title: Force Google maps v2 api to refresh custom icon image
body: <p>I am using the <a href="https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/maps-static/intro?csw=1#CustomIcons" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Google static maps API V2</a> to create a map with a custom blue marker icon: </p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Pwup.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Pwup.png" alt=""></a>
  </p>
  
  <p>Unfortunately, I tested the url before the my custom image was online and Google seems to have cached that knowledge somehow:</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=51.86654,-2.2480254&amp;zoom=6&amp;size=100x70&amp;sensor=false&amp;markers=icon:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stolencamerafinder.com%2Fimages%2Fpin-lost.png%7C51.86654,-2.2480254" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=51.86654,-2.2480254&amp;zoom=6&amp;size=100x70&amp;sensor=false&amp;markers=icon:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stolencamerafinder.com%2Fimages%2Fpin-lost.png%7C51.86654,-2.2480254</a> <em>(if this image has a blue icon, then it the cache has been updated since I posted this question!)</em></p>
  
  <pre><code>&lt;img src="http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=51.86654,-2.2480254&amp;amp;zoom=6&amp;amp;size=100x70&amp;amp;sensor=false&amp;amp;markers=icon:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stolencamerafinder.com%2Fimages%2Fpin-lost.png%7C51.86654,-2.2480254"&gt;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I can trick it into fetching it by adding a nonsense parameter to my icon url (eg: "?a=a") :</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=51.86654,-2.2480254&amp;zoom=6&amp;size=100x70&amp;sensor=false&amp;markers=icon:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stolencamerafinder.com%2Fimages%2Fpin-lost.png?a=a%7C51.86654,-2.2480254" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=51.86654,-2.2480254&amp;zoom=6&amp;size=100x70&amp;sensor=false&amp;markers=icon:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stolencamerafinder.com%2Fimages%2Fpin-lost.png?a=a%7C51.86654,-2.2480254</a></p>
  
  <pre><code>&lt;img src="http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=51.86654,-2.2480254&amp;amp;zoom=6&amp;amp;size=100x70&amp;amp;sensor=false&amp;amp;markers=icon:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stolencamerafinder.com%2Fimages%2Fpin-lost.png?a=a%7C51.86654,-2.2480254"&gt;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>However I don't want to re-deploy my app just for this. My question is:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>Is there some way to request that Google refresh their cache?</li>
  <li>Does anyone know how long it may take to get updated (if at all)?</li>
  </ol>