Get started

Select platform: Android iOS JavaScript

Follow these steps to get set up with advanced markers.

Get an API key and enable the Maps JavaScript API

Before using advanced markers, you need a Cloud project with a billing account, and the Maps JavaScript API enabled. To learn more, see Set up your Google Cloud project.

Get an API key

Create a map ID

To create a new map ID, follow the steps in Cloud customization. Set the Map type to JavaScript, and select either the Vector or Raster option.

Important: For testing, you can skip the step of creating and configuring a map ID, by using mapId: 'DEMO_MAP_ID' in your app code. DEMO_MAP_ID is intended for testing purposes only. Do not use DEMO_MAP_ID in a production environment.

Update your map initialization code

This requires the map ID you just created. It can be found on your Maps Management page.

1. Load the Maps JavaScript API.

2. Load the advanced markers library from within an async function when needed:

   const { AdvancedMarkerElement } = await google.maps.importLibrary("marker") as google.maps.MarkerLibrary;
   

3. Provide a map ID when you instantiate the map using the mapId property. This can be a map ID that you provide, or DEMO_MAP_ID.

   const map = new
   google.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'), {
     center: {lat: -34.397, lng: 150.644},
     zoom: 8,
     mapId: 'YOUR_MAP_ID'
   });

Caution: The example maps for advanced markers use map IDs that are linked to a reduced-POI map style. If you re-use example code, we recommend replacing these map IDs with DEMO_MAP_ID, or with your own map ID.

Check map capabilities (optional)

Advanced markers requires a map ID. If the map ID is missing, or an invalid map ID is passed, advanced markers cannot load. As a troubleshooting step, you can add a mapcapabilities_changed listener to subscribe to map capability changes. This will indicate whether the following conditions have been met:

• A valid map ID is in use.
• The map ID is associated with a vector map, if features requiring a vector map are in use.

Using Map Capabilities is optional, and recommended only for testing and troubleshooting purposes, or for runtime fallback purposes.

// Optional: subscribe to map capability changes.
map.addListener('mapcapabilities_changed', () => {
  const mapCapabilities = map.getMapCapabilities();

  if (!mapCapabilities.isAdvancedMarkersAvailable) {
    // Advanced markers are *not* available, add a fallback.
  }
});

Next steps

Create a default advanced marker