Skip to content

NEW_PLACES_API_SETUP.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
62 lines (47 loc) · 2.61 KB

NEW_PLACES_API_SETUP.md

File metadata and controls

62 lines (47 loc) · 2.61 KB
Raw

New Google Places API Setup Guide

✅ Code Updates Complete

Your PlaceService.swift has been updated to use the new Google Places API (New). The changes include:

1. Autocomplete API Changes

  • Old: https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/place/autocomplete/json
  • New: https://places.googleapis.com/v1/places:autocomplete
  • Method: Changed from GET to POST with JSON body
  • Headers: Added X-Goog-Api-Key and Content-Type: application/json

2. Place Details API Changes

  • Old: https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/place/details/json
  • New: https://places.googleapis.com/v1/places/{PLACE_ID}
  • Headers: Added X-Goog-Api-Key and X-Goog-FieldMask

🔧 Required Google Cloud Console Setup

Step 1: Enable New Places API

  1. Go to Google Cloud Console APIs
  2. Search for "Places API (New)"
  3. Click on it and press "Enable"

Step 2: Update API Key Restrictions (REQUIRED)

  1. Go to API Keys
  2. Click on your API key
  3. Under "Application restrictions":
    • Select "HTTP referrers"
    • Add https://hushmap.app/* as an authorized referrer
    • For development, add http://localhost:*/* (optional)
  4. Under "API restrictions":
    • Add "Places API (New)" to the list of restricted APIs

⚠️ CRITICAL SECURITY WARNING: Unrestricted API keys will lead to unauthorized usage and additional billing charges. Google will send warning emails for unrestricted keys. See API_KEY_SECURITY.md for details.

Step 3: Verify Old API Disable (Optional)

  • You can now disable the legacy "Places API" since we're using the new one
  • This won't affect your implementation

🧪 Testing the New Implementation

After enabling the new API, test by:

  1. Opening the app
  2. Tapping the Search button in the top menu
  3. Typing a place name (e.g., "Preston")
  4. You should see autocomplete suggestions without errors

📝 What Changed in Code

The main changes preserve the same interface but use the new API format:

  • Request Format: Now uses JSON POST requests with proper headers
  • Response Parsing: Updated to handle the new JSON structure
  • Field Names: Updated to match new API field names (displayName.text vs name)
  • Location Data: Updated path (location.latitude vs geometry.location.lat)

🎯 For Google Maps Platform Awards

This update demonstrates:

  • Modern API Usage: Using the latest Google Places API
  • Best Practices: Proper error handling and request formatting
  • Technical Excellence: Professional API integration suitable for awards submission