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API directory · Google Maps Platform

Places API: rich place discovery for your product

The Places API (New) gives your application access to Google's global places database, covering search, autocomplete, enriched details and AI-powered summaries. As India's largest Google Maps Platform reseller and Premier Partner, Lepton picks the right Places surface for your use case and delivers the integration end to end.

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What the API does

Google's places database, searchable and enriched

The Places API (New) is the current production release of Google's place data surface. It covers Text Search, Nearby Search, Place Details, Place Photos and Autocomplete, with field masks to control exactly which data fields you pull and pay for. It also surfaces enhanced attributes: payment and parking options, fuel and EV charge options, accessibility details and amenities. AI-powered summaries of places, reviews and areas are rolling out on select SKUs; we confirm availability for your region and plan during scoping.

The legacy Places API can no longer be enabled for new projects. New integrations use the New version.

Use cases

Where teams put the Places API to work

  1. 01

    Discovery · In-app local search and point-of-interest discovery

    Consumer apps use Text Search and Nearby Search to surface restaurants, retailers, services and landmarks, enriched with photos, ratings and attribute data from Google's database.

  2. 02

    Address entry · Autocomplete at checkout and registration

    Place Autocomplete with session tokens reduces keystroke latency and improves address capture accuracy at the point of entry, with session-based billing that keeps cost predictable.

  3. 03

    Proptech · Enriched neighbourhood context for real estate

    Property portals use Place Details and Nearby Search to surface schools, hospitals, transit stops and retail density around a listing, giving buyers richer context without a separate data vendor.

  4. 04

    Retail · Store locator and site selection

    Retail and franchise teams use Nearby Search filtered by place type and operating status to power store finders, and Places data feeds into site-selection analysis alongside Places Insights.

Where Lepton comes in

API selection, session-token architecture and field-mask cost engineering

Google Maps Platform has 50+ APIs. We pick the ones that solve your problem and deliver the integration. For Places specifically, the choices that drive cost and quality are the Places surface variant, the field mask configuration and whether Autocomplete sessions are wired correctly.

Selection

Picking the right Places surface

Text Search, Nearby Search, Place Details and Autocomplete bill differently and return different data. We match the right surface to each feature, so you do not pay for data you do not use.

Integration

End-to-end SDK and API wiring

GCP project setup, API key configuration, service account scoping, field mask definition and session token wiring for Autocomplete, delivered as a working integration rather than a price list.

Cost

Field-mask and session-based billing engineering

Field masks on Place Details requests are the single largest cost lever. We define them against your data requirements and validate session token coverage on Autocomplete flows.

Google Maps Platform · Places API (New)
POST places:searchText · vegetarian restaurants, Indiranagar, Bengaluru
host places.googleapis.com · auth X-Goog-Api-Key · the field mask is mandatory and it is what you are billed on
200 OK
3 places returned

Request headers and JSON body

POST https://places.googleapis.com/v1/places:searchText
Content-Type: application/json
X-Goog-Api-Key: <your key>
X-Goog-FieldMask: places.id,places.displayName,places.formattedAddress,
                  places.location,places.rating,places.userRatingCount,
                  places.businessStatus,places.primaryType

{
  "textQuery": "vegetarian restaurant in Indiranagar Bengaluru",
  "includedType": "restaurant",
  "regionCode": "IN",
  "languageCode": "en",
  "minRating": 4.0,
  "locationBias": {
    "circle": {
      "center": { "latitude": 12.9784, "longitude": 77.6408 },
      "radius": 1500.0
    }
  }
}
The field mask is the cost lever. X-Goog-FieldMask lists eight paths, so eight keys come back per place and the request is billed on that set. Ask for places.reviews or places.photos and the same query moves to a dearer SKU. locationBias is a preference, not a fence; locationRestriction is the hard version.

Response application/json

{
  "places": [
    {
      "id": "ChIJXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX1",
      "displayName": { "text": "Tulsi Kitchen", "languageCode": "en" },
      "formattedAddress": "12th Main Rd, Indiranagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560038, India",
      "location": { "latitude": 12.97812, "longitude": 77.64114 },
      "rating": 4.4,
      "userRatingCount": 2187,
      "businessStatus": "OPERATIONAL",
      "primaryType": "vegetarian_restaurant"
    },
    {
      "id": "ChIJXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX2",
      "displayName": { "text": "Neem Tree Cafe", "languageCode": "en" },
      "formattedAddress": "100 Feet Rd, Indiranagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560038, India",
      "location": { "latitude": 12.97094, "longitude": 77.64027 },
      "rating": 4.2,
      "userRatingCount": 1043,
      "businessStatus": "OPERATIONAL",
      "primaryType": "restaurant"
    },
    {
      "id": "ChIJXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX3",
      "displayName": { "text": "Anna Tiffin House", "languageCode": "en" },
      "formattedAddress": "CMH Rd, Indiranagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560038, India",
      "location": { "latitude": 12.97655, "longitude": 77.63719 },
      "rating": 4.1,
      "userRatingCount": 618,
      "businessStatus": "OPERATIONAL",
      "primaryType": "restaurant"
    }
  ]
}
field mask8 paths requested, 8 keys returned on every place, nothing elseminRating 4.03 results, at 4.4, 4.2 and 4.1biascircle radius 1500 m at 12.9784, 77.6408; all 3 fall inside it
Fig. · One Text Search call, trimmed for the page. The endpoint, the headers, the request fields and every response field are the documented Places API (New) surface. The place names, IDs, addresses, coordinates, ratings and rating counts are illustrative and describe no real place or business.
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