Google Business Profile App Shutdown: Managing Your Profile in Search and Maps

If you open the Google Business Profile app this week, you will only see a message saying it is no longer available. You can’t edit your listing, reply to reviews or read messages there any more. The good news is that nothing has happened to your profile itself. Google has simply moved the management tools into Google Search and the Google Maps app, and that is where you now update your business.

In this guide I explain what changed, where each task now lives, and how I set up Search and Maps so nothing slips through, especially customer messages. I also cover when the Business Profile Manager website is still the better choice.

What Happened to the Google Business Profile App?

The app most people still call the Google My Business app has been retired. Google renamed Google My Business to Google Business Profile in November 2021. At the same time, it said the standalone mobile app would be retired in 2022 and that single-location businesses should manage their profile directly on Search and Maps.

Over the following months, Google sent app users reminders. In April 2022, an email told business owners to start using Google Maps and Search to keep their profile up to date. In May, the app showed a notice that it would soon no longer be available.

Then, on 12 July 2022, Google emailed businesses saying that, beginning July 2022, the mobile app would no longer be available. Since then, opening the app shows a notice instead of your dashboard. Google’s email also said the Google Maps app is now the best place to reply to customer messages on mobile.

Here is what did not change:

• Your Business Profile is still live on Google Search and Google Maps.
• Your reviews, photos, posts and verification status stay the same.
• Owners and managers keep their access.
• The Business Profile Manager website at business.google.com is still there.

Why Google Shut Down the App

Google has been building management tools into Search and Maps for a while. In August 2020, it let verified owners edit their profile by searching for their business name or for “my business” on Google, and by tapping their profile picture in the Maps app. You can read Google’s own explanation in its post on updating your Business Profile on Google Maps and Search.

Since then, more features have moved there. In November 2021, Google announced chat replies on Search, read receipts for messages and, for verified businesses in the US and Canada, call history. Google also said businesses can claim and verify their profile directly in Search and Maps.

Once most of the useful tools lived in the two apps people already have, a separate app was hard to justify. In my opinion, this is a sensible move. Most small business owners already have Google Maps on their phone, so one less app to keep updated is not a big loss.

Where Each Task Lives Now

The biggest question I hear is simply “where do I do X now?” This table shows where I’d go for the common tasks people used the app for.

Menus and labels shift often, so treat this as a guide. If a button is missing in one place, check the other two before assuming the feature is gone.

How to Manage Your Google Business Profile in Google Search

Google Search is the easiest place to manage your profile on a laptop or desktop. You don’t need to install anything.

Find Your Profile in Search

1. Sign in to Google with the account that owns or manages your Business Profile. This is the step people skip most often.
2. Go to google.com and search for your exact business name, or search for my business.
3. Your profile appears with an owner panel above or next to it. This panel only shows to you, not to customers.
4. If you manage more than one profile, the “my business” search lets you pick which one to open.

When I do this for a business for the first time, I search the business name in a normal window and in a private window. The private window shows what customers see. The normal window shows the owner tools. Comparing the two is a quick way to spot wrong hours or an old phone number.

What You Can Do From the Search Panel

From the owner panel, you can handle almost everything the app used to do:

• Edit profile: change your name, category, description, phone, website, address or service area, and hours. Add special hours for holidays.
• Reviews: read new reviews and reply to them.
• Messages: read and answer chats from customers, if you have turned chat on.
• Photos: upload new photos of your premises, team and work.
• Posts: share updates, offers and events that show on your profile.
• Products and services: add or edit what you sell, with prices where it makes sense.
• Performance: see how many people called, messaged, asked for directions or clicked to your website.

Some edits go through a short review before they show publicly. Changes to your name, category or address are checked more closely, so don’t panic if they take a while to appear.

How to Manage Your Business Profile in the Google Maps App

On a phone, the Google Maps app is now your main tool. This is where I’d tell any owner to spend a few minutes setting things up properly today.

1. Install or update the Google Maps app on your Android phone or iPhone.
2. Make sure you are signed in with the Google account that manages your profile. If you use more than one account, switch to the right one from your profile picture.
3. Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.
4. Tap Your Business Profile. If you manage several profiles, choose the one you want.
5. From here you can edit your information, reply to reviews, add photos and posts, check performance and answer messages.

The Maps menus look a bit different from Search, but the tasks are the same. I find Maps quicker for adding photos, because you can take them and upload them straight from your phone.

Reply to Customer Messages on Mobile

Messages are the feature I’d worry about most. If you had chat turned on in the old app, customers can still message you from your profile. Now you read and answer those messages in the Maps app or on Search.

In the Maps app, open your Business Profile and look for the messages or customers section. Answer as quickly as you can. Someone who messages a local business usually wants an answer the same day, not next week.

If you know you can’t answer messages during the day, I’d rather you turn chat off than leave people waiting. An unanswered message looks worse than no chat button at all.

Turn On Notifications

This is the step I think most businesses will miss after the switch. The old app sent you alerts. Maps will too, but only if notifications are turned on.

1. In the Maps app, tap your profile picture, then Settings.
2. Open Notifications and look for the settings that cover your Business Profile.
3. Turn on alerts for customer messages, reviews and other updates you care about.
4. Check your phone’s own settings too, so Google Maps is allowed to send notifications.
5. In your Business Profile settings, check that email notifications are on as a backup.

Google’s own advice to businesses was to turn on both email and Google Maps push notifications for new messages. I agree. Two channels mean you are far less likely to miss a customer.

When to Use Business Profile Manager Instead

Business Profile Manager is the website at business.google.com. It used to be the main dashboard for Google My Business. Google now recommends it mainly for businesses with more than one profile and for agencies.

In April 2022, some users saw a notice there saying they could no longer manage their business on that site. Google later said that notice appeared in error, and that businesses with multiple profiles will keep access to Business Profile Manager.

I’d use Business Profile Manager if:

• You run several locations and want to edit them together, for example updating holiday hours for every branch at once.
• You are an agency or freelancer managing profiles for clients.
• You need to manage groups of locations, users or bulk uploads.
• You can’t find a setting in Search or Maps and want to check if it’s there.

If you have one shop, one office or one service area business, Search and Maps are enough. In my experience, single-location owners find the Search panel easier to use than the old dashboard anyway.

Common Problems After the Switch

Most problems I see come from account mix-ups, not from the change itself. Here are the ones to check first.

“I Can’t See My Profile in Search”

• Wrong account: you might be signed in with a personal Gmail while the profile sits on a work account. Check the account in the top-right corner of Google.
• No access: if a former employee or an old agency set up the profile, you may not be an owner. Ask them to add you, or request access through Google.
• Not verified: unverified profiles don’t show the full owner tools. You can start verification from Search or Maps.
• Exact name search: if the “my business” search doesn’t work for you, search your business name plus your town instead.

Messages Stopped Coming Through

If you used to get message alerts on the old app, they won’t come from there any more. Set up notifications in Maps as shown above, and check that chat is still turned on in your profile. Then send yourself a test message from another account to make sure it arrives.

Several People Used to Share the App

Some small teams used one login on one phone for the app. Now is a good time to fix that. Give each person their own access as an owner or manager, so everyone can use Maps on their own phone. It also means you can remove someone cleanly when they leave.

I always make sure there are at least two owners on any profile I look after. If the only owner loses access to their account, getting the profile back is slow and frustrating.

A Simple Weekly Routine for Your Profile

Without an app sitting on your home screen, it’s easy to forget your profile. A short routine keeps it in shape. Here is the habit I recommend to most local businesses.

1. Check messages and reviews: open Maps or search “my business” and reply to anything new. I aim to answer every review, good or bad, within a few days.
2. Confirm your hours: look ahead at the coming weeks. Add special hours for holidays or planned closures before they happen.
3. Add one fresh photo or post: a new product, a finished job or a seasonal offer is enough. Fresh content gives people a reason to choose you.
4. Look for suggested edits: Google sometimes updates details based on user suggestions. Check that your phone, website and address are still correct.
5. Glance at performance: once a month, note calls, direction requests and website clicks so you can spot drops early.

This takes about ten minutes a week. In my experience, that small habit does more for a local listing than any one-off clean-up.

What the App Shutdown Means for Local SEO

The Google Business Profile app shutdown changes where you work, not how Google ranks local businesses. Google still says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. Your category, reviews, accurate details and real-world reputation matter just as much as before.

There is one indirect risk, though. Owners who relied on app alerts may now miss reviews and messages. Slow replies and old information won’t help your listing or your customers. That’s why I’d treat notifications as the first job, not an afterthought.

A few other things I’d check while you are in your profile:

• Primary category: make sure it describes your main service. This is one of the most important choices on your profile.
• Website link: point it to the most relevant page, usually your home page or the page for that location.
• Tracking: add UTM tags (short labels at the end of a URL that tell your analytics where a visit came from) to your website link. This separates profile visits from normal organic traffic. If you are still setting up analytics, my guide to setting up GA4 alongside Universal Analytics walks through it.
• Services and products: list them with the words customers actually use. My keyword research guide for beginners helps you find those words.

Your profile is only one part of local visibility. Your website, links and content still matter. If you want a broader list of what to work on this year, see my SEO checklist for 2022.

Final Thoughts

The Google Business Profile app is gone, but your profile and all its data are safe. Managing it now happens in Google Search on desktop and in the Google Maps app on your phone, while Business Profile Manager stays for multi-location businesses and agencies.

Your next step is simple. Open Google Maps on your phone today, tap your profile picture, open your Business Profile and turn on notifications for messages and reviews. Then search “my business” on your computer to make sure the right people have access.