Bing Maps update information and control migration guidelines allow you to plan ahead and make any necessary adjustments before controls have been discontinued. If you have questions regarding any planned Bing Maps update, please contact Bing Maps Developer Support.
Discontinued Control Migration Guidelines
How to migrate from the discontinued controls
Below are some general guidelines to follow when migrating from the discontinued controls. Your migration strategy will differ, depending on the technology used. Where possible, we recommend moving towards web-based technologies, as they allow for a consistent experience from web to native experiences and from desktop to mobile device types.
Bing Maps AJAX Control Version 7
The Bing Maps AJAX Control Version 7 (AJAX 7) is superseded by the Bing Maps V8 web control (V8). The V8 control supports most of the same capabilities as AJAX v7 and has been extended to include features, such as autosuggest, heat maps, clustering, increased mobile support and much more. The V8 control is built on top of HTML5 technology which provides increased performance and the ability to render a lot more data. The core functionalities in the V8 control are largely backwards compatible with AJAX V7 which will help minimize migration efforts in most applications.
Resources
Bing Maps SOAP Web Services
The Bing Maps SOAP Web Services API is superseded by the Bing Maps REST Services API.
Bing Maps AJAX Control Version 6.3
The Bing Maps AJAX Control Version 6.3 (AJAX v6.3) was superseded by the Bing Maps AJAX Control Version 7 (AJAX v7) in 2010 and was a natural choice for web-based mapping needs. With the AJAX v7 control also nearing end of life the V8 control is the recommended map control to migrate to. The V8 control supports most of the same capabilities as the AJAX v6.3 and has been extended to include features, such as autosuggest, heat maps, mobile support, and increased international support. The V8 control performs better thanks to its streamlined and modular architecture. The V8 control is built on top of HTML5 technology which provides increased performance and the ability to render a lot more data.
Resources
Bing Maps Silverlight Control
To replace the map component within a broader Silverlight application, consider using a third-party mapping component for Silverlight as provided by one of several existing Silverlight control component providers.
For many Silverlight projects, you may want to consider a broader move to use native web-based technologies and build replacements for mapping functionalities within that solution via the Bing Maps V8 web control. You may also want to consider using the Bing Maps V8 web control hosted in a Silverlight WebBrowser control, for simple mapping scenarios.
Resources
Bing Maps iOS Control
For the Bing Maps iOS Control, a general recommendation is to host the Bing Maps V8 web control within a broader web view control in an iOS native application. This approach is similar to cross-platform hosting of the Bing Maps V8 web control via frameworks such as Apache Cordova.
Resources
You can find examples using Bing Maps in a broader native application via these articles:
MapPoint EOL December 31, 2014
We have partnered with application developers who have full web-based mapping solutions available or can develop a custom application that implements Bing Maps features. Click here to learn more.
Support
If you have comments or questions on this migration of components, please contact Bing Maps Developer Support.
