Google Maps Api Key
Register a Google Maps API key. You can register a Google Maps API key. Steps: Visit the Google Maps Platform page and click Get started. Select the Places product to get the APIs that are needed to work with the free themes Map section. Click Continue. The Select a project step asks you to associate a name with your use of Google's APIs.
@DrFred I have seen that it takes a bit longer to get the first response from the Geocoding API. The delay problem certainly comes from Google servers trying to authenticate you with an API key but I am glad to have a working solution and I hope this workaround will work as long as possible. Before this hack, I couldn't even test Google Maps API from localhost without API key. If I would work on a new project, I would certainly use OpenStreetMap for free maps and to get rid of these restrictions.–Sep 11 '16 at 21:04. Previously it wasn't required and sites that used the API without a key prior to June 22, 2016 have been grandfathered to allow them to continue to work.See (relevant text below):As of June 22, 2016 we are making the following changes to the Google Maps APIs Standard Plan:. We no longer support keyless access (any request that doesn't include an API key). Future product updates are only available for requests made with an API key.
Google Maps Api Key Cost
API keys are useful in clients such as browser and mobile applications that don't have a backend server. The API key is used to track API requests associated with your project for quota and billing. API keys have important limitations, such as: A limited number of GCP services allow access using only an API key: Google Cloud Natural Language API. Google Maps API Key – The API key is used to confirm that the application is registered and authorized to use Google Play Services. See Obtaining a Google Maps API Key for details about this key. Request the legacy Apache HTTP client – Apps that target Android 9.0 (API level 28).
API keys allow us to contact developers when required and help us identify misbehaving implementations. We have implemented a simple 25,000 map loads per day free limit to new Google Maps JavaScript API, Static Maps API, and Street View Image API implementations. The confusing 90-consecutive-day grace period for these APIs is being retired on October 12, 2016.