When we released Gravity Geolocation 3.5 Beta 1, we introduced a complete rebuild on top of the new WPGeo Framework.

Now, at Beta 13, the platform has grown significantly since the first beta, with new fields, powerful search capabilities, major framework improvements, and the foundation for future expansion.

What’s New Since Beta 1

Since the first beta, Gravity Geolocation has expanded with major additions and refinements:

• New Distance & Duration field
• New Nearest Locations field
• New Address Validation field
• Introducing Gravity Search, a powerful entry search and directory framework that transforms Gravity Forms into a searchable application platform.
• Significant runtime and architecture refinements on top of the WPGeo Framework

This phase has focused on turning the new architecture into practical, production-ready workflows.

Gravity Search: Dedicated Deep Dive

One of the biggest additions in the 3.5 beta cycle is Gravity Search, a powerful entry search and directory framework built into Gravity Geolocation.

Gravity Search transforms Gravity Forms into a searchable application platform, making it possible to build directories, listings, customer portals, administration tools, location finders, and map-integrated search experiences powered entirely by Gravity Forms entries.

We’ve published a dedicated article covering Gravity Search in detail, including its architecture, capabilities, use cases, and configuration options.

Read the full Gravity Search announcement or explore the live demo.

New Fields Added in the 3.5 Beta Cycle

Distance & Duration Field

The new Distance & Duration field is focused specifically on calculating travel distance and travel time between points.

While the Directions field can also calculate distance and duration, it is designed for full route experiences, including route rendering, map display controls, and turn-by-turn panel output. The Distance & Duration field strips that down to a calculation-focused workflow with fewer moving parts and simpler settings.

• Purpose-built for calculations – Focuses on travel distance/time output without route UI overhead.
• Cleaner configuration – Minimal settings when your goal is pricing, eligibility, or rule logic.
• Conditional logic friendly – Use distance/time values directly in Gravity Forms logic.
• Flexible output formats – Supports html, text, json, and raw value variants in merge tags and exports.

This makes it a better fit when you only need distance/time data and want a lighter, faster workflow for that purpose.

View the Distance & Duration demo.

Nearest Locations Field

The new Nearest Locations field finds the closest location(s) relative to the user’s address or coordinates.

Locations can be sourced in two ways:

• Predefined locations entered directly in the field settings (textarea-based configuration).
• Database-driven locations loaded from a specific database table for dynamic or larger datasets.

This gives you flexibility to start simple with static location lists or scale to data-driven location management, while still using the same nearest-location workflow in the form.

• Automatic or manual trigger modes
• Optional Get/Clear buttons
• Structured output for merge tags, entry views, and exports

It is well suited for “find nearest branch/provider/location and choose the best match” scenarios.

Licensing note: The Nearest Locations field will be included in the Agency plan as part of the official Gravity Geolocation 3.5 release.

View the Nearest Locations demo.

Address Validation Field

The new Address Validation field adds an interactive validation flow that helps users confirm or correct addresses before submission.

• Validation feedback in real time – Shows clear messaging when an address is valid, needs review, or cannot be verified.
• Original vs suggested address selection – Presents what the user entered alongside the recommended address so they can choose the final one.
• Configurable validation behavior – Supports policy/strictness options and optional auto-apply of suggested addresses.
• Optional geocoder sync – Can push the confirmed/selected address into a configured geocoder field.
• Workflow-ready outputs – Exposes selected address, validation status, and delivery status for conditional logic, merge tags, and automation.

This helps improve address quality at submission time while giving you reliable data for downstream workflows.

View the Address Validation demo.

Framework Progress Since Beta 1

Beyond new fields, a major focus of this beta cycle has been platform hardening:

• Better consistency across runtime components
• Cleaner internal structure for future extensibility
• Faster iteration and bug-fix turnaround during beta testing
• Reduced technical debt through the new WPGeo Framework
• A shared foundation that allows new features to be developed faster and more consistently across products

Each beta release has improved stability while keeping the 3.5 architecture scalable for future features.

Licensing and Plan Updates

As we move closer to the official Gravity Geolocation 3.5 release, we have also finalized the feature allocation for several of the new features introduced during the beta cycle, including Gravity Search, Distance & Duration, Address Validation, and Nearest Locations.

• Pro – Includes Gravity Search, the new Distance & Duration field, and Address Validation field.
• Agency – Includes everything in Pro, plus the Nearest Locations field, Drawing Tools field, and future advanced functionality as it becomes available.

Existing customers will retain their current site allowances. The licensing changes affect feature access only and do not modify the number of sites supported by existing licenses.

For the complete plan breakdown and legacy migration details, see our original Gravity Geolocation 3.5 Beta 1 announcement.

See It in Action

Want to test these features live? Explore the demos:

• Distance & Duration Demo
• Address Validation Demo
• Nearest Locations Demo
• Gravity Search Demo
  
• Gravity Search Overview

Important API Reminder

Gravity Geolocation 3.5 requires updated Google services:

• Places API (new)
• Routes API (instead of legacy Directions API)

Please make sure both services are enabled in your Google Cloud Console. For setup instructions, follow our
API setup guide.

Important Notes

As always during beta:

• Test on a development or staging site before updating production.
• Back up your site before installing beta builds.
• If you use custom code or third-party integrations, test compatibility before going live.
• Please share bug reports and edge cases to help finalize a solid stable release.

Get the Latest Beta

Existing customers can download the latest beta from their account page under File Downloads.

Not a Gravity Geolocation user yet? You can purchase a license here.

Your feedback continues to play a key role in shaping the final Gravity Geolocation 3.5 release. We look forward to hearing your thoughts as we move toward a stable launch.

We are excited to announce the beta release of Gravity Geolocation 3.5 Beta 1. This major release has been completely rebuilt from the ground up on our new WPGeo Framework, making it faster, more reliable, and ready to support bigger projects and more powerful features.

This beta is now available for testing, and we highly recommend running it first on a development or staging site before updating your live website.

Update: Gravity Geolocation 3.5 has progressed significantly since Beta 1. For the latest beta additions, including the new fields, search feature, and updated plan migration details, see our latest update post: Gravity Geolocation 3.5 Beta 13 Update.

Introducing the WPGeo Framework

At the core of this release is the brand-new WPGeo Framework.
This framework powers all geolocation features and is designed to be shared across multiple plugins.

• Unified foundation – All plugins will gradually move to the framework for consistency.
• Faster development – Easier maintenance and quicker release cycles.
• More reliable – Built with performance and stability in mind.
• Faster access to features – A shared codebase allows us to deliver new features across plugins at the same time.

Enhanced Performance and Reliability

Gravity Geolocation has been completely rewritten for better efficiency and reliability.
The new structure reduces code complexity, improves load times, and addresses many past issues.

Updated Google API Support

Please note that the new version requires using the Places API (new, not legacy) and the Routes API (instead of the legacy Directions API).
Make sure both API services are enabled in your Google Cloud Console to ensure your forms continue working properly.
For a step-by-step guide, follow our API setup guide.

Installation Notes

This version requires the WPGeo Framework in order to run properly.

When you install or update to the new version of Gravity Geolocation, the system will automatically check
if the WPGeo Framework is installed and active on your site.

• If the framework is already installed – Gravity Geolocation will activate as usual.
• If the framework is not yet installed – you will see a one-click prompt to install it directly from your WordPress dashboard.

This process ensures a smooth installation and keeps everything up to date without requiring any manual file uploads.

Experimental Drawing Tools

A new experimental feature is now available: Drawing Tools.
These tools allow you to draw shapes such as circles, rectangles, and polygons directly on Google Maps.

What Can You Do with Drawing Tools?

• Mark areas and zones – Create visual boundaries on the map such as delivery regions, service zones, or coverage areas.
• Calculate area and bounds – Measure the size or perimeter of drawn shapes for more precise geographic data.
• Dynamic pricing and conditions – Use shape data to calculate costs, fees, or availability based on distance, area, or zone rules.

These capabilities open the door to advanced use cases such as delivery cost calculations, zoning restrictions, or territory management.

Since this feature is experimental, we encourage you to test it and share your feedback to help shape its final version.

Update (June 2026): The plan structure and feature allocations in this post have been updated as development progressed through the Gravity Geolocation 3.5 beta cycle. For the latest additions and platform updates, see the Beta 13 announcement.

Upcoming Plans and Licensing Changes

With the official release of Gravity Geolocation 3.5, we’ll also be introducing a new licensing structure designed to better align with the needs of different users and projects.

• Starter – Includes all the essential geolocation fields, including the Geocoder, Address, Coordinates, Map, and Locator Button fields, making it an excellent choice for most standard projects.
• Pro – Includes everything in Starter, plus advanced features such as the Directions Field, Directions Panel Field, Entries Mashup Map, Single Entry Map, Distance & Duration field, Address Validation field, and Gravity Search feature.
• Agency – Includes everything in Pro, along with premium features such as the Drawing Tools field, Nearest Locations field, and future Agency-exclusive functionality.

Legacy plan migration: Existing customers will retain their current license entitlements, including their original site allowances. The migration affects feature access only and does not change the number of sites supported by any existing license.

• Legacy Personal – Retains the historical Personal feature set and receives the new Distance & Duration field, Address Validation field, and Single Entry Map shortcode features introduced during this beta cycle.
• Legacy Business & Extended – Receive the Pro feature set while retaining their original site allowances.
• Legacy Developer – Receives the Agency feature set while retaining its original site allowances.
• Lifetime Licenses – Receive the Agency feature set while retaining their lifetime status and original site allowances.

These changes are not active during the beta phase, but will take effect once the new version is officially released.

Important Notes

Because this is a major release, please keep in mind:

• Always test on a development or staging site before updating live sites.
• Back up your site before installing the beta.
• We welcome bug reports and feedback to make the stable release even better.
• If you rely on custom code or third‑party integrations, test compatibility with the beta before upgrading live sites.

Try the Beta Today

Ready to explore the future of Gravity Geolocation? Download the new version and see the improvements for yourself.

Existing customers can download the beta from their account page under File Downloads.

We’d love your feedback. Let us know how the new WPGeo Framework and the new version of Gravity Geolocation performs on your site. Your input is invaluable in shaping the final release, and will help us deliver the most stable and powerful version yet.

👉 Download the beta now from your File Downloads page.