OK - I don’t use that module, so let’s go look and see if it’s installed:
Ok - That is what I remember - It’s not installed - Let’s go check System Admin → Commercial Licenses:
Yup! There it is - I don’t have it installed, and yet every time I login, I get this nag from the system.
Why is this broken like this? I don’t have to renew maintenance for a module that I don’t even have installed!
How do I get this to go away permanently? I am getting it on MANY boxes that I maintain.
Was that module ever installed on any of the deployments in question ? And then removed later ?
It was installed on that machine. Zulu had a yearly subscription license, you paid per year with no annual maintenance. Zulu also had a 25 year license that had a annual maintenance fee.
So on the one hand, it is technically an expired maintenance license. On the other hand, the 1 year license was design under the idea, they might not renew it. So this is really an expire subscription not even maintenance.
Yes, there is no question that the module was once installed - but it is NOT installed now, so the obligation to renew maintenance is VOID because I am not using it - Your license enforcement bot is out of control.
This is a REALLY POOR implementation of license enforcement - Sangoma needs to fix this.
I’m having same issue. It is leftover in the db, nothing conventional works. I had to open the case with S.
Long story short you have to deactivate your machine or remove the license from the activation. When you send a request to the mirror it sends a bunch of data inclucing your machine details, all the modules installed, versions, and of course your system ID. In the response from the mirror they have a section with expired that is parsed. So there is nothing server side while on the official mirrors you can do to get rid of this. Maybe submit a patch that adds an advanced setting to hide it.
An alternative which I don’t know if it will break anything but you could do a mariadb trigger.
DELIMITER $$
CREATE TRIGGER bypass_freepbx_expired_nag
BEFORE INSERT ON module_xml
FOR EACH ROW
BEGIN
IF NEW.id = 'expired' THEN
SET NEW.time = UNIX_TIMESTAMP();
SET NEW.data = '{}';
END IF;
END$$
DELIMITER ;
and
CREATE TRIGGER bypass_freepbx_expired_nag_update
BEFORE UPDATE ON module_xml
FOR EACH ROW
BEGIN
IF NEW.id = 'expired' THEN
SET NEW.time = UNIX_TIMESTAMP();
SET NEW.data = '{}';
END IF;
END$$
DELIMITER ;
To Undo:
DROP TRIGGER IF EXISTS {TRIGGER NAME}
Interesting, also started recently. Did Sangoma introduce a recent bug I wonder. Whatever i agree with the above comment
“This is a REALLY POOR implementation of license enforcement - Sangoma needs to fix this.”
I had the same recent issue: https://community.freepbx.org/t/critical-error-for-commercial-voicemail-reports/109803
Since Sangoma is all about the money (they care little about the O/S part of it), this would be known , it would be a commercial decision to allow it, to nag nag nag and annoy you so much you give in and pay them, renewing it…
I guess sangoma really don’t know their userbase that well if they think that crap works in the 21st century
I hate to say it but based on this email from tech support this morning, nickzed’s analysis feels correct. I have expired maintenance for commercial licenses I no longer want or need, I can disable or remove these commercial modules from the pbx, but have no way to remove them from the portal, and no way to suppress the “critical warning” so it does sound like their plan is that we have to live with getting nagged to death or else renew something we no longer need or want. To me, this seems really a bad decision or ploy, to have no way to opt out of commercial licenses or suppress the “critical warnings” when commercial modules are no longer needed, regardless of the statement below that says “We are not recommending that you renew the maintenance; we simply want to clarify that the alert is expected behavior based on the current product design.”. In my opinion the security argument holds not water as I can remove the commercial modules from the system, just not the portal. Also in my opinion, this is ridiculous statement from their website linked below: “Besides the problematic security update issues outlined above, several forthcoming expanded commercial module license checks will (soon) show new Dashboard and other alerts — similar to these — and cause said commercial modules’ web interfaces to stop working after the grace period on systems for which valid licenses do not exist.” So if I want to keep a commercial license I MUST renew it.
I also think the even the Sangoma tech support not fully aware of this policy as it took many days of back and forth to get this reply. .Here is what I received this morning 07/07/2026 from tech support:
Hi,
I checked with my team and they confirmed that the maintenance alert cannot be disabled while the module’s maintenance has expired.
For more details about this behavior, please refer to the following article: https://www.freepbx.org/avoid-walking-the-plank-with-expired-modules
This functionality was introduced as part of a recent design change and is working as intended. Until the module maintenance is renewed, the alert will continue to be displayed and there is currently no option to suppress or disable it.
As discussed, you confirmed that you are not actively using this module. We are not recommending that you renew the maintenance; we simply want to clarify that the alert is expected behavior based on the current product design.
Thank you!
Muhamathu Nathim M
Sangoma Technical Support Team
I always enjoy a thread that lays out one problem and then because that problem is kind of like another problem, everyone piles on with that other problem as examples. It’s not the same.
This thread was opened about about a module that was purchased on a subscription based model meaning you buy your subscription and when that subscription ends you either A. Renew subscription or B. Let the subscription expire. Under this model when your subscripton ends the use of the module ends. Done. No more worky work.
People are piling on about 25-year liceneses and the alerts they are getting about support/updates maintenance being disabled because the annual maintenance fee wasn’t paid. When you don’t pay for the maintenance you stop receiving updates and receive an alert that. However, your module keeps working. The license is valid for 25 years from purchase.
So if I was to buy a module with a one year subscription model that means on Jul 6th 2027 the module just stops working. I can longer now use it or update it until I renew said subscription.
Conversely, if I was to buy a 25-year module today the on Jul 6th 2027 I would have to pay for another year of support. So as of Jul 6 2027 I would no longer be able to update the module to new versions but the module will continue to work.
So while both these issues have the shared symptom (complaining about renewals) the cause of that symptom is two different sources. So you have to treat this like two different problems since there’s two different solves.
I kind of feel like you missed the point. 
No, I did not. You missed the point of same symptoms (alerts/notices/etc) but two different causes (subscription vs. maintenance). The fact that a subscription based module stops working when the subscription expires is not the same as module with a 25-year license having maintenance expire but continues to work.
So one the one hand you have a module not being used because it can’t be used vs a module that is being used but can’t get updates.
Two different causes to the same symptom and everyone wants the symptom fixed.
Why then can one not simply remove the commercial modules from the portal that are no longer needed or wanted?
Based on this comment, I am not so sure about 25-year license continuing to work where you say “Conversely, if I was to buy a 25-year module today the on Jul 6th 2027 I would have to pay for another year of support. So as of Jul 6 2027 I would no longer be able to update the module to new versions but the module will continue to work.”
From their web page:
“Besides the problematic security update issues outlined above, several forthcoming expanded commercial module license checks will (soon) show new Dashboard and other alerts — similar to these — and cause said commercial modules’ web interfaces to stop working after the grace period on systems for which valid licenses do not exist.”
So sounds like if I want to be able to continue using a commercial license, whether it be 1 year or 25 year, I MUST renew maintenance annually to do so..
I fixed it to focus on the actual part that needs to be focused on. A module with a 25-year license but no paid update support is still a valid license. Since there are subscription based and 1-year license options on some modules, there will be a point where commercial modules will no longer have valid licenses so their GUI will stop working after a grace period of you not renewing said licenses.
This isn’t some new or black magick model they are following. Any place else would have your stuff stop working too if you didn’t renew licenses. But support renewal and license renewal are not the same thing.
So I have removed Voicemail Reports from my pbx, and it has a 25-year license. Why must I still receive warnings about it, why can’t I remove it from the portal if I don’t want it or need it any longer.
I hear you in reference to valid licenses, but I am still not convinced the 25-year licenses will continue to work post the grace period without current maintenance, and I have asked Sangoma support that exact question. Let’s see.
Agreed. However the overlap is significant and therefore quite understandable that it often needs clarification. Thank you for your assistance attempts in this regard.
If the versions of the commercial modules that you have installed were released on or before the end of the current maintenance, then the grace period is NOT relevant. The grace period only applies to systems running newer module versions with release dates after the current maintenance.
I’m sorry, what? You are saying that the grace period is based on the maintenance support? You’re going to disable the interfaces for people with valid 25-year licenses because they didn’t pay the annual support fee? Is that what you are actually saying?
Or are you saying that if you see someone with version x.y.z and their support says they could only have x.y.y then you’ll turn off the interface? You need to be more specific.
Correct 
after the grace period the interface is blocked, so you can still use the output of the module in your call flow, send/receive phone calls, etc., but you can’t make changes or view the current configuration with the GUI.
Huh, so I upgraded to Debian recently and in doing so all the installed versions updated automatically , so what will continue via the 25-year license I have had for years? Can I continue to use the 25-year commercial versions via the web gui that the upgrade to V17 installed, or will I be forced into having to renew annually? All of these are disabled in the pbx other than Fax Pro and Sys Admin.
Also, why can I not just remove ones I do not want, via the portal? I don’t want to be nagged about modules I don’t want to use anymore.
