So what does this message mean when it appears on certain POIs (Points of Interest)? Last week, while checking my hidden/private reviews, I came across two of my reviews that were no longer public. Interestingly, they had received good engagement and likes when they were visible. Both of them were reviews of schools. Curious, I checked those POIs individually and noticed a message saying “Posting is currently turned off.” I couldn’t find my review there anymore, nor was there an option to edit it. After reading through some help articles, I realized that Google has turned off reviews for certain places, either temporarily or long-term, depending on the situation and the nature of the place. Below are further details.
Google applies two main types of posting restrictions on certain places:
1. Short-Term Restrictions
These are temporary and are applied to protect a location from a sudden influx of inappropriate or misleading content.
Example: A location hosting a major event may receive numerous off-topic or spammy posts. To prevent this, Google may temporarily restrict posting.
2. Long-Term Restrictions
These are permanent or semi-permanent restrictions applied to locations consistently receiving low-quality, harmful, or off-topic content. It’s based on pattern when similar POI and geographical area recieve low value contributions. Here low value means the contributions that don’t help decide whether a place should be visited or not. You might see some photos or nothing at all at such restricted places.
Example: Schools, police stations, prisons, oceans, seas, and other sensitive areas are often placed under long-term restrictions because they are prone to irrelevant or harmful posts.
Characteristics of Places with Long-Term Restrictions
Google may impose long-term restrictions on places that:
Are generally un-visitable or have limited public access, such as prisons or restricted areas.
Attract ongoing, off-topic content, such as hate speech or misleading information, making them vulnerable to abuse.
Why Does Google Restrict Postings?
Google’s primary goal is to maintain the quality and reliability of information on Google Maps. Restrictions are enforced to:
Prevent misinformation: Avoid false or misleading posts about a place.
Block inappropriate content: Prevent offensive, harmful, or off-topic contributions.
Ensure privacy and safety: Safeguard sensitive areas where user-generated content may create privacy or security issues.
How to Know If Postings Are Turned Off
If a place has posting restrictions, you will see a message like “Posting is currently turned off for this type of place.” This message clearly indicates that you cannot share reviews or other content for that location.
When Will Google Lift Restrictions?
Short-Term Restrictions: These are automatically lifted when Google determines that the risk has reduced.
Long-Term Restrictions: These are generally not lifted unless the conditions of the place change significantly, making it suitable for public contributions.
Impacts on User Contributions
Reviews: Your reviews may not appear publicly or may become private for restricted places.
Photos and Videos: You can still upload them, but their visibility may vary. They are generally visible unless deemed inappropriate.
User Contributions: In some cases, your reviews for restricted places may become private, but your photos and videos may still be visible to the public. I have noticed that some reviews are still visible. My review was balanced and attracted significant likes from users, but it’s no longer visible.
Practical Experience
For places with long-term restrictions, you may notice that your reviews are hidden while photos and videos remain visible. This suggests that Google prioritizes limiting misleading or inappropriate text content while still allowing visual contributions.
Over the past week or so, I’ve noticed many people posting about their pending or rejected reviews. While I can’t say this with absolute certainty, it’s clear that reviews—especially for sensitive locations—should be written thoughtfully. Many of us might not realize it, but even a few specific words or writing styles can trigger Google’s filters.
How many of you found this post helpful? Let me know in the comments.
Thank you!
Trail_blazer
btw post wasn’t all inclusive but regarding specific feature. I have revised the title accordingly.
btw I was working on something else and accidentally this came up so I paused both of these for last 2 weeks.
