A new Google Maps bug appears to be affecting some Google Business Profiles, especially service area businesses.
The issue is causing business map pins to appear in the middle of the ocean, even though the correct service area is still displayed on Google Maps.
This problem seems to mainly affect service area businesses that hide their physical address from their Google Business Profile.
Google Maps Pin Bug Affecting Service Area Businesses
Dipa Gandhi first reported the issue on LinkedIn.
She wrote:
“Seems like there’s new GBP bug! For service area businesses, Google Maps is showing the correct service area served, however, the profile is showing a PIN marker in the middle of the ocean.”
According to Gandhi, the issue does not appear to be limited to just one Google Business Profile.
She also shared screenshots showing how the map pin should normally appear compared with what affected businesses are currently seeing.
She added:
“and it’s definitely not a “one-off” situation. Seeing this on many profiles!”
Here is an example of the issue:
Other Businesses Are Reporting the Same Problem
Several people also confirmed seeing similar behavior in the comments on the LinkedIn post.
This suggests that the Google Maps pin issue may be affecting multiple service area businesses rather than being an isolated profile problem.
For businesses that depend on Google Maps and Google Business Profile visibility, an incorrect pin location can be confusing. Customers may see the correct service area but also notice a location marker placed far away from the actual area served.
At the moment, there is no clear indication that the incorrect pin changes the service area itself. However, businesses should still check their profiles to make sure their map information appears correctly.
Google Maps Has Experienced Similar Location Bugs Before
This is not the first time Google Maps has displayed unusual business locations.
Several years ago, Google experienced another location-related issue that was placing some businesses in the middle of America.
That earlier issue also caused incorrect map locations to appear for certain Google Business Profiles.
Therefore, the latest ocean pin problem may be another temporary Google Maps or Google Business Profile mapping bug.
What Should Service Area Businesses Do?
For now, service area businesses should review how their Google Business Profile appears on Google Maps.
Check both the service area and the map pin location. If your business pin suddenly appears in the ocean or another incorrect location, avoid making unnecessary changes to your business address unless you are sure the profile information itself is incorrect.
Since multiple users are reporting the same problem, the issue may be coming from Google’s side rather than from individual business profiles.
Google has not publicly confirmed the bug yet, and it is currently unclear if the company is actively working on a fix.
Hopefully, Google will address the issue soon as more businesses report the unusual map pin behavior.
You can follow the ongoing discussion on LinkedIn.
