In the past, non-commercial use of the Maps API was essentially unlimited.

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Apple has already left Big G to develop its own platform and now Amazon is going the same root with Amazon Maps API.

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APIs can form the basis of business model, as in the case of Stripe, a payments API, or they can be a revenue stream (for example, the Google Maps API).

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After the user is prompted for his or her address, the Google Maps API fetches and incorporates dynamic maps and street view data of the user's hometown into the animated content of the video itself.

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For example, a telephony API gives you the power of the phone network without the need to purchase expensive hardware, a mapping API makes it possible for you to build customized, dynamic maps without signing contracts with data providers, and a payments API lets you accept payments without having to worry about complying with complex financial regulations, etc.

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Also, Google created an API, allowing users to implement maps within their own applications.

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