GoV3: It's time to Upgrade

Last week, I mentioned in my Fab Friday post that it’s been two years since the deprecation of V2 of the Google Maps JavaScript API. In those two years, we’ve seen the number of sites using the Google Maps API grow from 350,000 to 800,000, and we have happily seen many sites switch from V2 of the Google Maps API to V3. As we have less than a year before the end of the deprecation period for the Maps API V2, it’s time to remind  everyone else to upgrade to the latest version of the Google Maps API.



With that in mind, Thor Mitchell, Product Manager for the Google Maps API, will sit down Thursday night 18:30 Pacific Time with me and Chris Broadfoot to discuss the benefits of V3, how to migrate from V2, and any other questions you might have about the Maps API. We’ll answer any questions you post on Google Moderator and join us live in the hangout. For those of you not able to join, you can view the video later, which we will post to this blog and to our Google+ Page.



We will also be conducting regular office hours every week, alternating between Sydney and Mountain View friendly times. You can ask your questions about upgrading or anything else related to Google Maps. Just keep an eye on our Google+ Page for more information.



What do you get with V3? Here’s just a few features that are only available in V3:



Styled Maps

Distance Matrix

Places Library

Geometry Library

Weather Library

Circles and Rectangles

Marker Animation

And much more



So we look forward to seeing you in office hours, online, and at Google I/O!





Posted by Mano Marks, Google Maps Developer Relations Team