Google formalizes review requests nine months after feature launch

Google published help documentation on December 31, 2025, explaining how businesses can create shareable links and QR codes to request customer reviews through Google Business Profiles. The formalization arrives nearly nine months after the company quietly introduced the functionality in March 2025, marking the first time businesses received official guidance on proper implementation.

The documentation release follows an extended period where the feature existed without accompanying instructions or policy clarification. Businesses could generate review request tools at least since March 2025, but lacked official guidelines explaining acceptable usage parameters or technical implementation details until the December 31 publication.

According to the newly published help page, businesses can now access step-by-step instructions for creating review links through their Business Profile dashboard. The process requires navigating to the profile interface, selecting "Read Reviews" followed by "Get more reviews," then choosing between direct link sharing or QR code downloading options.

The QR code generation process involves specific technical steps. Users must right-click the displayed QR code, then select "Save image as..." to download the graphic file for printing or digital distribution. Currently, this functionality remains restricted to desktop browser interfaces rather than mobile devices, according to Google's documentation.

Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable reported the initial March 2025 feature introduction, documenting that Google had added a screen enabling businesses to request reviews by sharing links or QR codes with customers. That earlier rollout provided the technical capability without official documentation explaining implementation methods or policy requirements.

The help page specifies four recommended distribution channels for review request tools. According to Google's guidance, businesses should include review links on receipts, incorporate them in thank-you emails, add them at the end of chat interactions, and print and display QR codes in physical store locations.

Hiroko Imai, a Google Business Profile Diamond Product Expert, highlighted the documentation on LinkedIn on January 1, 2026. "It seems they've added a help page about reviews," Imai wrote in the post. "The key point here is: 'Important: Reviews and other user contributions to Google Maps must reflect a genuine experience.'"

The documentation contains explicit policy language regarding review authenticity requirements. "Reviews and other user contributions to Google Maps must reflect a genuine experience," according to the help page text. The policy statement continues: "Offering incentives, like free or discounted goods or services, to customers in exchange for reviews is considered fake engagement and is strictly prohibited."

The prohibition extends beyond initial review creation to encompass broader manipulation activities. According to the documentation, the fake engagement category includes "posting reviews, changing reviews, or removing negative reviews." Violations can trigger Business Profile restrictions, with Google providing links to additional documentation explaining "Business Profile restrictions for policy violations."

The documentation includes a technical note about language availability. "Currently, help pages in languages other than English seem to be behind in translation, so English versions are being displayed," according to Imai's LinkedIn post. Google indicated that "translations for each language will be added eventually," without specifying deployment timelines for non-English documentation.

The nine-month gap between feature availability and documentation publishing created uncertainty for businesses attempting to use review solicitation tools. During this period, companies could access link and QR code generation functionality but lacked official confirmation about acceptable implementation practices or clear policy boundaries regarding incentivization.

The review collection formalization fits within Google's broader Business Profile ecosystem restructuring throughout 2025. The company consolidated Local Service Ads reviews into Business Profile management on July 11, 2025, requiring all review collection and management activities to occur through centralized Business Profile systems rather than separate Local Service Ads infrastructure.

That July consolidation included automatic verification of existing reviews against Google Maps Review Policies during the migration process. Reviews suspected of policy violations potentially disappeared from business profiles following the transition, according to email communications sent to Local Service Ads advertisers affected by the change.

Platform communication capabilities have undergone systematic reduction across multiple Google Business Profile features. The company discontinued the chat feature entirely by July 31, 2024, eliminating direct messaging between customers and businesses through Google Search and Maps. That removal forced businesses to redirect customer communications to external channels including website contact forms and social media messaging.

More recently, Google replaced the Q&A feature with an AI-powered Ask button in December 2025. The transition eliminated community-driven question forums where customers could browse existing responses from business owners and other users. The new system generates AI-mediated responses based on business-provided answers and review content rather than displaying direct customer-to-customer knowledge sharing.

The systematic removal of direct communication tools while simultaneously publishing review solicitation guidance creates an apparent strategic contradiction. Google has eliminated chat functionality, transformed Q&A into AI-generated responses, yet now provides official documentation encouraging businesses to actively request customer reviews through multiple distribution channels.

Policy enforcement across Business Profile features has intensified throughout 2025. Google updated business links policies on September 3, 2025, implementing daily automated crawler verification for all business links in profiles. The updates doubled policy documentation size while introducing technical compliance standards that automatically remove non-compliant links without warning.

Geographic restrictions also tightened during 2025. Google prohibited businesses from adding countries or states as service areas on June 24, 2025, requiring service boundaries to remain within approximately two hours of driving time from business base locations. The policy explicitly banned large geographic designations that previously existed within platform capabilities.

The review link documentation arrives amid broader industry concerns about review authenticity. Research published in December 2025 found that AI-generated reviews surged over 1,000% on major e-commerce platforms including Temu and Shein, with AI-generated content reaching approximately 10% of total reviews analyzed between 2022 and 2025.

The e-commerce platform analysis employed Originality.ai's detection tool to identify reviews exhibiting AI characteristics, revealing accelerating growth rates particularly after ChatGPT achieved mainstream availability in November 2022. Temu demonstrated a 1,361% increase in AI-generated reviews between 2022 and 2025, while Shein showed a 1,569% proportional increase from 2018 to 2024.

Google's approach to review systems increasingly relies on AI-mediated interfaces across its ecosystem. Chrome introduced AI-powered store reviews in July 2025, aggregating merchant evaluations from multiple sources including TrustPilot, ScamAdvisor, and Google Shopping. The browser feature synthesizes customer experiences into comprehensive overviews, attempting to provide balanced perspectives beyond single-platform reviews.

The technical implementation requirements include accessing Business Profile dashboards through desktop browsers for full functionality. Mobile device limitations prevent QR code generation, requiring businesses to maintain desktop access for complete feature utilization. This platform restriction affects companies primarily managing profiles through mobile applications.

The help page includes a tip suggesting additional distribution methods beyond the four recommended channels. "You can also send review requests through email, WhatsApp message, or Facebook post," according to the documentation. This guidance indicates that review link sharing extends beyond Google's own platform ecosystem to encompass third-party communication channels.

The documentation provides businesses with clarity about review request implementation methods following months of uncertainty. Companies can now reference official Google guidance when developing review collection strategies, reducing ambiguity about acceptable practices and proper technical execution.

The review solicitation formalization establishes standardized expectations for businesses seeking customer feedback through Google's ecosystem. The documentation emphasizes genuine experience requirements while providing specific implementation instructions for link generation, QR code creation, and multi-channel distribution strategies.

Marketing professionals managing Business Profile listings gain definitive guidance on review collection practices after nearly a year of unofficial feature usage. The documentation reduces operational uncertainty while establishing clear policy boundaries regarding incentivization prohibitions and authentic feedback requirements.

The help page publication represents Google's acknowledgment that review solicitation constitutes an acceptable business practice when executed within policy parameters. The formalization provides technical implementation guidance while maintaining strict prohibitions against fake engagement through incentivized or manipulated reviews.

Platform evolution continues reshaping local business visibility strategies across Google's ecosystem. The review link documentation adds another layer to Business Profile management requirements as companies navigate increasingly complex policy landscapes, technical compliance standards, and feature availability changes affecting customer communication capabilities.

Timeline

• March 2025: Google introduces review link and QR code generation feature without accompanying help documentation
• May 29, 2025: Google launches brand profile management tools for select e-commerce retailers
• June 24, 2025: Google bans countries and states from Business Profile service areas, implementing two-hour driving radius restrictions
• July 11, 2025: Google shifts Local Service Ads reviews to Business Profiles management, consolidating review systems across platforms
• July 31, 2024: Google discontinues Business Profile chat feature, eliminating direct messaging capabilities
• July 2025: Chrome introduces AI-powered store reviews aggregating evaluations from multiple platforms
• September 3, 2025: Google updates business links policies with stricter verification requirements, implementing daily automated crawler checks
• December 2025: Google replaces Business Profile Q&A with AI-powered Ask feature, eliminating community-driven questions
• December 2025: AI-generated reviews surge over 1,000% on major e-commerce platforms according to research
• December 31, 2025: Google publishes official help documentation for creating review request links and QR codes
• January 1, 2026: Hiroko Imai, Google Business Profile Diamond Product Expert, highlights documentation on LinkedIn

Summary

Who: Google published help documentation affecting local businesses, multi-location companies, marketing professionals, and Google Business Profile Diamond Product Experts like Hiroko Imai who communicated the policy implications through industry channels.

What: Google released official help documentation explaining how businesses can create and share links or QR codes to request customer reviews on Business Profiles, formalizing a feature initially introduced without guidance in March 2025 while emphasizing that reviews must reflect genuine experiences and prohibiting incentivized feedback.

When: The help documentation was published on December 31, 2025, nearly nine months after the underlying feature became available to businesses in March 2025, with translations for non-English versions described as forthcoming without specific timelines.

Where: The documentation applies globally to all Google Business Profile listings across Search and Maps platforms, though QR code generation functionality currently remains restricted to desktop browser interfaces rather than mobile devices.

Why: Google formalized review solicitation practices to provide standardized implementation guidance for businesses while establishing clear policy boundaries prohibiting fake engagement through incentivized reviews, addressing the need for official documentation after months of unofficial feature usage by businesses lacking policy clarity.