Google may now review business replies to local reviews before showing them publicly on Google Maps or Google Search. Earlier, when a business replied to a customer review, the reply usually appeared right away. Now, that process may be changing.
This update was spotted by Michel van Luijtelaar, who shared the details on LinkedIn. He noticed a new field in the Google API called ReviewReplyState.
This field appears to show the status of a business reply. The possible values include:
PENDING: Google is checking the reply before it goes live.
REJECTED: Google has blocked the reply from appearing publicly.
APPROVED: The reply has been approved and can be shown in public.
Michel wrote that for years, business replies went live as soon as someone clicked send. However, with this new ReviewReplyState field, replies may now go through moderation first.
This matters for local businesses because review replies are an important part of online reputation management. A quick and helpful reply can build trust, improve customer experience, and show future customers that the business is active and responsive.
At the same time, this change may mean businesses need to be more careful with how they write review replies. Replies should sound natural, respectful, helpful, and policy-safe. Harsh language, promotional wording, personal details, or anything that looks suspicious may create problems.
There are also two more updates mentioned in the same discussion. First, customer-uploaded images may now be accessible through the API. Second, scheduled recurring posts also appear to be a new addition.
For local SEO teams, agencies, and multi-location businesses, this is an important update to watch. Review replies may no longer be just a quick publish-and-forget task. They may now need cleaner wording, better monitoring, and a more careful review management process.
The forum discussion was also shared on LinkedIn.
