Google to cut pricing of Maps Platform for developers in India by up to 70% from August 1

Google is set to slash the prices of the Google Maps Platform by as much as 70% from August 1, 2024 for developers in India. The company has introduced a fresh country-specific pricing structure to make building location-based solutions easier, Moneycontrol reported.Google will also partner with the Open Network fo Digital Commerce (ONDC) to offer further discounts for a limited period to developers building for ONDC. This will result in select Google Maps Platform APIs, which are used to drive ecommerce as well as adjacent use cases, witnessing up to 90% discount, Moneycontrol reported quoting Google.

The report stated that Google announced the same at its developer event Google I/O Connect Bengaluru on Wednesday, July 17. It will also begin accepting payments in Indian rupees. Earlier, customers from India were charged in US dollars. The company said the reduction in prices will make Google Maps more accessibile to developers who want to build location-based solutions in India.

On another note, Ola chief Bhavish Aggarwal has been encouraging developers publicly to adopt Ola Maps by also offering a free one-year access.Around two weeks after Ola Cabs exited Google Maps

to shift to its in-house Ola Maps for operations, saving the company nearly ₹100 crore a year.

Ola Group’s co-founder and chairman Bhavish Aggarwal on X said after the exit of Azure last month, the company has now fully exited Google Maps. He said the company used to spend ₹100 crore a year on the same and has now made that to zero by moving completely to its in-house Ola Maps. He asked users to check their Ola apps and update if required.

He said there are many features such as street view, indoor images, NERFs, drone maps, 3D maps, etc coming soon.

Aggarwal has also been posting screenshots on his X account, claiming the increasing adoption of the Ola Maps.

Three months ago, the Ola Group completed the transition of its entire workload to Krutrim, its in-house AI firm, after cutting ties with Microsoft Azure.

In October 2021, Ola has acquired Pune-based provider of geospatial services GeoSoc.