The Places API is a service that accepts HTTP requests for location
data through a variety of methods. It returns formatted location data
and imagery about establishments, geographic locations, or prominent
points of interest.
Why use the Places API (New)
Create location-aware features to make detailed location data
available to your users. The data available through the
Places API (New) is built on one of the most accurate, up-to-date,
and comprehensive place models of the real world. Here are example use
cases for applications:
Display condo rentals within major metropolitan areas with results
targeted specifically to cities.
Include place details in a pickup or delivery status update.
Display a list of parks in an area along with user-submitted
photos and reviews.
Provide people planning trips with contact information, reviews,
and price levels for establishments along the way.
What can you do with the Places API (New)
You can use the Places API (New) to include the following features
in your applications:
Provide place search results from different types of users queries,
such as text input, nearby locations, and ambiguous or categorical
user queries.
Enable autocomplete features for different search types, either
specific text queries or categorical queries.
Refine the type of details returned about a place, such as
operating hours, a summary, user reviews, and a photo.
Add high-quality photos to locations served by your application.
Many Google Maps Platform APIs support place IDs, where
the place ID uniquely identifies a place in the Google Places database and
on Google Maps. There are many ways to obtain a place ID, including from
the Places API (New), but also from the Geocoding API, Routes API, and Address Validation API.
Once you have a place ID, you can use the Places API (New) to
request more details about a particular establishment or point of
interest, such as its complete address, phone number, user rating, and
reviews.
How the Places API (New) works
Places API (New) accepts requests as a standard URL with a
specific service endpoint, such as /places or
places:searchText and returns a JSON response.
Places API (New) supports authorization by API key and OAuth token.
The following example makes a Place Details (New) request to return
the address components for a place ID using an API key:
The steps below cover a typical use case scenario for using the Places
API service. As you build out your solution, you can use additional
endpoints, such as Nearby Search (New) and Place Photos (New).
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-21 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eThe Places API provides location data and imagery for establishments, geographic locations, and points of interest through various methods.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eYou can use the Places API to create location-aware features, such as place search, autocomplete, details retrieval, and photo integration.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe Places API offers two versions: Places API and Places API (New), with differences outlined in a guide for choosing the best fit for your project.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eYou can access places data through requests to specific service endpoints using an API key or OAuth token, receiving responses in JSON or XML format.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eDetailed steps for using the API include setup, text search, place details retrieval using place IDs, and accessing place photos.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["Select platform: [Android](/maps/documentation/places/android-sdk/overview \"View this page for the Android platform docs.\") [iOS](/maps/documentation/places/ios-sdk/overview \"View this page for the iOS platform docs.\") [JavaScript](/maps/documentation/javascript/place \"View this page for the JavaScript platform docs.\") [Web Service](/maps/documentation/places/web-service/overview \"View this page for the Web Service platform docs.\") \n**European Economic Area (EEA) developers** If your billing address is in the European Economic Area, effective on 8 July 2025, the [Google Maps Platform EEA Terms of Service](https://cloud.google.com/terms/maps-platform/eea) will apply to your use of the Services. Functionality varies by region. [Learn more](/maps/comms/eea/faq).\n\nIntroduction The Places API is a service that accepts HTTP requests for location data through a variety of methods. It returns formatted location data and imagery about establishments, geographic locations, or prominent points of interest. **Note:** Google Maps Platform provides separate versions of the Places library for [Android](/maps/documentation/places/android-sdk/overview), [iOS](/maps/documentation/places/ios-sdk/overview), and [JavaScript](/maps/documentation/javascript/places). We recommend that you use the version of the Places library specific to your platform. That is, if you are developing an Android app, you should use the Android version of Places.\n\nWhy use the Places API (New)\n\nCreate location-aware features to make detailed location data\navailable to your users. The data available through the\nPlaces API (New) is built on one of the most accurate, up-to-date,\nand comprehensive place models of the real world. Here are example use\ncases for applications:\n\n- Display condo rentals within major metropolitan areas with results targeted specifically to cities.\n- Include place details in a pickup or delivery status update.\n- Display a list of parks in an area along with user-submitted photos and reviews.\n- Provide people planning trips with contact information, reviews, and price levels for establishments along the way.\n\n| **Note:** Places API (New) is the current version. Places API is now Legacy and can no longer be enabled. Legacy documentation and migration guides are available on the [Legacy](/maps/documentation/places/web-service/overview-legacy) tab.\n\nWhat can you do with the Places API (New)\n\nYou can use the Places API (New) to include the following features\nin your applications:\n\n- Provide place search results from different types of users queries, such as text input, nearby locations, and ambiguous or categorical user queries.\n- Enable autocomplete features for different search types, either specific text queries or categorical queries.\n- Refine the type of details returned about a place, such as operating hours, a summary, user reviews, and a photo.\n- Add high-quality photos to locations served by your application.\n\nMany Google Maps Platform APIs support [place IDs](/maps/documentation/places/web-service/place-id), where\nthe place ID uniquely identifies a place in the Google Places database and\non Google Maps. There are many ways to obtain a place ID, including from\nthe Places API (New), but also from the [Geocoding API](/maps/documentation/geocoding), [Routes API](/maps/documentation/routes), and [Address Validation API](/maps/documentation/address-validation).\n\nOnce you have a place ID, you can use the Places API (New) to\nrequest more details about a particular establishment or point of\ninterest, such as its complete address, phone number, user rating, and\nreviews.\n\nHow the Places API (New) works\n\nPlaces API (New) accepts requests as a standard URL with a\nspecific service endpoint, such as `/places` or\n`places:searchText` and returns a JSON response.\nPlaces API (New) supports authorization by API key and OAuth token.\nThe following example makes a Place Details (New) request to return\nthe address components for a place ID using an API key: \n\n```html\nhttps://places.googleapis.com/v1/places/GyuEmsRBfy61i59si0?fields=addressComponents&key=YOUR_API_KEY\n```\n\nHow to use the Places API (New) The steps below cover a typical use case scenario for using the Places API service. As you build out your solution, you can use additional endpoints, such as Nearby Search (New) and Place Photos (New).\n\n|---|---------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|\n| 1 | **Get set up** | Start with [Set up your Google Cloud project](/maps/documentation/elevation/cloud-setup) and complete the setup instructions that follow and then learn [how to use your API key](/maps/documentation/places/web-service/get-api-key). |\n| 2 | **Try a basic text search** | Issue a text search by using [Text Search (New)](/maps/documentation/places/web-service/text-search). |\n| 3 | **Use the place ID for more details** | Many Google Maps Platform APIs return a place ID as part of a response. Use place IDs to get [Place Details (New)](/maps/documentation/places/web-service/place-details). |\n| 4 | **Get a photo for a place** | Place Photos (New) gives you access to the millions of photos stored in the Places database. Use [Place Photos (New)](/maps/documentation/places/web-service/place-photos) to access photos for a place. |"]]
