I’m sure you have heard the buzz about iOS 6, Apple Maps, and alternatives to Apple Maps; in fact, at this point, I would be surprised if you haven’t! While this topic was dominating the headlines, the MapQuest mobile development team was busy putting the finishing touches on the next release of the Android Maps API. Version 1.0.4 is available for download today and includes the following bug fixes and enhancements:

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed an issue related to map tiles not showing up in certain situations
• Fixed a bug in default route narrative rendering
• Fixed alignment issues and a bug when setting focus on an item in an ItemizedOverlay

Enhancements:

• Added the option to turn off auto-starting of guidance and the ability to use custom messaging instead of the default prompt in MapQuestAppLauncher
• Added the ability to customize the background loading tile
• Added the ability for a MyLocation overlay to use a plain Drawable instead of a BitmapDrawable to more easily customize the marker
• Made drawing more efficient for larger sets of points in a LineOverlay
• Changed the pointer height and width calculations to allow for customization in an AnnotationView
• Removed enforcement of subclassing of MapActivity when using maps

The Android Maps API is designed to be a drop-in replacement for the existing mapping framework included with the Android operating system and includes many of the features MapQuest is known for, such as integrated maps and driving directions, geocoding, and the ability to switch between licensed and open data.

We always like to hear about the great apps that you’ve built with our APIs, so if you’ve built something using the Android Maps API and want us to feature it, let us know by tweeting us @MapQuestTech!

Both APIs have been designed as “drop in” replacements for the native Google mapping APIs.  To switch simply include our API instead of the native API.  We used the same object model as the native API, while of course extending it to add great features such as integrated driving directions plus the ability to use OpenStreetMap data or our licensed datasets.

Just like all of our APIs, our native mobile APIs feature no preset limits on maps with our free Community Edition license.  See the Terms Overview for a fuller explanation of our license options and limitations.

Both the Android and Apple iOS Map APIs come with a full set of samples to show off many of the great features available, which include:

Android Maps API

• Advanced routing options and ability to display the route directly on the map
• Built-in geocoding and reverse geocoding
• Smooth animation when zooming/panning
• Ability to rotate the map
• Support of shape and image overlays
• Developer’s Guide

Apple iOS Maps API Beta

• Advanced routing options and ability to display the route directly on the map
• Reverse geocoding
• Smooth animation when zooming/panning
• Support of shape and image overlays

For those interested in using OpenStreetMap data, simply don’t pass a key and the API will automatically default to using OpenStreetMap data and services.

So in summary, you can replace your native API with hardly any effort and get more features plus no preset limits on map transactions!  What are you waiting for?  Check out the documentation and samples at the following links:

Android Maps API

Apple iOS Maps API (Beta)

Please let us know what you think on our forums and please please tell us about any great apps you’ve built.  We’re excited to see what you come up with.

In addition to our new transactional limits (or lack thereof!) we wanted to clarify where and how you can use our APIs with a Community Edition license.  You CAN develop paid mobile applications for app stores using our Community Edition licenses.  You can also use SSL.

For all the details, check out the following Map API Licensing and Terms Overview.  Also check out the Terms of Use for all the legal specifics.  I’ve included the handy chart available from the overview below.  Head over to the MapQuest Developer Network to sign up for a free map API key and start developing!

	ENTERPRISE	COMMUNITY
	Licensed Data	Licensed Data	Open Data
Maps	(No preset limit)*	(No preset limit)*	(No preset limit)*
Directions	(No preset limit)*	(5000 calls/day)	(No preset limit)*
Geocoding	(No preset limit)*	(5000 calls/day)	(No preset limit)*
Search	(No preset limit)*	(5000 calls/day)	(No preset limit)*
Route Matrix	(No preset limit)*	(5000 route pairs/day)
Traffic **
Non-Commercial or Public Web Apps
Non-Commercial or Public Mobile Apps
Private and/or Paid Commercial Web Apps
Paid Mobile Apps
SSL
Forum Support
Premium Support(24/7 Phone & Email Support)
System Performance Levels
Account Management

* MapQuest operates a shared service and reserves the right to limit access to prevent service degradation.  Please contact MapQuest to discuss applications with heavy traffic volume expectations.

** The Traffic API Web Service cannot be used for real-time navigation, in conjunction with in-car or stand alone portable navigation devices, or be used as the primary purpose of your website or application.

Sample application using advanced routing options.

This is why we’re announcing today the first beta release of the MapQuest Android Maps API! Additionally, we’re providing a large number of samples to showcase our toolkit and provide the source code for each. The following describes just a few of the features you’ll find in this beta release:

• Advanced routing options and ability to display the route directly on the map
• Built-in geocoding and reverse geocoding
• Smooth animation when zooming/panning
• Ability to rotate the map
• Trackball gesture detector
• Support of shape and image overlays

But that’s not all! The OpenStreetMap (OSM) community may be pleased to learn that, similar to our free Android app, our popular OSM tiles and Open Services are all available as part of the MapQuest SDK for Android! By simply leaving the android:apiKey attribute blank, the map and its related services will default to the Open tiles and directions, and use Nominatim for searching/geocoding.

To download our documentation and samples, please refer to the following links.

MapQuest Android Maps API and Android Samples
API Reference Guide

Don’t forget to help us improve our API by sending feedback and reporting any bugs to AndroidSDK@mapquest.com. All feedback is greatly appreciated. Enjoy!