Describe an idea and it assembles a map app
Google announced on its official blog on Nov. 9 (U.S. time) that developers can now build apps using its mapping service "Google Maps Platform" inside its developer service "Google AI Studio." AI Studio is a Google service that lets users build apps by giving text instructions to its AI model "Gemini." When a user describes the app they want, AI Studio takes care of setting up Google Maps Platform and managing the API key (the key used to call the service). Google said apps ranging from store finders and route planning to 3D aerial flyovers of cities and real-time air quality monitoring can be built "in minutes."
According to the official blog, the process has three steps. First, the user tells Gemini in AI Studio what they want to build, such as an interactive 3D tour of New York landmarks. Next, AI Studio makes Google Maps Platform ready to use without moving to another screen, and automatically connects an existing Google Cloud project if there is one. Finally, AI Studio builds the map into the app and displays an interactive map in the preview screen. A second official blog post said users no longer need to leave their workspace to set up billing or credentials.
Google AI Studio's official X account announced the feature at 2:01 a.m. Nov. 10 Japan time.
you can now build with google maps platform in AI Studio 🗺️📍 go from idea to app powered by @googlemaps in minutes! what’s new: - 1-click setup - create maps apps just by describing your idea, gemini does the rest - build with map tiles, places, weather, routing, 3D https://t.co/d9jCxptYhS
Four areas: maps, places, routes and environment
The official blog grouped the main available APIs into four areas. With Maps, developers can create maps with custom styling, photorealistic 3D cityscapes and data overlays. Places covers conversational nearby search, detailed information on stores and facilities, photo galleries and context-aware recommendations. Routes can produce multi-stop road trip plans, commute time calculations and daily itineraries that take public transit into account. Environment can be used to build features that find routes with cleaner air, pollen information and local environmental monitoring.
Official sample apps that can be modified are available in AI Studio's gallery. "City Immersive Tour" flies over a 3D city map along a set camera path. "Pet Grooming Route Optimizer" calculates routes for mobile pet grooming vans visiting multiple stops, taking into account appointment times, priority stops and drivers' working hours. "Store Locator & Near Me Finder" builds a store finder that filters stores by distance and lets users check opening hours and branch information.
Free use is a prototyping key, limited to 100 calls per API per day
Google says users can start building apps for free, without a credit card. This free use is limited to a mechanism for prototyping. According to the official blog, the prototyping quota is 100 calls per API per day and resets every 24 hours, which it said is meant to prevent unexpected bills.
According to the official documentation, this prototyping key is called the "Maps Demo Key." For first-time Google Cloud users, AI Studio creates a free project and a Maps Demo Key. The Maps Demo Key does not give access to every Google Maps Platform API. Even with a new user's key, three APIs are excluded: "Route Optimization," "Solar" and "Nav Connect." When existing Google Cloud users try it for free, access is limited to APIs commonly used for prototyping, and user-contributed content such as photos and reviews is excluded from the Places API.
To go to production or to increase the number of calls, users link a Google Cloud billing account. The official blog said charges follow standard Google Maps Platform pricing, with a monthly free usage allowance. Neither the announcement nor the documentation states the pricing amounts or the figures for production quotas. The documentation said that after billing is linked, the earlier demo key can still be used and the app's code does not need to be changed. If users select a Google Cloud project that already has billing set up from the start, they can use a standard API key with all APIs and standard quotas without using the Maps Demo Key.
| Item | New users | Existing users (free prototyping) | Existing users (linking a project with billing) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key type | Maps Demo Key | Maps Demo Key | Standard Google Cloud API key |
| Billing setup | No credit card or billing account required | No credit card or billing account required | Google Cloud billing account required |
| Available APIs | All APIs except Route Optimization, Solar and Nav Connect | APIs commonly used for prototyping (Places API excludes photos and reviews) | All APIs |
| Daily limit | 100 calls per API per day | 100 calls per API per day | Standard quotas and monthly free allowance |
| Intended use | Prototyping, testing and AI Studio web apps | Prototyping, testing and AI Studio web apps | Production web and mobile apps |
This announcement concerns a way for developers to build apps that incorporate Google Maps Platform in AI Studio. It is separate from the feature launched Oct. 22 that lets the Gemini app refer to a user's own Google Maps searches and saved places (article on Gemini's Maps integration).
