GOOGLE NOW SAYS WHY YOUR REVIEW REPLY WAS REJECTED.
Your replies to Google reviews are checked before they go public, and some never make it. This year Google added both the moderation status and the rejection reason to the Business Profile API that review tools use. Here is what changed and how to use it.
AT A GLANCE
By Conqueror Capital · Published
The change: Google added review reply moderation status on April 1, 2026 and the rejection reason on July 1, 2026.1
WHAT CHANGED
Google's Business Profile APIs are how listings, reputation and review-management tools read and answer your Google reviews. Google's Latest updates page lists four review changes this year:1
- April 1, 2026. Review reply state can be retrieved as part of reviews. Google says it gives more visibility into the moderation status of submitted review replies.1
- April 20, 2026. Review media items, meaning thumbnail image and video URLs attached to a review, can be retrieved.1
- July 1, 2026. A policy violation field can be retrieved, giving more visibility into the policy violation status of submitted review replies.1
- July 24, 2026. A review reply URL can be retrieved for each review.1
Google's API reference describes the reply URL as the URL for replying to the review.2
THE THREE STATES
The reference documentation defines the moderation state of a review reply with three values:2
- Pending. The reply is pending moderation.2
- Approved. The reply was approved.2
- Rejected. The reply was rejected.2
The policy violation field is only filled in when the state is Rejected, and Google warns that new values may be added in the future.2
This matches what Google tells owners in its Help Center. Google reviews your replies to make sure they follow its content policies. If a reply isn't approved, you are asked to edit it. Replies usually take up to 10 minutes to review, but sometimes up to 30 days.3
REJECTION REASONS
The list of policy violation values is long. Several describe problems with the profile or account rather than the reply text: the profile is suspended, disabled or not verified; an associated Google Account is restricted; or another account has claimed the profile.2
Others describe the reply itself. The ones most relevant to a business replying to customers:2
- Advertising and solicitation. Google describes this as promotional or commercial content, or content posted in exchange for benefits.2
- Fake engagement. Incentivized content, content intended to manipulate a place's rating, and content that doesn't represent a genuine experience.2
- Repetitive. Identical or similar content added multiple times by one or more accounts.2
- Off-topic. General, political or social commentary, and personal rants.2
- Harassment and offensive content. Content that bullies or threatens, or that may reasonably cause extreme anger, insult or disrespect.2
WHO IT AFFECTS
- Businesses that reply through a tool such as a reputation, listings or review-response platform. The new fields are available to all partners through the APIs,1 but each vendor decides whether to show them.
- Businesses that paste the same reply under every review. Repetitive content is one of the listed reasons.2
- Businesses that put offers or promotions in replies. Advertising and solicitation is another.2
- Multi-location businesses and agencies answering reviews in bulk, where a rejected reply is easy to miss.
If you reply directly in Google, nothing changes in how you do it. Google already asks you to edit a reply that isn't approved.3
QUICK QUESTIONS
Can I still include my phone number in a reply?
Google's business guidelines say merchants may post contact information for their own business in response to reviews.5 Keep it to that; a sales pitch is a different matter.
Does a rejected reply hurt my profile?
Google's documentation does not say. It says the reply is not posted and you are asked to edit it.3 We won't guess beyond that.
Is thanking reviewers with a discount allowed?
Google Maps policy does not allow merchants to offer incentives such as payment, discounts or free goods in exchange for posting a review, or for revising or removing a negative one.4
WHAT TO DO
- Ask your review tool vendor whether it now shows reply status and the rejection reason. If it only shows "sent", you cannot tell which replies are live.
- Check your last 20 replies on your public profile. Any reply you remember sending that isn't showing needs a rewrite.
- Write each reply for that customer. Mention what they said, keep it short, and leave out coupons and promotions. Our guide on getting more Google reviews covers replies and how to ask for reviews within the rules.
- Never tie a reward to a review. Google's policy covers incentives for posting, revising or removing reviews.4
- If replies fail for account reasons, fix the profile first. Our suspended Business Profile guide covers what to check.
SOURCES
- Google for Developers, Business Profile APIs: Latest updates, entries dated April 1, April 20, July 1 and July 24, 2026.
- Google for Developers, REST Resource: accounts.locations.reviews.
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage customer reviews.
- Google Maps Help, Prohibited & restricted content (Maps user-generated content policy).
- Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for representing your business on Google.
Platforms change often. Check the sources for the current version before acting.
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