Trying to understand Azure Maps API names, usage, and which calls are billable

Question

Trying to understand Azure Maps API names, usage, and which calls are billable

Bill Malone 20

Can someone explain these API names and their usage?

My application renders map tiles on the home screen, and ideally these should be pulling from cache. However, I’m seeing a large number of API calls such as MapCopyright.GetDynamicTilesetAttribution, MapTile.GetFreeTile, and ReverseGeocode.

I don’t fully understand why these values fluctuate or why the counts (e.g., a high number of MapCopyright.GetDynamicTilesetAttribution) are so different.

Questions:

Is this normal behavior when initializing Azure Maps, or does it suggest the map component is re-initializing?

Does the MapCopyright.GetDynamicTilesetAttribution call add loading delay?

Which of these requests are billable under Azure Maps pricing?

Should these attribution/tile calls be cached automatically, or do I need to handle caching explicitly in my service worker?

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Answer 1

IoTGirl 3,811 Microsoft Employee Moderator

Hi Bill,

Of the three APIs you mention, only the Reverse Geocoder is Billable. Check out the API table at https://free.blessedness.top/en-us/azure/azure-maps/understanding-azure-maps-transactions to understand the various classes of billable transactions. So for Tiles, see "Render" and it has a note "Yes, the is billable except Get Copyright API, Get Attribution API and Terra maps (MapTile.GetTerraTile and layer=terra) which are nonbillable." The calls you mention are Attribution calls and therefore are non-billable. Reverse Geocoder is a "Search" API so it is explained in that section of the table.

Sincerely,

IoTGirl

Bill Malone 20 Reputation points

2025-10-25T13:33:41.39+00:00

Thank you — that’s very helpful. I’m noticing a much higher number of copyright calls compared to the others. Is that typical behavior, or could it indicate a configuration issue on our end?”
Bill Malone 20 Reputation points

2025-10-25T14:30:19.9366667+00:00

One additional question — we’re primarily trying to use Azure Maps tiles for a basic street map view, but the SDK appears to be returning tiles for traffic, building footprints, and other layers as well.

Is there a way to limit or disable those additional API calls so that only the base street tiles are requested?

For example, from the network log (screenshot below), I can see repeated requests for: microsoft.traffic.relative.main, microsoft.core.raster.buildingfootprint, and microsoft.base.road.

We’re only trying to render the core street map and don’t need traffic or building data — I’d like to reduce these extra calls if possible.

Thanks again for all your help!

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Trying to understand Azure Maps API names, usage, and which calls are billable

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