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Asked: 2026-06-15T00:33:36+00:00

Has anyone had an issue with the points returned by the Google Directions API?

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Has anyone had an issue with the points returned by the Google Directions API? The overview_polyline doesn’t seem to match the directions I’ve asked for.
The Directions API gives the example:
http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/directions/json?origin=Toronto&destination=Montreal&sensor=false

In the JSON response I see includes:

         "overview_polyline" : {
            "points" : "e`miGhmocNaN~DiBiNe@gEkEek@kNez@cJqq@sk@pGos@v]_}@aF_y@qm@qDe~@w]g~@gZ_Jo_@m_@yNsFgUpMov@~QebBrJq`BjTsx@w@kOqbEq_@qkCcf@}}Dej@yzCuf@o{Ba]m~EtVewAnBa`@sNmm@}dDufGqwA_|D_z@g~CmtBkuOrBmtCyG_yCam@{`Ee]qkB}d@ucDmDe|Aha@e}At]{v@xD}e@yf@aeIm^{rEgp@ahBiZu`BkVueH}gDwuXu`Fi__@yZecHgoAgyIl[ybCo^sgD_n@akBaJmeBog@yyAe`@ayB~FifCjNkmAzTwpAgf@cpFy~@{lJsg@ojHyi@e_Fq}@o`Dog@}tBoYmz@y`@sf@qf@ohCkLugBuv@seAg[ul@mMowBqc@iiC}eAcwCqm@_fBmuAypFyIiqA}BwyBy`@ogAwt@ypBezC{dIahBwxJgb@ytCw~AwvJkQwu@{t@yrCg{@s{Fgb@ehDzKsdAxO}vAiRmpCwcAorNuwAgdS_r@imJq[orAk]wrA_TyzAnFefAa\\guB_OmwAwF{tCwMcbDcr@m}_@}Qo_RgMo|A|d@kpAne@u{Brb@wnDzNkuB_D{v@eSgf@w\\ieAyb@guCii@ifCga@i_Amc@m]urAyoD}o@kiIsr@opQuLkhAc_@q`Bq\\}bEeEyi@iE}t@pHi|@tBmlBebB{qHq_BinFoWgpBoDuqEob@k{ConAedC}L}h@yd@yfAgz@}gAaZi_@m}@mcBwyAaj@_bBg|@csBm_Bo|BkaC{iBqsB_YqyBxEmtBks@aoB{RgLa~@bCcr@cLyoAemBeg@gt@_}@e`@on@uu@etA}vCqp@ubAklDgeGmxFiqHaqFoeHa[wbBu]}gAuoDeeG{uAooB_uAsy@om@ugAu_L{xSshEe_KieDm|KcfIcuWeUcOwy@aP{QuUg`BipF{P_l@klAgaEmjEs}NsvAiyFs}@izFjwAqrGtHkbCeB{cEql@g~CgSk|@mB}oAqNekEgw@cmDo_BgjFqqC}gH}`CwvG}cA{cB}nFowQ_t@an@efBmpE_oAsvCka@mwBk_CqbGuu@qfB{uAmrDivDw|E{nAqbDmpCyaJgdCejHk~@owAsw@adAm_@abA}Ven@qCou@cKeiBca@_cBmlAyjAsn@_kCk}@smDkVg{Bk}@gcHox@_sEaPwdC~KazF{EcpCrEmeGl]auBeEi~@yiAovCwwAgsC{i@oSsbAu~Ay_AmaBk_@iKak@mh@_BmBk@wHvG@dBvA"
         },

Decoding this using the Interactive Polyline Encoder Utility shows a path starting in Toronto as expected but going a different direction with an end point nowhere near Montreal.

Any ideas?

For background, I’m trying to use the polyline to generate a static map. The static map API allows passing encoded polylines.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    I have had success using Mark McClure’s tools:

    http://facstaff.unca.edu/mcmcclur/GoogleMaps/EncodePolyline/

    on archive.org

    Your polyline works for me when I use this tool to decode it:

    http://facstaff.unca.edu/mcmcclur/GoogleMaps/EncodePolyline/decode.html

    on archive.org

    and this to display the results:

    http://facstaff.unca.edu/mcmcclur/GoogleMaps/EncodePolyline/encodeForm.html

    on archive.org

    Encoded polylines often have issues with “\” escaping the next character.

    See this example [1] (can’t seem to get it to display as a link)

    with each ‘\’ changed to a single ‘\’
    From this issue where it does display as a link.

    [1] http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?size=400x400&path=weight:3|color:blue|enc:cyrdIzsee@dOiBpG~j@bA%60t@mGxu@y@xl@pDdTtOnrAtRg@~J|AdHcI~Dpn@dIbwAhY%60Yde@rxBld@d%60B~LpkAzXvtB%60]rt@n_@bqAlo@vw@|NxrApYv{@%60R%60o@hHvqA|i@blE|iArhDdaAvwFz[vkCfsAl{Ei@f_@gYb}@aNtq@rAfv@nRx_Ajg@xbBnQtXnh@%60d@jz@xe@p\pt@pVrY|e@pO%60vAjwAxhAj%60Bj_AzcEvG~c@[ht@yMfz@tIhlDnv@nwIvDfmCiPlrCj@%60sCf]%60vEtVnvCfYzcAfYt_@zUlNtbArWbb@nm@fR~pAsBhqClGjlBj]zxCjo@lbD~a@%60gAzc@ft@lf@faBt]jhAluAjfCntAjlBjk@jWbZvEn^nRxTdWldArsAxWjz@zHhoBuEryCkWrbAwIn_A%60SbhBx\tbBbZpz@hy@pdBzNfm@|Cdq@fKtjAbM~Xf_@dXh}@tArv@h[|pAbb@%60_@nKf_@pYxb@bx@bh@hbAlkAr_BrNjJ|d@dE~|@jJ%60iBfWjhBgs@jr@rEbvAbhAdUfQdU%60Ete@iCrk@aWlXiN%60%60@wFl\dIzVdUz\ls@hw@|fAh|@|pAfiAbnAp|@v{A~[rhAzUhQpf@pG~r@lSdo@te@~T|\bv@jwApf@tsAvj@l~Bfh@fyA|v@nhBdmA~dBdy@vdBz%60@hlB~[~oBbo@znAxsCzbC%60%60@bs@pm@zo@nq@ly@dm@peApi@rr@lo@pXzl@jm@vh@~_A|}AboBle@lh@|_@rOzh@yQfb@oR%60k@%60@lf@nV~p@~u@nl@xpAvnAdgBpq@~\~n@bD%60%60A_A||@fKlzCre@x|BcHbo@hPff@ze@hYbsAps@pgA~p@pgAvYlt@b~@|kDzThe@%60b@%60^zeAntBv%60@%60dAxSvrBhm@hyFfTriA~DjkA~\%60fClo@jeDnS~b@zZfcA|k@j_Cv%60AznCrv@fnAjl@vt@fcAl|@pl@%60dApb@~o@~Mb\zUbUxf@zJtXHf_@g[j\sa@hg@cP%60nAsM%60_BmBpk@_Kz_@sOft@{G~a@%60C~f@cGjj@mTlc@sKl^hGdn@bv@na@pRni@vNzf@re@~qAngAr}Al{@l~@hIt_AfLpyBzvArcAvjAdkBndAtt@faA~x@jv@dkAhy@%60h@hr@jZjWpv@t\bd@xIr\rGrZc%60@d[ad@rIa%60@dT{KhQdLnKfTnOvUdUBje@qQdYrPlRnU%60HbANrGaNbu@jR|jDvAzhChEnUjJtbA}Af[l@|\lKvQMtLtFhh@fHlh@_DZ_BmO&sensor=false

    Here is your line on a static map (after changing \\ to \):

    http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?size=400x400&path=weight:3|color:blue|enc:e%60miGhmocNaN~DiBiNe@gEkEek@kNez@cJqq@sk@pGos@v]_}@aF_y@qm@qDe~@w]g~@gZ_Jo_@m_@yNsFgUpMov@~QebBrJq%60BjTsx@w@kOqbEq_@qkCcf@}}Dej@yzCuf@o{Ba]m~EtVewAnBa%60@sNmm@}dDufGqwA_|D_z@g~CmtBkuOrBmtCyG_yCam@{%60Ee]qkB}d@ucDmDe|Aha@e}At]{v@xD}e@yf@aeIm^{rEgp@ahBiZu%60BkVueH}gDwuXu%60Fi__@yZecHgoAgyIl[ybCo^sgD_n@akBaJmeBog@yyAe%60@ayB~FifCjNkmAzTwpAgf@cpFy~@{lJsg@ojHyi@e_Fq}@o%60Dog@}tBoYmz@y%60@sf@qf@ohCkLugBuv@seAg[ul@mMowBqc@iiC}eAcwCqm@_fBmuAypFyIiqA}BwyBy%60@ogAwt@ypBezC{dIahBwxJgb@ytCw~AwvJkQwu@{t@yrCg{@s{Fgb@ehDzKsdAxO}vAiRmpCwcAorNuwAgdS_r@imJq[orAk]wrA_TyzAnFefAa\guB_OmwAwF{tCwMcbDcr@m}_@}Qo_RgMo|A|d@kpAne@u{Brb@wnDzNkuB_D{v@eSgf@w\ieAyb@guCii@ifCga@i_Amc@m]urAyoD}o@kiIsr@opQuLkhAc_@q%60Bq\}bEeEyi@iE}t@pHi|@tBmlBebB{qHq_BinFoWgpBoDuqEob@k{ConAedC}L}h@yd@yfAgz@}gAaZi_@m}@mcBwyAaj@_bBg|@csBm_Bo|BkaC{iBqsB_YqyBxEmtBks@aoB{RgLa~@bCcr@cLyoAemBeg@gt@_}@e%60@on@uu@etA}vCqp@ubAklDgeGmxFiqHaqFoeHa[wbBu]}gAuoDeeG{uAooB_uAsy@om@ugAu_L{xSshEe_KieDm|KcfIcuWeUcOwy@aP{QuUg%60BipF{P_l@klAgaEmjEs}NsvAiyFs}@izFjwAqrGtHkbCeB{cEql@g~CgSk|@mB}oAqNekEgw@cmDo_BgjFqqC}gH}%60CwvG}cA{cB}nFowQ_t@an@efBmpE_oAsvCka@mwBk_CqbGuu@qfB{uAmrDivDw|E{nAqbDmpCyaJgdCejHk~@owAsw@adAm_@abA}Ven@qCou@cKeiBca@_cBmlAyjAsn@_kCk}@smDkVg{Bk}@gcHox@_sEaPwdC~KazF{EcpCrEmeGl]auBeEi~@yiAovCwwAgsC{i@oSsbAu~Ay_AmaBk_@iKak@mh@_BmBk@wHvG@dBvA&sensor=false

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