Google Places API gets natural language
Google’s Places API now supports natural‑language queries for “nearby” spots, making conversational search for local discovery far easier to implement in apps. That raises the bar for in‑app discovery UX and creates new opportunities for dynamic, context‑aware location experiences. (x.com)
Google’s Places API release notes on March 17, 2026 added a new includeFutureOpeningBusinesses parameter usable in Nearby Search (New), Text Search (New) and Autocomplete (New), and introduced an openingDate field that can be returned in search and place-detail responses. (developers.google.com) Text Search (New) explicitly accepts free‑form textQuery strings (examples: “pizza in New York,” “shoe stores near Ottawa”) and supports location bias, letting developers run conversational, natural‑language searches that are constrained to a nearby area. (developers.google.com) Nearby Search (New) remains a type‑based endpoint that requires POST requests and a response field mask; it returns places by includedTypes, locationRestriction and rankingPreference rather than a raw text query. (developers.google.com) Google’s migration guidance clarifies that Nearby Search (New) does not accept text input and that applications needing natural‑language strings should use Text Search (New) instead. (developers.google.com) The March release also added 180 new place types that can be used to filter results across Autocomplete (New), Nearby Search (New) and Text Search (New), expanding the taxonomy apps can use for precise nearby discovery. (developers.google.com) Places API (New) now includes AI‑powered area summaries (neighborhood and EV charging amenity summaries) and enforces field masking with fields mapped to pricing SKUs, while setup still requires an enabled billing account and API key — changes that affect what fields developers request and how requests are billed. (developers.google.com)
