Places not found with google place api

Question

Some beta tester are complaining about my app because they are not finding places. So I asked them to give me an example. This is not linked to my app but to the autocomplete which answers ZERO_RESULT

I tried with solution proposed here:

Google search place api, places not found

But it is still not working.

Then here:

Google maps finds locations that its API doesn't

But i am already doing it right (i changed by textsearch instead of autocomplete and I have no answer for this one and answers for the other test)

Here is an example: In map search neteven paris (for information the autocomplete find it)

=> found https://www.google.fr/maps/place/Neteven/@48.8876143,2.3891295,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x47e66dd40cb72bc7:0x6bd8cbcd19c4e6dd!8m2!3d48.8876108!4d2.3913182?hl=fr

With auto complete api (using postman):

GET /maps/api/place/autocomplete/json?key=MY_KEY&input=neteven paris HTTP/1.1
Host: maps.googleapis.com
Cache-Control: no-cache
Postman-Token: 26e4f3c5-024a-e32c-9202-038b8d6fbb33

GET /maps/api/place/autocomplete/json?key=MY_KEY&input=neteven%20paris HTTP/1.1
Host: maps.googleapis.com
Cache-Control: no-cache
Postman-Token: 26e4f3c5-024a-e32c-9202-038b8d6fbb33

GET /maps/api/place/autocomplete/json?key=MY_KEY&input=%22neteven%20paris%22 HTTP/1.1
Host: maps.googleapis.com
Cache-Control: no-cache
Postman-Token: 26e4f3c5-024a-e32c-9202-038b8d6fbb33

All returns:

{
  "predictions": [],
  "status": "ZERO_RESULTS"
}

I also used with types=establishment but no answers.

With other places I get an answer with result:

GET /maps/api/place/autocomplete/json?key=MY_KEY&input=beach%20club%saint%22&types=establishment HTTP/1.1
Host: maps.googleapis.com
Cache-Control: no-cache
Postman-Token: f88d649f-1f9d-bf8f-d4c6-49dfc2b2a84c

Answer 1

The place Neteven is defined as a Service Area Business. Currently, place autocomplete filters all Service Area Businesses out.

There is a feature request in the public issue tracker to include SABs in place autocomplete, however Google doesn't expose any ETA for this FR:

https://buganizer.corp.google.com/issues/35831063

The unique workaround is to define the place in Google My Business as a routable business with a latlng and without service area radius.

UPDATE

The place ID is ChIJxyu3DNRt5kcR3ebEGc3L2Gs.

You can request it via Place details:

https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/place/details/json?placeid=ChIJxyu3DNRt5kcR3ebEGc3L2Gs&key=YOUR_API_KEY

The result contains

"location":{
    "lat":0,
    "lng":0
 }

That is a sign of SAB and reason to filter it out in place autocomplete as unroutable place.

Hope it helps!