Remember all those Google maps you had inside your Salesforce org. Well Google change their Terms and conditions and just like Google ad words, well you can guess were this is going. Basically if you've been using Google maps inside your SalesForce org, you now need a Google Business License to not get an error when you keep using it. (Rumored to be at about 10k). Worse then that is that most apps on the app exchange that use Google may not be using the correct license so when this change in conditions happens on February 1 you'll be getting an error page. The “Find Nearby - Accounts, Contacts, Leads” has been confirmed to be an app that will not fit these new terms and conditions. One could try to modify the app to open the map in on Google's website instead of in Salesforce (Unmanaged Version
https://github.com/scarstens/FindNearby). Other apps and even the popular Visual Force page on the Account or Contact view summary page may have used similar code and therefor also be in error soon. I'd imagine this not limited to just Salesforce, as any system using the Google Maps API to display a Google map would be having this error. Links to Google map will still work.
You can read the full warning that Salesforce is sending to its users below:
{Original Source on Salesforce Communities
https://success.salesforce.com/_ui/core/chatter/groups/GroupProfilePage?g=0F9300000001qWn&fId=0D53000001NK2yY}
Google Maps API Terms of Service
At salesforce.com,
your success is our top priority, and we are committed to working with
you to identify which features will help you best achieve your business
goals. We want to notify you of an important change regarding the
availability and support of the Google Maps API. Have you installed the “Find Nearby - Accounts, Contacts, Leads” AppExchange package which uses the Google Maps API? Read on if so!
What is the change?
Google
has recently updated their terms of service for Google Maps API.
Starting February 1, 2014, the commercial use of the Google Maps API
will require a Google Maps API for Business license. Unless you
currently meet the following criteria, we recommend you reach out to
Google to get a Google Maps API for Business license to keep using
embedded Google Maps:
Your organization has a Google Maps API for Business license, OR
You’re using an AppExchange solution that has a commercial agreement with Google
Note:
The “Find Nearby - Accounts, Contacts, Leads” AppExchange package does
not have a commercial agreement with Google. You will need to obtain a
Google Maps API for Business license to continue using this package.
Who does this affect?
There are three main categories of salesforce.com customers who will need to comply with Google’s terms of use:
You use the Google API to get a Google map view inside of your salesforce.com instance
You
have inserted a public key (as opposed to a Google Maps API for
Business licensed key) into a VisualForce page to render a maps view
You
have installed any AppExchange solution that makes calls to Google
(i.e. “Find Nearby”) that do not have a commercial agreement with Google
It will not impact you if:
You use links to Google Maps that open a new browser tab or window that takes you directly to maps.google.com
You use an AppExchange solution that has a commercial agreement with Google
When will the change occur?
The
terms of service will go into effect on February 1, 2014. After
February 1st, if you do not have a Google Maps API for Business license,
your users will receive an error message on their webpage or device
when accessing “Find Nearby” or any other page within your Salesforce
application with embedded Google Maps. The message will direct you to
this site: https://developers.google.com/maps/support/availability, where you can find more information on how to obtain a Google Maps API for Business license.
What action should I take?
If you use Google Maps or Google Maps API in any of three categories outlined above, we recommend that you visit this page: https://developers.google.com/maps/support/availability
to get a Google Maps for Business license. If you use an AppExchange
solution that uses Google Maps API, we encourage you to contact your
AppExchange solution provider to understand if they have a commercial
agreement with Google.
Some have questioned the authenticity and noted that Google contacts where unaware of the change and so were Salesforce Account Reps. I'm not sure as to what info is being left out of the above warning, and why.
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