Google has made some changes to their entire Google Maps developer platform and introduced the Google Maps Platform. This is part of a series of updates designed to evolve and streamline their core APIs - however, this also presents some new challenges for Authors and their customers.
In this article, we explore some of the key implications of the Google Maps Platform changes that will impact you - specifically CodeCanyon and ThemeForest Authors, who use Google Maps in their items.
Authors need to make sure that their item will work as advertised and in line with the changes to the Google Maps Platform, otherwise, it may result in refund charges and having your item disabled until further notice.
Please review the following areas that Authors need to action and the possible implications if items are not updated as per the Google Maps Platform changes.
For Authors using the embed API, please note the following if you do not update your items:
- The Embed API will still allow for unlimited calls.
- If no key is included, or the key is present but not linked to a valid billing account, Google will return low-resolution maps watermarked with “for development purposes only.”
- Authors will need to include a way for buyers to include or update the API key to remove the watermark and get higher resolution imagery.
- If an Author has already included their key, no action from the Author or buyer is necessary as the item will continue functioning as intended.
For Authors using the JavaScript API, please note the following if you do not update your items:
- All variations of the JavaScript API are now billable (above the $200/month free credits).
- Depending on the API used, Authors get between 14,000-100,000 loads a month.
- If no key is included, or the key is present but not linked to a valid billing account, Google will return low-resolution maps watermarked with “for development purposes only.”
- Authors will need to include a way for buyers to include or update the API key to remove the watermark and get higher resolution imagery.
- If an Author has included their credentials and has a billing account, they will keep getting billed for their client’s usage as well.
For Authors using the Mobile SDK, please note if you do not update your items, Authors using all variants of the Maps SDK, except Street View, for either Android or iOS get unlimited free calls and do not need a billing account.
We recommend that Authors move to the basic embed API to prevent issues with customers having to replace the API key, as well as their demo sites not being charged for the visitors we send to their demo. We also recommend Authors to explore OpenStreetMap, and other libraries, like Leaflet, that wrap around the OpenStreetMap APIs.
As we do not have any control over these changes, it will be your responsibility to ensure that you have updated your items to meet the new requirements for your customers. Please refer to Google’s User Guide for more information on these changes, as well as the Transition Tool that they have provided for more information.
Additional Resources: