Skip to main content

Places API gets updates. What’s new for your website and app users?

By February 15, 2023Blog, Google Maps, retail
places-api-updates

Places API is a part of the Google Maps Platform. This API gives us access to ratings, reviews, and information about over 200 million places and businesses worldwide. The Google team prepared some new updates for Places API. Now you’ll be able to present even more information to your users. Read about the new functions and use them to improve user satisfaction and get new clients!

Add information for people with disabilities

Now, Places API allows you to add accessibility data. Therefore, your apps and websites can help users know if a destination has stair-free access and at least 1 meter-wide entrances. This is helpful for anyone with mobility issues but also for people with strollers, delivery carts, luggage, or other heavy, bulky items.

Show special and secondary opening hours

Besides your usual opening hours, you can now add special and secondary opening hours. Special opening hours can be helpful when you need to temporarily change your place’s schedule, e.g., for holidays. Secondary opening hours are the perfect solution for companies who offer different services at different times. For example, a drive-thru may have other working hours than the dining room at a restaurant.

opening-hours

Display a short description of your business

Every place on Google Maps can have a one-line description, a so-called editorial summary. Many owners asked Google to make it available through the Places API. Now you can display short descriptions of your places in your apps and your preferred language.

Share attributes about dining and shopping services

Users who research restaurants online will only choose your place if you provide enough information. Do you offer take-outs? Can clients book tables? Do you have vegetarian options? Places API now has data fields for dining and shopping services so you can show more information and help users choose your place.

new-attributes

Sort and automatically translate reviews

With Places API, you can display reviews about your places written by Google users. Before, developers couldn’t choose which reviews would appear on websites and apps. But now, with a new reviews_sort parameter, you can choose to show the most relevant or newest reviews. Moreover, the Places API can now return translated reviews in the request’s preferred language by default.

These are all the new Places API features. However, Google promised more improvements that will help increase the satisfaction of your recurring and new clients. Request your ideas for new functionalities on the Google website. And if you’re still considering whether to add Google Maps to your website or app, get in touch with us! Our location-based services experts will help you select the best solution for your business.

Source: https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/maps-platform/help-users-discover-more-new-places-api-updates