The Google Maps Platform is how third-parties can develop with Google Maps, and the company is now expanding its free usage limits. As of today, the platform is used by “over 10 million websites and apps.”
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This month, the Google Maps Platform will celebrate its 15th anniversary as a way for third parties to build on the company’s mapping data. A new Local Context capability lets developers add more than just maps to a site or app.
Google last year revamped its Maps Platform API and also catered it towards AR gaming. Many of these experiences, like Pokémon Go, take advantage of location data and today Google is adding three new features to makes games more immersive, realistic, and powerful.
Google Maps has long been a developer platform where third-parties can build off Google’s location services and data. Today, Google is launching its “next generation” version, beginning with a new name for the simplified service, as well as new use cases.
In retrospect, Pokémon Go in 2016 popularized the trend of real-world mobile games that are now intersecting with the augmented reality push on both Android and iOS. Google is now capitalizing on this wave by opening up the real-time updates and location data already found in Maps to game developers.
