{
"error_message" : "This API project is not authorized to use this API. Please ensure that this API is activated in the APIs Console",
"results" : [],
"status" : "REQUEST_DENIED"
}
I thought I had already enabled the necessary API. I logged into my Google Console to confirm that the Geocoding API is enabled.
API authorization errors are a nightmare to debug manually. Could be billing issues, wrong project settings, API restrictions - tons of possibilities.
I’ve hit this same problem multiple times. Rather than digging through Google’s console trying to find what’s broken, I just automated the whole geocoding process.
Build a simple automation that handles API calls, checks for errors, and has backup options ready. When Google throws authorization errors, it automatically retries with different settings or switches to other geocoding services.
Mine monitors API responses and alerts me when things break. Plus it logs everything so I can see what’s actually happening without hunting through console logs.
Best part? You can hook it up to multiple geocoding services. Google fails? It automatically tries OpenStreetMap or another provider.
This saved me hours of API debugging headaches. Check it out: https://latenode.com
Had this exact issue six months ago in production. Turned out to be API quotas even though everything looked enabled. Google has separate quotas for different methods within the Geocoding API. Check your project quotas under APIs & Services > Quotas - look for ‘Geocoding API requests per day’ and ‘requests per 100 seconds per user.’ Default quotas can be crazy low even with billing enabled. Also check your API key scope. Keys sometimes get created with limited permissions that don’t include reverse geocoding (what you’re doing with the latlng parameter). Might work for forward geocoding but fail on reverse lookups. Try the request without IP restrictions first to rule out network issues. I wasted a whole day thinking it was billing when my office IP wasn’t whitelisted properly.
Been there, done that. That Google Console URL looks ancient - they haven’t used that format in years.
Here’s what usually works:
First, check the right console. Go to console.cloud.google.com, select your project, then hit APIs & Services > Enabled APIs. Look for “Geocoding API.”
Second - billing. I’ve seen this a million times. Google needs a billing account linked to your project now, even if the API’s enabled. Check under Billing in the left menu.
Third, your API key restrictions. Go to APIs & Services > Credentials, find your key, and make sure it’s unrestricted or allows the Geocoding API.
Had this exact error last month. API was enabled but billing was screwed up. Fixed it in 2 minutes.
Try billing first - that’s usually the problem these days.
double-check you’re using the API key for the right project. I’ve seen ppl grab keys from old projects that don’t have geocoding turned on. Also make sure the key isn’t locked to specific websites or IPs if you’re testing from different spots. spent hours banging my head against this once lol