Google Maps is getting an update from Gemini where you can ask Google Maps questions about locations, where Google Maps can give you more human directions and Google Maps with Lens can tell you more about a store or location. This includes Gemini in navigation, landmark-based navigation, proactive traffic alerts and Lens built with Gemini.

I'll cover this in reverse order...

(1) Location/Places information via Google Lens:

Now you can point your phone at a physical place; store, cafe, shop, etc, and ask Gemini questions about it. Google said, by clicking on the camera in the search bar and hold your phone up to identify places like restaurants, cafes, shops or famous landmarks in your view. When you see pins, tap the mic to ask questions about the place, like you would a friend: 'What is this place and why is it popular?' or 'What's the vibe inside?' The powerful combination of Gemini capabilities and Google Maps' understanding of places around the world gets you the answers you need, helping you decide in a moment if a spot is worth the wait.

Here is a video of it in action:

Lens built with Gemini starts rolling out gradually later this month in the U.S. on Android and iOS.

(2) Proactive traffic notifications:

Google Maps can give you notifications about traffic and disruptions on the road ahead before you even start navigating.

Proactive traffic alerts are rolling out now in the U.S. on Android.

(3) Landmarks for navigation:

A lot of people don't like to hear, in 500 feet turn right. Some want to know that you should turn right after the Mobile gas station or specific landmarks. Now, Google can do that.

Google said, "Gemini does this by analyzing Google Maps' fresh, comprehensive information about 250 million places and cross-referencing it with Street View images to curate the most useful landmarks visible from the street, so guidance is accurate and helpful."

Landmark-based navigation is rolling out now on Android and iOS in the U.S.

(4) Gemini will power the assistant in Google Maps:

Google wrote, "We're bringing Gemini, your AI assistant, to our hands-free driving experience in the Google Maps app. That means it's even simpler to find places along your route, check for available EV chargers or on Android, share your ETA with friends. No fumbling required '" now you can just ask."

Here is a demo:

Gemini in navigation starts rolling out in the coming weeks on Android and iOS everywhere Gemini is available, with Android Auto on the way.

Forum discussion at X.

Google is testing an update to the reviews services summary box. We know Google does ask for services attributes and other attributes from both the business owner and reviewers but this review box seems newish.

This was spotted by SEO Mada on X who wrote, "Google reviews is inserting this Service section, and I am pretty sure it's inserting the "Great Price | $100-200."

Here is that screenshot:

I asked a number of local SEOs and most said it was new including Mike Blumenthal, Tim Capper and others.

Joy Hawkins explained "(see services attributes section) - not new but they might be on more categories before that didn't have them."

That being said, something is a bit new with this reviews box and I figured I'd document it.

Forum discussion at X.

Google has expanded access to the Google Business Profiles' what's happening feature to multi-location restaurants and bars in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. When it launched in May it was only available for single-location restaurants.

This feature is for bars or restaurants to better promote events, deals, and specials prominently at the top of their Google Business Profile.

This was announced by Google's Lisa Landsman on Friday afternoon on LinkedIn, Lisa wrote:

This is a great option for driving real-time foot traffic. It automatically surfaces the unique specials, live music, or events you're already promoting at a specific location, catching customers at the exact moment they're deciding where to eat or grab a cocktail.

It's incredibly simple to get started. The feature pulls content directly from Google Posts and linked social media accounts.

We've already seen excellent results from testing and look forward to hearing how this works for you! Note: this feature is only available for restaurants & bars, but we hope to expand to more categories soon.

Here are some screenshots of this:

Forum discussion at LinkedIn.

Over the past couple of weeks, there have been numerous reports of reviews disappearing, being removed, or being deleted from local business profiles on Google Search and Google Maps. Supposedly, this is now a known bug and is being actively worked on by the Google team.

I first spotted this via Jason Brown in the Local Search Forums who linked to numerous Reddit Threads with complaints and a complaint in the Google Business Forums.

Jason over the weekend posted, "Google is aware and working on it." He said this is a "large scale issue" and that his Local Service Ads representative told him Google is working on it. I am not sure how widescale it is but it does seem there was a spike in complaints about reviews going missing.

Yan Gilbert, a product expert, wrote in the Google thread, "This is happening to many businesses over the last few days. My suspicion is that it is a glitch that will soon be rectified."

Here are some of those complaints:

Is anyone else noticing their review count dropping each and everyday these past few days?

I just lost 15 today

8 yesterday

Hello all 12 reviews disappeared overnight. They are legitimate for my real car rental clients. What should I do?

Following this. Same thing happened to me. Legit reviews

Since Thursday, 10/23, I have noticed that legitimate reviews are being removed from my profile every hour.

So far, more than 70 reviews have been removed, which is significantly affecting the business's reputation and does not seem to follow the usual Google moderation standards.

Is anyone else experiencing the same issue? Is there any guidance on how we can recover or prevent these unfair automatic removals?

I work for a service company and just this past week 10/13 to 10/17 we have noticed a couple of our GMB and pages have lost legitimate reviews. We monitor the reviews closely and know we don't have a spam reviews posted. I have submitted a ticket to Google and posted on the forum. Has anyone else experienced this and/or heard of anything?

What is going on? I lost 3 Google reviews overnight. Is there a glitch again?

Not sure what's happening with Google reviews lately. My total count dropped by around 25! All recent reviews from the last 2'"3 months are still live, but older ones seem to have disappeared.

Have you heard of anyone else facing this issue? @rustybrick

'" Karan Morwani (@karanmmorwani) October 27, 2025

This has happened before and Google has restored them, but that time it was much more widespread that this one. So this seems more isolated but still to be some sort of bug that Google needs to fix.

Forum discussion at Local Search Forums, Google Business Forums and numerous Reddit Threads.

Google seems to be testing the ability to schedule your Google Posts within Google Business Profiles. At the bottom of the add Google Posts overlay, Google is testing a new option named "Schedule this post" that lets you toggle it on and schedule when you want the post to go live.

I believe the API allows for this and there are several third-party tools that also allow for this but this is currently not a live feature in Google Posts. At least, I do not see it yet.

I spotted this via Robin on X and then found where she found it, which was via this YouTube Short from last week. In that short, this local SEO said it is a new feature. Here is a screenshot from the video:

Here is the full video:

Do any of you see this?

Forum discussion at X.

Google is testing showing a "Get Google QR" code button when you search for your business in Google Search. This button is with the Edit Profile, reviews, photos, posts, performance, and other buttons you see to manage your Google Business Profile.

Google has pushed QR codes for reviews in many different locations in the Google Business Profile area but I don't think I've seen it in this list of options before.

This was spotted by Robin on X who shared this screenshot:

It seems weird, but I guess Google wants to see its effectiveness?

Forum discussion at X.

We've seen at least two variations of Google local and Business Profiles showing related to your search boxes, but this new one looks a bit more tidy than the Q&A carousel and Google Posts carousel version.

This new one was spotted by JS Girard at the Local Search Forum who wrote, ""Related to your search" has been reported for GBPs on mobile maps before with Q&A and with posts, but I don't remember seeing it reported for reviews before? It shows up in French too with the label "en lien avec votre recherche" and (most interestingly imo) a different review!"

Here is his screenshot:

Have you seen this version before? I mean, these can be useful and helpful for searchers.

Forum discussion at Local Search Forum.

Google is testing showing the option ot track price changes for hotel results by email. We saw Google announce a similar feature back in March but now it is showing in the local hotel pack results in core search.

This was spotted by Ethan H. who posted about this on LinkedIn - he told me "this feature was just added to the metasearch section of their GMB listings (not just maps/hotels section)." "We tend to look at these sections daily," he added.

Here is his screenshot:

This is a super useful feature for those looking for travel accommodations.

Forum discussion at LinkedIn.

Google Business Profile performance reports seem to be missing a chunk of call data from last week. The call data is missing from October 14 through October 16, 2025.

A number of local SEOs are noticing this issue and have shared some charts on X, including Vinay Toshniwal and Tim Capper - here are those charts showing the missing data:

We saw this before and last time Google was able to backfill the data. So hopefully Google will be able to restore this data soon.

Forum discussion at X.

Google is testing using different colored map pins in the map embed within Google AI Mode. The map pins can be in red, blue, yellow and maybe orange? Google even puts a key under the map, color coding the map pins.

This was spotted by Gagan Ghotra who shared some screenshots of this on X - here are those screenshots:

He also added that in AI Mode "Google is now testing showing Map at the top of answer." I cannot replicate all of these, so I do suspect this is a test.

ð AI Mode - map going from bottom to top of answer (quote tweet) and for some query types I'm noticing Google showing color pins in map and below it defines what each color stands for. https://t.co/vM5yyCfDSf pic.twitter.com/qJcZ9ICpg5

'" Gagan Ghotra (@gaganghotra_) October 21, 2025

Gagan also wrote about this on his blog.

Forum discussion at X.

Now if you manage multiple Google Business Profiles, when you add a Google Post, Google will let you quickly add that same Google Post to other Google Business Profiles that you manage.

This update was spotted by Tim Capper who posted about this on X wrote, "You can now post an update across multiple Google Business Profiles." He shared a screenshot and wrote, "After posting this pop up appears if you want to add to other profile."

After you post a Google Post on one Business Profile, it will ask you if you want to "Copy the update to other profiles you manage" and then select which profiles.

This can be a huge time saver for some of you.

Forum discussion at X.

Over the past few days, the local SEO community is pretty upset that Google appears to be testing removing the call button from the local results. I am not sure if this is a bug or part of the design of the new Web Guide interface that more people are seeing. Either way, I do think this must be an oversight and the call button should be added back, I would hope.

This was originally posted by Jason Hennessey on Facebook, which then Darren Shaw posted on LinkedIn and it caused a bit response. Darren quoted Jason who wrote, "If you've noticed a drop in calls from your Google Business Profile, it could be because Google is currently testing the removal of the call button from organic listings while keeping it active for paid placements."

Here is his screenshot:

I do think this is the Web Guide user interface, but I can be wrong. This is what I see:

Here is a side-by-side to compare:

I don't know for sure, but I suspect this is an oversight in the new Web Guide interface and Google needs to add that call button to this interface.

Gagan Ghotra also spotted this interface, and has a video of it in action:

"near me" results in AU for food related queries on mobile are loading "Web Guide" in All tab now ð'ð¤" #SEO pic.twitter.com/iEM8KqRvvy

'" Gagan Ghotra (@gaganghotra_) October 10, 2025

Forum discussion at LinkedIn.

Also it seems like Google is changing it to onload only ads have button and user need to swipe right on organic then only for those buttons show up. pic.twitter.com/GIsnP5G6BH

— Gagan Ghotra (@gaganghotra_) October 13, 2025

Google has published a new help document on the topic of Google Business Profile negative review extortion scams. The document explains what they are, how to report the scam, what to expect and more importantly, what not to do.

Review extortion scams is a topic we covered here many times, and it has been a big issue on Google Business Profiles. So it is good to see Google post a document just on this topic.

The document is named Report negative review extortion scams on your Business Profile.

It starts off by explaining what these are:

Extortion scams are a serious policy violation, and Google is committed to helping protect businesses from these scams. These scams may involve a sudden increase in 1-star and 2-star reviews on your Google Business Profile, followed by someone demanding money, goods, or services in exchange for removing the negative reviews.

Then it talks about how Google doesn't catch every one:

Although our moderation systems catch most suspicious activity, we recommend that all merchants remain vigilant in identifying and reporting potential extortion of their Business Profile. If you find signs of an extortion scam, take immediate action to protect yourself and your business.

The document then gives you how to report the scam, starting with immediate tips:

• Do not engage with or pay the malicious individuals. This can encourage further attempts and doesn't guarantee the removal of reviews.
• Do not try to resolve it yourself by offering money or services.
• Gather all evidence immediately. The sooner you collect proof, the better.
• Report all relevant communication you receive in the form.

Google has a specific form to report these scams, so use that form.

After you submit your report with evidence, Google's team thoroughly investigates the claim and notifies you about the results of the investigation. Due to privacy and security reasons, Google said it can't share specific details about the investigation, but Google said they are committed to maintaining the integrity of Business Profiles and reviews.

Forum discussion at X.

Google seems to be testing a new Insights feature for Google Business Profiles. The new insights section shows you profile suggestions, like tips on getting more reviews, what to update on your profile and what information to share with your visitors - amongst other suggestions and insights.

This was spotted by OMG National on X who credited @William_SEOPro. Here is the new Insights button:

When William clicked on this button, he was presented with profile suggestions including:

• Get more reviews
• Add updates to your profile
• Show people what's new

Here is that screenshot:

In the old days, the Performance tab was called Insights and it was just analytics data. This is different, this is new.

Forum discussion at X.

A number of local SEOs are noticing a lift in the number of suspensions they are dealing with in Google Business Profiles. Many local SEOs are reporting that they are dealing with these suspensions and reinstatements more often now than before.

This comes by way of the Local Search Forum where a number of these local SEOs are complaining about this.

Here are some of those complaints:

Syed Amir wrote:

Lately, I've been noticing a significant spike in Google Business Profile suspensions across multiple accounts I manage. These suspensions seem to be happening more frequently than usual, and I haven't identified any clear pattern yet. Is anyone else experiencing the same issue?

Kurt Steinbrueck responded:

I have. It seems almost every new GBP we create gets suspended within a couple of days and we've seen some suspensions after edits. In each case, I've appealed the suspension with documentation, and the GBP has gotten reinstated, and I didn't make any changes to the GBP info.

Another responded:

Yes. The humans at Google must have released updates to feed their AI algos. Five smb's approached us about their suspended Google Business Profiles. 2 reinstated, 3 more to go.

Professor M replied:

This month, I've seen a noticeable increase in clients needing reinstatement for suspended GBPs, which likely means the Spam and Quality Team has made some tweaks to the algorithm.

So keep this in mind, maybe don't make too many edits now on your local business profile. You might not want to trigger a suspension.

Forum discussion at Local Search Forum.

Update: Mike Blumenthal from Near Media tracks suspensions closely and sent me this chart showing the rate of suspensions by month as reported in the forum. The methodology tends to undercount the actual suspensions mentioned in the forum but is directionally accurate view of them over time:

Google seems to be testing showing the local pack, Google Business Profile listings, at the top of the Google Shopping results in the Shopping tab. Normally, Google does not show local packs in the Shopping tab, I believe...

This was spotted by Nate Louis who posted about this on X - he wrote, "Google Shopping is pulling in Google Business Profiles at the top within Google Shopping tab. Inventory still showing below."

I was able to replicate it in one of my browsers, not all, so it does seem like a test.

Here is my screenshot:

Here is Nate's:

Google Shopping is pulling in Google Business Profiles at the top within Google Shopping tab. Inventory still showing below below. #ppcchat #ICYMI pic.twitter.com/gb3ueph5HL

'" Nate Louis (@N8Louis) September 25, 2025

Forum discussion at X.

Update: Spotted before by Sachin:

Google Shopping tab results with maps and filters for map rating and hours. @rustybrick @gaganghotra_ pic.twitter.com/PGJxg2PvQC

— Sachin Patel (@SachuPatel53124) February 20, 2025