> [!NOTE] > This feature requires that you enable Places API (New), the next generation of the Places API. For more information, see [Enable APIs](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/places/ios-sdk/cloud-setup#enabling-apis).
Select platform: [Android](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/places/android-sdk/using-session-tokens.md.txt "View this page for the Android platform docs.") [iOS](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/places/ios-sdk/using-session-tokens "View this page for the iOS platform docs.") [Web Service](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/places/web-service/using-session-tokens.md.txt "View this page for the Web Service platform docs.")
Session tokens group the query and selection phases of a user autocomplete search into a discrete session for billing purposes. ## Create a session token Users are responsible for generating unique session tokens for each session. Google recommends using [version 4 UUIDs](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4122). > [!NOTE] > **Note:** Session tokens can overlap across Google Cloud Console projects, but they must be unique per project. For example, an app using Project A and an app using Project B can use the same session token, but multiple apps using Project A cannot use the same session token. ## Example As the user types a query, an autocomplete request is called every few keystrokes (not per-character), and a list of possible results is returned. When the user makes a selection from the result list, the selection counts as a request, and all of the requests made during the search are bundled and counted as a single request. If the user selects a place, the search query is available at no charge, and only the Place data request is charged. If the user does not make a selection within a few minutes of the beginning of the session, only the search query is charged. Let's examine this flow of events from the perspective of an app. 1. A user begins typing a query to search for "Paris, France". 2. Upon detecting user input, the app creates a new session token, "Token A". 3. As the user types, the API makes an autocomplete request every few characters, displaying a new list of potential results for each: "P" "Par" "Paris," "Paris, Fr" 4. When the user makes a selection: - All requests resulting from the query are grouped and added to the session represented by "Token A", as a single request. - The user's selection is counted as a Place Detail request, and added to the session represented by "Token A". - The session is concluded, and the app discards "Token A". For more information about how Autocomplete requests are billed, see [Usage and Billing](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/places/ios-sdk/usage-and-billing).