It’s been six years since Google introduced the Earth API for 3D mapping, but today the company is announcing its retirement.
Google is letting go API because it’s built on a technology called the NPAPI plugin framework, which is being abandoned by both Chrome and Firefox for security reasons. The lack of cross-platform support on mobile devices also factored into the decision.
The company says the API will shutdown a year from now on December 12, 2015. It’s not announcing a replacement at the moment, but notes it will be “sharing more exciting product news in the future.”
➤ Announcing deprecation of the Google Earth API [Google Geo Developers Blog]
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