Dear all,
I hope you’re all doing well. I am writing to seek your guidance and assistance regarding an issue I have been facing with Google Maps reviews and photos.
As an active member of this community, I take great pride in sharing my genuine experiences and providing valuable feedback to help fellow users. However, since 2023 (and possibly even before that, which I may have overlooked), I have noticed some anomalies with my Google reviews. Many of my reviews are not visible to the public, even though I can still see them on my profile page. Additionally, the photos I attach to my reviews are not being displayed publicly, making them invisible to others. This situation has left me feeling frustrated and unsure of the cause.
I have taken steps to address this issue by visiting the Google Local Guide Connect website. To my surprise, I found that many other community members are experiencing similar problems. I have also submitted a form requesting assistance from the Google Maps team to review my account, but unfortunately, I have yet to receive any help. As a result, all the photos I have uploaded remain hidden from public view. Here is my google review page link: www.google.com/maps/contrib/102217468384629834626
Considering the collective knowledge and experience of this community, I kindly ask for your guidance and any insights you may have on resolving this matter. I believe that together, we can work towards finding a solution and ensuring that genuine reviews and photos are visible to all.
If any of you have encountered a similar issue or have successfully resolved a similar situation, I would greatly appreciate hearing your suggestions and recommendations. I truly value the importance of providing honest feedback to improve the Google Maps experience for everyone.
Thank you for your time and support. I eagerly await your responses and suggestions. Should you require any additional information, please feel free to let me know.
Warm regards,
Cooper Lin
4 Likes
Hi @CooperLin
Welcome to Connect. Nice to meet you and thanks for your question.
I can confirm from your public profile that you have added 126 reviews and only 110 of them are public.
Google has automatic filters that hide your reviews so only you can see them. This can happen when some of your reviews violate the review guidelines.
Read about typical review guideline violations here. And please see my latest post called 4 Tips on writing better reviews.
If you are on a Desktop use this link to Count your hidden contributions. From a mobile device use this link.
If you want to identify which of your reviews are hidden check this post.
Please use the form called Account Investigation for contributions not visible on Google Maps if you believe that some of your contributions have been wrongfully unpublished. Keep in mind, it takes several weeks for the check to be done, and you will not be notified about the result, so I suggest you check the status of your reviews once a week or so.
If a review gets hidden then the attached photos will suffer the same faith.
Best of luck
Morten
1 Like
Dear @MortenCopenhagen
Thank you for taking the time and effort to review my posts on the forum and assist me in investigating the issue. I truly appreciate your dedication.
Since I first noticed that my reviews were being hidden, I have been actively reading and researching forum threads, ensuring that I adhere to the guidelines when providing my feedback. As writing reviews and selecting photos requires time, I usually do so during my free time at home, which allows me to focus on delivering quality reviews. I am unsure if this practice has led the system to perceive me as an illegitimate user, resulting in the hiding of my reviews.
To address this concern, I conducted a test. I navigated to a location using Google Maps, physically visited the place, took photos, and completed the review once I returned home. Unfortunately, even when I completed the review on the same day, it remained hidden, while fortunately, the photos were visible. I also filled out the survey form you mentioned to prevent myself from making any further futile reviews that only I can see. As a result, I temporarily stopped writing reviews. However, this weekend, I visited different stores, thinking it was time to start writing new reviews again. To my dismay, although my reviews were made public, all of my photos remained hidden(I posted around 20 photos and 100% hidden). This has left me quite puzzled.
I wanted to provide you with this additional information to give you a clearer picture of the situation. I genuinely value the opportunity to contribute to the Google Maps community and share my experiences with others. I hope we can work together to resolve this issue and ensure that my reviews and photos are accurately displayed.
Once again, thank you for your attention and assistance. I look forward to hearing your insights and suggestions on how to address this matter effectively.
Best regards,
Cooper
Cooper
1 Like
@CooperLin
Writing reviews from your sofa is not an issue.
This weekend all photo upload is blocked, so there is likely nothing wrong with your photos. You chose the wrong weekend for your test 
The appeals form for hidden contributions is far from well-working. In fact, all my reviews are currently hidden despite I filled out the form about 4 months ago. Patience is a virtue.
Cheers
Morten
2 Likes
Hi @MortenCopenhagen
I sincerely appreciate your assistance and guidance. Your support has been invaluable. I appreciate your clarification on this matter. Rest assured, I will continue to stay engaged and follow the forum closely.
I will make sure to update everyone on any progress or developments regarding the issue I have been facing. 
Thanks again,
Cooper
1 Like