maxResultCount in the Places API (New) is deprecated as of May 13, 2024.

Instead, use pageSize to specify the number of results to return per page.

February 21, 2024

Places API

Announcing the General Availability (GA) release of the Places API. See the Release Notes for information about this release and for all other releases.

If you are a new user, see Set Up in the Google Cloud Console to start the installation process.

Autocomplete (New) and session tokens

The Autocomplete (New) service returns place predictions and query predictions based on full words and substrings of an input. For more information, see Autocomplete (New).

Session tokens are user-generated strings that group the query and selection phases of a search using Autocomplete (New) into a discrete "session" for billing purposes. For more information, see Session tokens.

Note: Autocomplete (New) and session tokens are in preview.

New Text Search parameters

Two new evOptions parameters are available as optional fields in Text Search:

• connectorTypes: Filters by the type of EV charging connector available at a place.
• minimumChargingRateKw: Filters places by minimum EV charging rate in kilowatts (kW).

New fields: evChargeOptions, fuelOptions, parkingOptions

The following fields are available in GA and are charged for use:

• evChargeOptions: Number of electric vehicle (EV) chargers at this station.
• fuelOptions: The most recent information about fuel options available at a gas station.
• parkingOptions: Parking options provided by the place.

For more information, see About the Places API (New).

New Place Details SKU

SKU: Place Details (Location Only) is a Preview feature that contains fields that were previously included in SKU: Place Details (Basic). Usage during Preview is at no charge.

For more information, see SKU: Place Details (Location Only).

October 26, 2023

Places API

Announcing the General Availability (GA) release of the Places API. See the Release Notes for information about this release and for all other releases.

If you are a new user, see Set Up in the Google Cloud Console to start the installation process.

New APIs, fields, and accessibility options

Four new APIs are available through the Places API (New):

• Nearby Search: Takes one or more place types and returns a list of matching places within the specified area.
• Text Search: Returns information about a set of places based on string.
• Place Details: Returns comprehensive information about a particular establishment or point of interest.
• Place Photos: Provides access to high-quality photos stored in the Places database.

New fields provide more information about a place, including secondary opening hours, payment and parking options, EV charging availability, and more.

New attributes provide additional context about a place, including whether a place has outdoor seating, live music, a children's menu, restrooms, and more.

New accessibility options indicate whether a place has wheelchair-accessible parking, entrances, restrooms, and seating.

For more information, see About the New Places APIs.