Google Business Message option on Business Profile Pages is going to end on July 31 2024

Google has announced that it will discontinue the Google Business Message option on Business Profile pages(formerly Google My Business). Starting July 15, 2024, users will no longer be able to engage with businesses via chat on the Google Business Profile page. However, customers can still contact businesses through Google Maps and Search.

Existing chats will be notified of this change, and on July 31, 2024, Google will completely remove the Business Message feature from Business Profile pages.

If you are a business owner and want to download your previous chats, you can do so by visiting the Google Takeout page. You may need to sign in if prompted. Once signed in, scroll down to find the options for “Google Business Profile” and “Google Chat.” Select both options and follow the on-screen prompts to download your data.

Google is likely making these changes to minimize costs. This isn’t the only product/feature Google has discontinued. If you check the Killed by Google checklist, you’ll find a whole list of Google products that are no longer available. For example, when Google announced its plan to shut down Stadia, there was significant dissatisfaction in the tech community.

As a business owner, you might want to add email or other methods of communication to your business profile page to ensure customers can still reach you.