Feedback on hidden uploads for better contributions

Google Maps tips & tricks
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CW: Lengthy post, frustration, and genuinely looking for solutions to streamline contributing on Google Maps

To whom this may concern:

I’m writing as a Level 8 Local Guide who has spent years contributing photos, updates, and reviews to improve the accuracy and usefulness of Google Maps.

When the rewards program was scaled back years ago, it happened at the exact moment I would have been eligible for meaningful incentives. That was disappointing, yes, but I continued contributing anyway. Not for perks, maybe for badges, but because I believed in the value of building something useful for everyone. I want the information, especially on city, to be correct and updated.

But what’s far more discouraging now is something else entirely.

Uploading a photo or leaving a review has become an exercise in uncertainty. I add clear, helpful images such as facades, updated opening and closing schedules, new promotional posters, interiors, food, and other relevant details, only to find that sometimes they simply do not appear publicly.

It is frustrating to have to check from a different account or open a browser in incognito mode, open the web version of Google Maps and search the listing just to verify whether my contributions are even visible. I find myself auditing every single upload, wondering whether it actually made it onto the listing. That constant second guessing creates what I can only describe as contributor fatigue. It erodes goodwill and makes the entire process feel deflating.

And the amount of low quality reviews and photos I see uploaded, published on Google Maps is like putting salt on wound. 3 second videos of walking on the street pointed on the ground is published and my video of the whole facade of the building is in hidden limbo. My constructive reviews with photos attached hidden but rants and LLM generated “reviews” go frontrow.

If content is being filtered or suppressed, contributors deserve clarity. If there are quality thresholds or automated moderation triggers, we deserve transparency. At the very least, we should not have to perform manual investigations to confirm whether our efforts are live.

How many times do I need to delete and re-upload photos of a business that I want to update on Google Maps because they recently did renovations and I support local businesses especially on my city? On which account do I need to check if the new photos are live? Do I just give it some time before it pops out on Google Maps or if the 24hr mark lapsed then it’s time to re-upload? How many days do I need to wait for my uploads to show up because I can see a more recent photo of a dirty empty plate on a café listing is up there on their Latest photos tab and not mine? Do I need to upload and review listings while I am still on the premises? Do I upload it on the Photos tab or set my upload as an update? My photos are almost all geotagged, should it not be? Should I have my GPS turned on so Google Maps could validate that I am currently there as I contribute and I’m not just some guy uploading content from the other side of the globe? Do I need to edit my photos? I usually use Google Photo’s Enhance, shouldn’t I? Should I have HDR turned ON or OFF on my camera app? Do I need to add a lot of spaces on my reviews? Format it like what a random LLM produces because that’s what I’ve been seeing pop-up recently? Do I need to put emojis on my reviews?

As of this writing, if you care to peek on my profile, I am 4000+ points shy from reaching Level 9. Almost 30K submissions; thousands of edits and facts checked. Almost 25 thousand questions answered to ensure data on Google Maps is correct and accurate. Or maybe I need to grind and reach Level 9, because that’s a considerable amount of contributions to reach, for it to finally matter? Is my account flagged?

Every hidden upload makes me feel as though I’m being branded a spammer. And re-uploading contributions feels like I’m intentionally spamming.

I am investing time, effort, and attention to improve the platform, at the very least my city and its surrounding communities, only to be left unsure whether my contributions even see the light of day. Contributing should feel impactful but the situation makes the experience not just frustrating but demoralizing as well.

I take pride on what I contribute on Google Maps. I simply want to know that what I contribute matters and that it is actually being seen and hopefully help other people.

Sincerely,
Onat

PS. I still have at least a hundred photos to contribute and a handful of reviews to publish. A solution would be much appreciated.

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Hello @onat, many good questions, which all have been discussed here on Connect many times before. I am sure, you will get some good comments, but no real solution except for what you said:

This is actually, what I do since three years and the good news is, you and I are aware of the fact that some of our contributions are rejected (many other local guides do not know that at all) and we just need to keep those under control.

My understanding, why Google doesn’t tell us any details for what reason exactly a contribution was rejected, is because the filter not only check for obeying the rules, but more importantly for suspected SPAM. Giving out more detailed information, would help professional spammers to bypass the checks.

Anyway, if not already done so, I suggest reading How to Get In and Out of Trouble: The Main post.

I usually check My Contributions right after uploading which takes less than a minute most of the times. Then I share the link in an anonymous session, to see, if it became public. For photos taken inside the European Union (EU), it is easier, because hidden photos are marked in My Contributions.

However, recently, we found a problem with photos made with certain models of Galaxy smartphones. In that case, it is enough to delete the uploaded, slightly edit and upload again. Have a look, if this applies to you too: Cannot upload images to reviews - #6 by WilfriedB

Hope this helps.

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I’m also experiencing long delays recently to see views on my uploaded photos @onat. I was assuming there’s a temporary glitch, as this is a repeat of a similar experience some time last year. Some delays are as long as two weeks now.

Do you have a list of these models @WilfriedB. My phone is a Samsung Galaxy A56.

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Hey Onat — I wanted to reply as a Google Maps Product Expert and also just as someone who sees this come up a lot.

We see posts like this pretty regularly in the Google Maps Help Community, especially from long-time Local Guides who genuinely care about contributing the right way. You’re not alone in this, and you’re definitely not imagining it. Photos not showing, delays, or just not knowing if something is actually live happens more often than people think.

There isn’t a clear timeline for when photos or reviews go public, and re-uploading doesn’t always fix it. A lot of the things people assume help being on-site, geotagging, camera settings, formatting don’t reliably change the outcome, which is what makes it frustrating.

Honestly, this feels like one of those areas where the Local Guide community and Google could work together better on clearer best practices. There are a few posts out there, but they’re scattered, and it’s hard to know what really matters. Having that clarity would help a lot, because knowledge really is power here.

Thanks for taking the time to write this out. It lines up with what many contributors are feeling, even if they don’t always say it.

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So far, according to other comments and my own experience, it is Galaxy S25, S24 and S24 FE @tony_b.

More likely however, it is not caused by those models, but rather a recent update to Android 16 on Galaxy. Anyway, if you notice a photo appearing under My Contributions, but not when shared with anonymous, just delete it, crop it very slightly and try uploading again.

Since we first noticed that several weeks ago, I always try to upload the original and if hidden, I delete it and upload a modified one. Including my last upload on February 4, this always did happen and could be solved that way.

That one, I cannot confirm @tony_b. Some of the photos, I uploaded most recently got some views within less than 12 hours and - as usual - many others not at all yet.

My photo uploads since mid December:

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grafik1026×938 15.1 KB

Each row represents a photo, each column a day. A number is the delta of views since a day before, a space no change, a dash - no photo uploaded yet.

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That’s a weird way to solve a problem. How could a spammer spam photos? Upload a whole lot of the same thing with slight changes? I’ve already seen so many of those. 30+ images uploaded like the user forgot to stitch the photos to make a panorama and instead uploaded every single photo taken.

The precaution that could help spammers evade flagging is dampening authentic contributions if that’s the case.

Also, thanks for the link but my account is not suspended. Or maybe it is? I don’t know, there’s no feedback anywhere whatsoever.

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What?! The contributions page is not agnostic at all? I have a Samsung A55. I hope this is not a real thing.

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That’s all I am asking.

Thank you for reading my length post. Believe it or not, I took out 4 paragraphs to tame it down a whole lot. :wink:

Having to verify another contribution in such system makes me feel like I’m undervaluing my own contribution as a willing contributor who simply wants to help.

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Thanks for your response @WilfriedB. I don’t care to start any more spreadsheets, but your documented results are very interesting.

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It feels like there is no delay though. Either contributions are there or not right after you uploaded. But we really would not know for sure.

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Sorry for the multiple replies but is it possible to see how does that look like?

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I just made a quick check of some recent uploads. They seem to be there but not getting views yet.

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Hello @onat,
here is one of my most recent, I submitted an appeal and therefore did not delete yet. But if you search with the term “triangle”, you might find more examples:

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Clicking the triangle brings a page with not very useful information, but sometimes also a link to appeal for. But I never saw one myself.

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Thank you very much for sharing. I don’t have that. No triangle icon here though as you said, it points to a page that doesn’t really say anything.

Edit. I read somewhere a long time ago that appeals usually take up to 3 weeks. Thats very long for a single photo to appeal.

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Lucky you it’s online. Yes, views come later.

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Totally, I get it. Thanks for sharing

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