Google Maps: This map may not work correctly

If your store map is showing an error saying This map may not work correctly, or if your map is darkened with the message For development purposes only, this indicates that Google has temporarily disabled your Google Maps key.

The error usually looks like this:

You can follow the steps on this page to fix the error so your map can display normally.

Why is this happening?

When you originally set up your store locator, you created a map key directly with Google, and added this key to our app to power the map and search on your site.

This error indicates that Google has temporarily disabled your Google Maps key due to a billing issue. There are a few specific causes which are covered below.

Simple fix: Switch to Mapbox

If you’d just like to get your map working again as quickly as possible, the easiest option is to switch to our alternative map provider, Mapbox:

Set up a key with Mapbox instead

Creating a key with Mapbox only takes a minute or two, and Mapbox offers a similar free usage tier to Google. Your existing store locator can work with Mapbox simply by setting up a Mapbox key; you don’t need to re-enter your store details or repeat any other setup steps.

Fixing the error

If you'd prefer to continue using Google Maps on your site, you’ll need to log into the Google dashboard with the Google account that was used to originally create the key.

There are a few possible causes for the error:

#1 Your “free trial” has ended

Google's trial and free credit situation can be a little confusing, but it generally boils down to this:

When you first create your key, Google offers a “free trial” that lasts for 90 days or $300 of map usage, whichever comes first. After you reach one of these limits, this error will appear on your map until you “activate” your account to enable billing (i.e. confirm you want to continue past Google's free trial).

However, even after upgrading your account, most sites can still continue using Google Maps for free. Separately from the “free trial” above, Google Maps offers an ongoing free credit of $200 per month, which is enough for approximately 10,000 visits to your Store Locator page every month. Most of our clients have less traffic than this, and so don’t pay anything extra.

To check if your "free trial" has ended, follow the steps below to see if you're prompted to upgrade:

Follow this link to upgrade your account and enable billing if prompted.
If the link above doesn't prompt you to take any action, log into the Google dashboard and look for a banner near the top indicating that your trial has ended, then click the Upgrade button:
Alternatively, Google may show an icon which you can click to upgrade:
Finally, if you don’t see this banner, navigate to the Billing section to check if you're prompted to upgrade. Click the menu icon in the top-left corner (three horizontal bars next to Google Cloud Platform) and click Billing.

To ensure you don't see any unexpected bills, consider setting up Google Maps billing alerts and/or limiting your map usage with quotas.

#2 Your billing account hasn’t been set up

If you created your Google Maps key before Google started requiring billing details in 2018, your key may not be linked to a payment method, and your maps will show the error above.

To fix this, you can follow the steps in this article to link a billing account to your Google Maps key.

#3 Your billing details are out-of-date

Another possible reason why your maps are no longer working could be that your billing details are incorrect. If your credit card has expired or has been closed, Google may have paused your map service until you update your details.

To check for this, log into the Billing section of the Google dashboard and confirm that your billing details look correct.

Other causes

The items above represent the most common reasons for these errors, but there are also a few less common causes. If the steps above haven’t helped, we recommend following Google’s full step-by-step troubleshooting guide here.

Need help?

If none of the steps above seem to fix the issue, please reach out to us using the “Contact Us" link at the top of the page, and we’ll be happy to help.