Google Maps Put Message Next to Call: Turn On WhatsApp or Text Before the Holiday Rush (and What Gemini Can Post for You)

Google business messaging just moved up the page: Google Maps now shows a Message button right next to Call on eligible Business Profiles, on Android and iOS, once chat is set up. Tapping it opens WhatsApp or a text message to the business. It is not the old Google chat inbox coming back.

The timing matters. Holiday shoppers are already looking, and a Message button nobody answers now sits in one of the most visible spots on your listing. Below: what changed, how to turn it on, who should watch it, and what Gemini can post and set for you. It's for owners running their own profile, and freelancers and agencies running client profiles. The goal is more leads, not a map-pack climb.

What changed on Google Maps for Business Profile messaging?

Eligible Business Profiles now show a Message button next to Call on Google Maps for Android and iOS, as long as chat is set up. Before this, customers had to scroll deep into the profile to find chat on Maps.

Google announced it in its Small Business Bulletin, posted by Lisa Landsman in the Business Profile Community on Nov 5, as Search Engine Journal reported. The bulletin says customers "can now find a prominent Message button right next to 'Call' on your Google Maps listing." Previously, it says, "finding chat on Maps required scrolling deep down into your profile."

Tapping Message "routes customers straight to where you already handle business; including WhatsApp and SMS/Text." It is the same chat line Google already offered on Search, now on Maps too. Google's pitch is simple: it "catches leads when you can't pick up," like when you're mid-appointment or out on a job.

The same bulletin added Gemini posts from your photos and videos, Workspace access to Gemini that is "rolling out now," and a holiday checklist. We'll get to each. If you just checked what Google shows when someone Googles your name, think of this as the ops follow-up for the profile itself.

Is this the old Google Business Profile chat that ended in 2024?

No: Google's native Business Profile chat and call history ended on July 31, 2024. The new Message button opens your WhatsApp or text messages, not an inbox inside Google.

Google's notice on chat and call history says that as of July 31, 2024, "You won't be able to interact with customers through chat or find customer call history from your Business Profile." It points eligible accounts to text messages or WhatsApp instead. That replacement is the Chat option in your contact info, set up through Google's chat with customers help page. Maps has now given that option a front-row button.

So messages land in WhatsApp or your text app, not in Google. Here's how the three versions compare, using only what Google has published.

Google has not published any response-time rule for WhatsApp or text chat. Don't read that as permission to answer whenever you like.

How do you turn on the Message button (WhatsApp vs text)?

Open your Business Profile, go to Edit profile, then Contact, then Chat, and pick WhatsApp or Text message. Pick one: if you add both, Google only shows customers the text option.

These are Google's setup steps for a claimed and verified profile:

1. Go to your Business Profile.
2. Select Edit profile, then Contact.
3. Next to Chat, select Edit.
4. Open the Chat dropdown and choose WhatsApp or Text message.
5. Add your WhatsApp click-to-chat URL, or a phone number that can receive text messages.
6. Select Save.

The same page lists the gotchas. "If you add both options, only the text message option will be shown to customers." Chat is "currently available for select regions and might not be available for your Business Profile," and Google doesn't list the regions, so a missing option isn't you doing it wrong. Different profiles can share one WhatsApp link, and Google suggests checking your chat performance metrics once it's live.

For WhatsApp, the link format trips people up. WhatsApp's click to chat guide, which Google links from the Chat setting, says to use wa.me with your full number in international format and to "Omit any zeroes, brackets, or dashes." So a US number looks like https://wa.me/15551234567, not +1 (555) 123-4567.

So which channel? It depends where you are in the world. Culturally, nearly all of Latin America uses WhatsApp for all business, so there it's the natural pick. In the USA or Australia, I recommend text, because WhatsApp just isn't widely used there. Pick the channel your customers already use and someone will actually answer.

Once saved, open your listing in Google Maps on a phone and check that Message sits next to Call. Still sorting out the rest of the profile? Our dentist Business Profile setup guide walks through a full setup for one industry, and most of it carries over.

Who watches the inbox once Message sits next to Call?

Someone has to own it, by name, before you switch it on. Search Engine Journal put the risk well: with this change, "a dead link or unread inbox now sits in one of the top buttons displayed when a customer clicks on your Google Maps listing." A November roundup on searchenginetable.com was blunter: "A Message button that nobody answers is worse than no button."

Treat it like the front-desk phone. Here's a short playbook to put in place before you save the setting.

Mind you, none of this is about rankings. Google's bulletin sells Message as a way to catch leads when you can't pick up, and nothing Google published with this change mentions ranking. Turn it on so more people can reach you.

Freelancers and agencies: put the reply owner's name and channel in the client SOP. No name, no Message button.

What can Gemini post for you from photos and videos?

Gemini can take a photo or video you attach and write and publish a Business Profile post from it, according to Google's November bulletin. It works in the Gemini web app for people who manage only one verified profile.

The bulletin lists "Photo & video uploads via chat (live)" from "your device or Google Photos," including to "compose and publish a rich post." Google's Gemini help page confirms Gemini can "Create, schedule, publish, or delete Update, Offer, or Event posts."

The help page lags on media, though. As of Nov 9 it still says "Upload new photos using a public URL," with no mention of device uploads or video. So try attaching from your phone or computer first, and fall back to a public image URL if your screen has no upload option.

Who can use it, per that help page:

• An owner or manager of only one verified Business Profile. Anyone with access to more than one is blocked, which rules out an agency login that manages several clients.
• Aged 18 or over.
• Signed in to the Gemini web app at gemini.google.com (it's only available there) with the personal Google Account tied to the profile.
• Keep Activity turned on.

Then the steps:

1. Go to gemini.google.com, signed in with the account that manages your profile.
2. Ask about your profile, and add @Google Business Profile to the prompt if Gemini doesn't pick it up.
3. Connect when prompted and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. Attach a real photo and use a prompt like Google's own example below.
5. Read the draft before it goes live.

@Google Business Profile I've attached a photo of our weekend special. Write a short 2-sentence post highlighting the ingredients

That's Google's sample prompt: it tells Gemini to use your profile connection and write a two-sentence post about the attached photo. Swap in your own offer or job.

Don't skip step 5. The searchenginetable.com writer says they would never let it publish without reading the draft, because "AI copy tends to be generic and sometimes gets prices, dates or offer terms wrong." Check every price, date and offer term before you confirm. You get the idea.

What about Workspace accounts, like [email protected]? The bulletin says Workspace access is "rolling out now" and that your Workspace admin must enable Gemini app access first. The help page, checked Nov 9, still says "For now, this feature isn't available if you sign in with a work or school Google Account." I haven't used it with a Workspace login, so I won't tell you it works. Try it if your admin has switched Gemini on; if it fails, use the personal account tied to the profile.

How do you set Black Friday and holiday special hours (Gemini, Generate hours, or classic UI)?

There are three ways, and they suit different jobs.

Path A: Gemini. The help page says Gemini can "Modify regular weekly schedules or set special hours for holidays and events." Google's bulletin gives this sample prompt:

@Google Business Profile set our special hours for Black Friday: Open 10 AM to 9 PM

Change the times to yours and repeat for each holiday date.

Path B: Generate hours. Google's business hours help page describes it this way: go to Edit profile, then Hours, describe your hours in the Generate hours box, select Generate hours, check the result, then Save. Google says it's "currently available for select regions and languages." Use it to fix your normal week, then set holiday dates with path A or C.

Path C: classic Special hours. From Google's special hours guide:

1. Select Edit profile, then Hours.
2. Next to Special hours, select Edit.
3. Review a suggested date or select Add a date.
4. If you're open, uncheck Closed and enter your hours. If you're closed, leave Closed checked.
5. Select Save.

Two rules from that page. Special hours only show up if your business hours are set to "Open with main hours." And if you're closing for 7 or more days in a row, Google says to mark the business Temporarily closed instead.

While you're in there, run the rest of Google's holiday checklist from the bulletin: special holiday hours, your menu, services or products, a holiday post (from the dashboard or Gemini), messaging turned on, and a check of your appointment, ordering and pickup links.

What is still unverified about Message, Gemini and hours?

Five things are still open: which countries get chat, whether Workspace access works on your account, device and video uploads in Google's help docs, any ranking effect, and Google's separate AI messaging pilot. Check each one on your own profile; none is a promise.

CONFIRMED from Google: the Message button on Android and iOS, text winning when both channels are added, and native chat ending July 31, 2024. The rest is less settled.

1. Regions (UNCONFIRMED): Google says "select regions" and doesn't name them.
2. Workspace Gemini access (UNCONFIRMED for your account): the bulletin says it's rolling out; the help page still blocked work and school accounts when checked on Nov 9.
3. Device and video uploads (CONFIRMED by the bulletin, not yet by the help page).
4. Ranking boost (UNCONFIRMED): no Google source ties Message, or how fast you reply, to rankings. Don't sell it to anyone that way.
5. AI messaging agent (separate limited pilot): the searchenginetable.com roundup reports Google widening a pilot where "an AI agent answers routine questions." It says to "Treat this as a limited pilot, not a launch." It is not the Message button.

What should freelancers and agencies tell clients this week?

Keep it calm. Google made messaging easier to find on Maps, that's all. Turn it on only where someone will answer, pick one channel, set holiday hours now, and try one Gemini post from a real photo. Here's a template to adapt:

Hi there, quick one before the holidays. Google Maps now shows a Message button next to Call on your listing once chat is set up. It opens WhatsApp or a text to you, so before we switch it on, we need one person who will answer it during business hours. Who should that be, and do your customers use WhatsApp or text? I'll also set your holiday hours this week and draft one post from a real photo for you to check.

No worries if a client says nobody can answer. Leave Message off and set the hours. A clear no beats a dead button.

Managing several profiles? DataWise (free for members) keeps an eye on Google Business Profile health. For everything beyond the profile, see our complete guide to local SEO.

The one idea to take away: Message now sits next to Call, so treat it like the phone. Staff it, pick one channel, and fix your holiday hours.

Not sure whether to turn Message on, or who should own the inbox on a client profile? Bring a Maps screenshot to a Premium live Q&A or a website review inside AI Ranking Premium. Not ready for that? Start with the free AI Search Kickstarter.

Cheers,
Nico