NI Bureau
Google is discontinuing a feature in Google Maps and Search called Business Messages, which allowed users to chat with businesses directly through their profiles. This feature will stop working by July 31st. Starting from July 15th, users won’t be able to initiate new conversations with businesses, and the service will be completely shut down by July 31st, with chat messages and call history being removed from its data.
Google explained that this decision was made to focus on enhancing core functionalities, aiming for a more streamlined communication experience. While Google may be aiming for smoother communication, this decision affects businesses that relied on this feature for customer communication. Users who used this feature will now need to find alternative methods to contact businesses.
Although some may speculate that Google is closing this feature to introduce a new one for better communication with businesses, there is no such announcement at the moment. However, businesses’ contact information such as phone numbers, email addresses, and website links will still be available on Maps and Search.
In the absence of Business Messages, businesses can explore alternative options like Meta’s business chats on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Khushi Sikarwar
