Hi
I spend a lot of time exploring the world to improve Google Maps. I take thousands of pictures, I check the local POIs in the areas where I go and then I share everything I have on Google Maps and make all the necessary improvements (edits/additions).
I usually do not check if Google Maps approves my edits since I never understand why it “does not apply” stuff I was able to verify on the ground. I can’t fight a giant.
I also understand that there are some spammers who are doing evil stuff to maps, but can’t Google Maps see from my work so far I’ve done nothing but try to make Google Maps better? What is all this AI talk, when you can’t have an AI simply understand who’s doing good for Google Maps and who’s messing with it?
Today I took the time of adding literally dozens of POIs that were missing from the maps. For each of these POIs I took the time to research online to make sure I was not adding something that had already closed and to get all the relevant information I could be missing (like hours of operation or website for example).
This is not meaningless work. It takes time and patience, but if the maps get improved for everyone’s benefit, I’m fine with it.
After adding multiple POIs today, I was wondering how Google was handling new POIs in Covid-19 times… Well apparently mine go to trash for the majority because Google couldn’t verify them. For each of them I am providing pictures of the POI with geotags and most of them the phone number and/or website. Yet, in less than a few seconds my work is just dismissed by a computer program. 
I am not usually complaining because I figure Google has other things to do than dealing with someone like me. But I’ve already added hundreds of places, contributed to thousands of places and I am providing actually verifiable information. It feels insulting after so much hard work to be dismissed in such a way. What am I doing wrong?
Tell me my place creation is “pending” because you’re busy. Don’t reject the hard work of the people who are on the ground to make the maps better.
Thanks!
30 Likes
Hello @Herve_Andrieu
Maybe a Google moderator like @Petra_M could answer your question? I guess it is due to the current crisis of the Covid-19. I also have some pending and rejected submissions… Hopefully this whole thing will soon be behind us!
Take care…
Kind regards,
Sébastien.
1 Like
Thanks for tagging me @Sebastien_5-1 .
Hi @Herve_Andrieu ,
Thank you for reaching out!
I’d like to inform you, that there is a delay in the contributions due to the pandemic situation, please check out the post here.
Also, I’d like to recommend you to read Why is my edit status “Pending” or “Not Applied”?, to get the answer to your question.
We appreciate all of your efforts to help make the world easier to navigate.
4 Likes
Hi @Petra_M ,
thanks for the usual non-response which was to be expected from Google’s side.
The delay in applying is 100% understandable and perfectly fine, but technically I was not complaining about the “pending” edits/additions.
Like I just explained I spent hours on the ground visiting these places (which Google can see since I allow my movements to be tracked), I post these missing POIs with pictures that are geotagged and timestamped and after reviewing them on the Internet to try to confirm relevant data (and I contributed to all the POIs around the POI I am trying to add).
Let’s take 1 simple example where “confirming relevant data” is easy as 1-2-3: Bowen Realty in Royal Palm Beach. I use a fantastic search engine called Google to search it online and hold and behold, what do I find? https://www.darellbowenrealty.com/ Which clearly confirms the missing office I tried to inform Google Maps of. My addition was containing their phone number as well. Did an automatic robot from Google call these people to confirm who and where they are? I remember seeing Google bragging about being able to call humans to do complicated reservations, so why not use these tools to improve Google Maps. Yet my submissing was dismissed in seconds. It is not “pending”, it was “not applied” which is Google Maps’ polite way of saying rejected.
And the same applied for dozens of other additions, this after I’ve contributed to Google Maps for years…
So answering to me RTFM which actually says “If your edit is Not Applied, that means we were unable to confidently verify the information you shared at this time.” is actually adding insult to injury.
Am I wasting my time trying to make Google Maps more relevant?
I am sure I am not the only one for whom Google Maps rejects additions. So either you consider our work is worthless or maybe you can explain what it is that Google Maps needs to “confirm relevant data” when a guide that has been posting relevant, verifiable data for years gives you some more. What is missing from my submissions to make you improve Google Maps? If someone from Google Maps were to answer this, it would probably be a useful answer since the purpose is to improve Google Maps…
Thanks!
2 Likes
Hi buddy,
I feel your pain. I once tried to update the spelling of the place I worked on Maps… After a few retries and cruel rejections, I stopped.
Keep up the good work with maps
1 Like
So we are now at more than 1 week since I originally posted and still no constructive answer on why additions with geotagged, timestamped pictures, plus such elements as phone number and/or website are being flat-out rejected for a local guide that has been helping out for more than 4 years and has over 100k contributions.
For now I’m holding my additions as I’m tired of seeing my work wasted without consideration.
2 Likes
Hi @Petra_M
If you look at @Herve_Andrieu s photos you will notice that his edits are rejected and not pending which is what would happen if his problem was related to covid. Please reconsider your answer.
Cheers
Looks like I’ll never get a satisfactory answer from anyone on Google Maps’ side on this subject.
So to finish on a positive note on this subject, since that’s all there is to do in such a case, I highly recommend @MortenCopenhagen 's post on Google’s response to edits:
https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/General-Discussion/How-to-make-sense-of-Google-s-responses-to-your-edits/td-p/2463431
I must be falling in the " trust score is too low" which would be quite a blow after all I did for Google Maps or I “submitted more than one edit at a time” to which I could only answer “Duh! Obviously I submit more than 1 edit at a time since I make dozens of additions/edits when I visit hundreds of POIs… Can’t you see my submission patterns???”
Anyway, I’ll choose the option “Give up and leave it to other local guides to fix the issue later. This will often be your best option.” and I won’t disturb anyone anymore with my useless questions.
I just wish Google Maps’ algorithms were a bit smarter… 
4 Likes
Hi @Herve_Andrieu
I don’t think your questions are useless at all. You are addressing a problem that very many local guides face. And some of them give up suggesting edits. So this is a very serious matter.
I’m not sure what you mean by “Can’t you see my submission patterns???”. I don’t know if you are aware that only you are able to see your edit contributions. Only Photo and Review contributions are viewable on open profiles.
Cheers and thanks for sharing your frustration. Hopefully, it will lead to improvements in the not so distant future. But it is a delicate balance to keel spammers at bay and at the same time keep local guides happy.
Cheers
1 Like
Hey @MortenCopenhagen ,
When writing “Can’t you see my submission patterns???” it was meant not as an answer to your post, but as an answer to the Google Maps AI. I was talking to Al from 2001 A Space Odyssey who makes choices for my own “good”…
Your guide was excellent and actually motivated me to just continue to post my additions and just “forget about it” because there’s not much I can do about it indeed. I am a small voice and Google is a giant who does not even listen.
Thanks again!
2 Likes
Attempt at working and adding seriously missing places today… Again all additions come with geotagged, timestamped pictures in addition to all the nice information I take quite some time to look up/verify online:
NOT APPLIED
Nation Lawyers
10251 W Oakland Park Blvd
Sunrise, FL 33351
https://www.nationlawyers.com/
(954) 280-2000
NOT APPLIED
Assembly of Believers in Jesus Christ
8448 NW 57TH ST
TAMARAC, FL 33351
9542442384
google search:
https://www.localprayers.com/US/Tamarac/364631613676498/Assembly-of-Believers-in-Jesus-Christ
http://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/corporationsearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=ASSEMBLYBELIEVERSINJESUSCHRIST%20N000000022110&aggregateId=domnp-n00000002211-1b34639c-b452-4c01-ae50-e860b40ac65a&searchTerm=ASSEMBLING%20SOLUTIONS%20LLC&listNameOrder=ASSEMBLINGSOLUTIONS%20L180000959540
NOT APPLIED
Musa Salon and Spa
4962 NW 88th Ave
Sunrise, FL 33351
(954) 900-4151
https://musasalonspa.com/
NOT APPLIED
Alferreira Boutique
8020 w McNabb road, North Lauderdale, Florida 33068
(561) 891-2124
https://www.facebook.com/al.ferreira72
NOT APPLIED
Asia Spa
8243 W Atlantic Blvd, Coral Springs, FL 33071
7543085622
(this one does not look like much, but it still is in business so I’m not here to make a judgement)
NOT APPLIED
The Calvo Group
1159 Royal Palm Beach Blvd
Royal Palm Beach, Florida 33411
www.thecalvogrouphomes.com
(561) 507-0107
NOT APPLIED
Upper Echelon Academy
11924 Forrest Hill Blvd.
Suite 27
Wellington, FL 33414
(561) 249- 6305
https://www.upperechelonacademy.com/
NOT APPLIED
Backstreet Fashions
2705 St Rd 7 A430 (14.77 mi)
Wellington, Florida 33414
(561) 847-4167
https://www.facebook.com/wellingtonfashions2605/
@Petra_M you’ve already made it clear you don’t have much to help on the subject. Koszonom szepen.
Not sure who else is interested in the subject.
@KlaudiyaG @Ivi_Ge @MashaPS @JavieraAu @DeniGu @AngieYC @InaS @VasT @AlexaAC , any of you interested in adding on the subject (you were selected randomly as the first 9 moderators since I do not know how to select moderators…)?
You have very serious local guides doing their best to improve the maps, adding relevant information for years and for whom new submissions that contain all the crucial elements are rejected in seconds. I am not the only one affected by this problem. Even if you can’t do something about it yourself, can’t you maybe start moving things inside of Google Maps? (I hate finding information on FB easier than on Google Maps, that really saddens me!).
Sorry for the large cc but I don’t know how to get an answer.
1 Like
Hi all,
It’s been nearly 4 years since this post and it feels like things are only getting worse as far as trusting existing reliable local guides.
Personally Google Maps has meant 8 years of contributions, thousands of additions/edits, … and I just discovered that some new change is now rejecting quasi-automatically missing POIs I am adding to the map.
In the past few weeks I visited 7-8 different towns, took about 10,000 pictures for about 3,500 POIs. This is a lot of work.
Then I report missing places where I know the algorithm used to consider me as trustworthy (ATMs)… except now I am apparently not considered trustworthy anymore… despite providing geotagged timestamped pictures for each addition as I’ve done hundreds of times for ATMs in the past.
The edits seem to be reviewed by something/someone since the rejection takes between 5 and 10 minutes and it says “All edits are checked for accuracy”.
Not sure what level of accuracy is meant… But this is clearly discouraging as every edit/addition is time consuming for local guides.
Once again Google Maps team, you should maybe consider levels of trust based on years of contribution with an algo that makes a bit more sense…
For me this probably means no more place additions as I do not have extra time to waste if my contributions are not useful.
Just trying to make the team aware there’s something that could be improved if you want motivated local guides for many more years @ Google Maps team. @Julie_A
Thanks all and happy contributing to Google Maps!
1 Like
