Google Maps Platform (Maps, Routes, Places APIs)

Google Maps Platform (Maps, Routes, Places APIs)

by Google

APIs and SDKs for maps, routing, places, geocoding and related location services, billed through Google Cloud.

Products

• Maps (JavaScript, Android/iOS SDKs, Static Maps, Map Tiles), Street View.
• Routes API: route computation and route matrices with traffic-aware options.
• Places API (New): search, autocomplete, details.
• Geocoding, Address Validation, Roads, Time Zone, Elevation, Geolocation, Navigation SDK.

Legacy migration (verified)

Per Google’s Legacy page, from 2025-03-01 the Directions API, Distance Matrix API, JS Directions/Distance Matrix services, Places API, JS Places Service and Places SDKs for Android/iOS are Legacy: feature-frozen but fully supported, with no decommission date yet and a commitment of at least 12 months notice. Replacements: Routes API (Route / RouteMatrix classes in JS) and Places API (New) (Place class).

Routes API example (corrected)

The earlier draft sent the key as a Bearer token; the docs require X-Goog-Api-Key and a mandatory X-Goog-FieldMask header:

curl -X POST https://routes.googleapis.com/directions/v2:computeRoutes \  
 -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "X-Goog-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \  
 -H "X-Goog-FieldMask: routes.duration,routes.distanceMeters,routes.polyline.encodedPolyline" \  
 -d '{"origin":{"location":{"latLng":{"latitude":37.7749,"longitude":-122.4194}}},  
      "destination":{"location":{"latLng":{"latitude":34.0522,"longitude":-118.2437}}},  
      "travelMode":"DRIVE","routingPreference":"TRAFFIC_AWARE"}'  

(The latLng body shape follows the Routes API reference; request is a template, not run.)

Billing model

Pay-as-you-go per billable event by SKU, in three categories (Essentials, Pro, Enterprise) with different monthly free caps and volume tiers; some SKUs (e.g. Autocomplete session usage, basic data) are free. Pricing: https://developers.google.com/maps/billing-and-pricing/pricing. Caching and data-use limits follow the Terms of Service.

AI features (as of 2026-10-05, from the Maps AI page)

• Maps Grounding Lite: brings Maps data to any LLM via the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
• Grounding with Google Maps through the Gemini API and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform; imagery grounding with Street View and aerial photos.
• Developer tools: agent skills, a Code Assist toolkit (experimental), Maps in AI Studio, an Agentic UI toolkit (experimental). The page says most features are GA or experimental/preview; per-feature status was not itemised.

Use cases (examples, not sourced)

Delivery routing and ETAs, store locators and autocomplete search, real-estate maps, travel planning.

Sources

• Legacy APIs: https://developers.google.com/maps/legacy (fetched 2026-10-05)
• Routes request: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/routes/compute_route_directions (fetched 2026-10-05)
• Pricing: https://developers.google.com/maps/billing-and-pricing/pricing (fetched 2026-10-05)
• AI resources: https://developers.google.com/maps/ai (fetched 2026-10-05)

Open items

• GA/preview status per AI feature and exact Grounding Lite availability.