Good morning everyone. I am writing to ask for some information. I have been traveling for the past few days and visiting several cities. However, the reviews I’ve posted have been stuck as ‘pending’ for days now. I have strictly followed all Google’s guidelines for videos: there are no faces, no license plates, and no copyrighted audio. I don’t understand why they aren’t being published yet. Could someone please help me with this? Thank you.
Hi @Ean
I moved your request for help into its own discussion, as it was not related to where you posted it.
We have seen such issues before when people travel, as this might trigger the spam filter incorrectly.
Please consider unrestricting your Maps profile under Settings, then Personal content, and at the bottom of that setting page, you can select Unrestrict.
Then I might be able to spot something that could be the cause.
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Hi @MortenCopenhagen, thank you so much for the help! You were right: the restriction was actually active, even though I wasn’t aware of it. I have now turned it off and the button is grey, so my profile should be fully public. Could you please check it again when you have a moment? Thanks again!
The setting does not affect the visibility of your contributions under the places - only under your profile.
Please check if connecting to wifi after your travels allows the videos to be uploaded. I see several videos uploaded yesterday.
Please do not upload screenshots on Google Maps. Also, licens plates should not be shown to protect peoples privacy.
Please let ke know if any videos are still pending.
Hi @MortenCopenhagen, thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it, especially for pointing out the restricted profile — I hadn’t realized it had changed.
I am in Genoa right now and I’ve visited many places like the Aquarium, the Biosphere (I have a lovely video of the Ibis), and several local spots. I am very careful with my videos: for the Aquarium and Biosphere, I only filmed the animals, and for Boccadasse beach, I filmed at 8 AM specifically to capture the silence and sunrise without any people or faces. I am now on a stable Wi-Fi connection. Some videos have been published, but others (like the Aquarium and Biosphere) are still pending, which is a pity as I really care about sharing those experiences. I will double-check for any accidental license plates or screenshots and remove them as you suggested.
Thank you again for your time and kindness! 
If they remain pending then I would try deleting them first and the try uploading them again later. Are you uploading to Google photos first and then from there to Maps? This might help you eliminate issues caused by faulty uploading.
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Hi @MortenCopenhagen, thank you so much for this advice!
Usually, I upload my photos directly from my phone’s gallery and not from Google Photos, so that might be the issue. I will try to wait a bit longer to see if they clear up on their own, but if they remain pending, I will follow your suggestion: I’ll delete them and try re-uploading them through Google Photos.
I’m going to test this right now with the restaurant review to see what happens.
I also wanted to send you my heartfelt thanks for your help and wish you a (slightly belated) Happy Holidays! Best regards.
Uploading a video attached to a review can be more challenging to understand/interpret, as videos and photos attached to a review can cause the review to be hidden. Google makes it difficult for us to know what is public and what is hidden. We need to check on a friend’s device or use incognito mode to check this, as hidden media will show as if they are public when logged into your account.
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Hi @MortenCopenhagen To be honest, the spam filter is still problematic. Many of my reviews from my trips in Europe have been removed. And all the reviews I added were in accordance with the rules. I’ve been using Maps for about 9-10 years, but the spam filter really hasn’t added many of my posts.
I think I am being honest.
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Hi @MortenCopenhagen, despite having fixed everything and tried to repost a restaurant review that only contained photos, it’s still not being published.
I just left a vacation rental and posted a review with videos—specifically because the owner asked me to—but it’s still stuck ‘in moderation’. Currently, I have about 7 posts blocked. I’ve been using Maps for many years, but I’ve never experienced this level of blocking before.
I can assure you that I follow all the guidelines; yet, the system seems to pick and choose what to publish at random. I’ve decided to stop posting for today. We’ll see what happens tomorrow
When you have time try adding the video directly to the place = not attached to a review. This might reveal if the videos, the photos, or the review text is what triggers the spam filter.
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Hey @mortencopenhagen I think you misunderstood. To be honest, when I said that, I meant that Google generally has problems in this regard, not about you. You are a moderator whose opinions I value and from whom I receive the most help. I didn’t want there to be any misunderstanding.
I would love to learn how to be a better Moderator. And sometimes I might defend the spamfilter too much. But very often I see the spam filter being too loose and not take down enough contributions. It a delicate balance.
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Hi, I understand, but my comments are positive reviews of my experiences during this short holiday. I never had any issues publishing until the 23rd; everything started after the 24th. Interestingly, while heading home today, Maps sent me a notification because it recognized where I had stopped. Out of curiosity, I left a review without photos, and it was published immediately. Currently, I have 13 reviews pending. I’ll try to fix them when I have a moment. 
Thank you so much for the advice. I travel abroad often and it has always worked. I also travel all over Italy, from north to south and east to west, and I’m always connected to Wi-Fi—either at the hotel or at a client’s—except when I’m in the car.
It seems like everything just blacked out starting on the 24th. Anyway, I’ll try waiting a few days. If things don’t go back to normal, I’ll delete all 13 of them and post them again from scratch. Let’s see if that works. Maybe everything just got backlogged or crashed during the Christmas period. Up until the 23rd, I had no issues at all. Really. From the 24th, it’s been a total block—though, strangely enough, it did publish a few of them. It’s a mystery 
! I hope to resolve this soon. You’ve been super kind!
Good morning and Happy Sunday.
I’m writing because I’m very close to reaching Level 8, but I’m feeling really demotivated because none of my videos from Genoa in December were published. I currently have 10 reviews stuck in limbo. Because of my job, I’m always traveling, so I regularly review the hotels where I stay. Every single time, it says ‘posting in progress’ for two weeks, and then it switches to ‘not published.’
When it comes to restaurants, it’s hit or miss. It’s incredibly frustrating—so much so that I’ve stopped writing reviews and taking photos altogether. I’d at least like to understand the reasons why. If I post a review without photos, it goes through; with photos, it’s a gamble! And these are photos without license plates or faces—just hotel rooms and comments on the service.
In Genoa, I couldn’t get a single restaurant review published. However, a church was accepted. Even the Genoa Aquarium was blocked… I guess maybe I violated the sharks’ privacy! I think I’m done posting because this has become more stressful than fun 