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Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile Reviews Missing After Reinstatement

The Short Answer

If your Google Business Profile reviews disappeared after Google reinstated your profile from a suspension, this is a known issue on Google’s side, not something you did. Google’s own help documentation confirms reviews can be removed during reinstatement, and as of late August 2026 Google acknowledged the bug directly to affected business owners with a fix in progress but no completion date. The fastest way to get your reviews restored once the fix ships is to keep your support case open and documented.
Person pointing to a location on a map, representing a business whose Google Business Profile isn't showing up in search

This Is a Known Google Bug, Not Something You Did

When a Business Profile comes back from a suspension, the listing itself, hours, category, photos, description, typically returns correctly. But for a growing number of businesses, the reviews that existed before the suspension don’t come back with it. Google addresses this directly in its own support documentation: “Sometimes reviews might be removed after a Business Profile is reinstated. If this happens, contact support for assistance.” Business owners have been reporting the same pattern in the Google Business Profile Community forum throughout 2026, and in late August 2026 Google confirmed to at least one affected business that it’s aware of the issue and working on a fix, though without a completion date.

Signs This Is the Reinstatement Bug

Before you assume every missing review is part of this bug, check for these signs.
  • Your profile was suspended and later reinstated, and reviews that existed before the suspension are gone
  • New reviews submitted after reinstatement are still being accepted normally
  • Your review count or star rating dropped, or shows "No reviews yet" despite a higher total before
  • The listing itself is otherwise fully active and showing normally in Maps and Search
  • This is different from the few-day compliance delay Google applies to newly submitted reviews
  • This is different from reviews permanently removed for violating Google's review policies, those won't be restored

Will the Reviews Come Back on Their Own?

There’s no fixed timeline. Google has said only that a fix is in progress, and community reports show restoration happening unevenly, some businesses have had reviews return in batches, others are still waiting weeks later. Reviews removed because they violated Google’s policies are a separate situation and won’t return regardless of this fix. If you’re unsure whether specific reviews were removed for a policy reason or caught up in this bug, checking with Google support directly, referencing your existing case, is the only reliable way to tell the difference.

Does This Affect My Local Ranking?

Reviews are one of the signals Google weighs under prominence, one of the three main local ranking factors alongside relevance and distance. A sudden drop in visible review count could plausibly nudge your visibility while the bug is unresolved, though Google hasn’t said this issue affects ranking specifically. Since the reviews aren’t gone, they’re temporarily hidden while Google’s fix is pending, any ranking effect should be temporary too. It’s worth keeping an eye on your Business Profile insights during this period, but not a reason to change your review strategy or restart review requests from scratch.

What to Do If Your Reviews Disappeared After Reinstatement

Work through these steps in order.
  • Confirm your profile was actually reinstated and not still under review, check your Business Profile dashboard for any remaining suspension notice
  • Check whether the missing reviews are recent submissions still in Google's standard compliance check, or reviews that existed before your suspension
  • Locate your original suspension support ticket or case number if you have one
  • Reply directly to that existing support ticket reporting the missing reviews, rather than opening a brand new case
  • Reference the reinstatement date and roughly how many reviews are missing in your message
  • Do not ask customers to re-post reviews that already existed, duplicate or repeat reviews can trigger new policy flags
  • Continue collecting new reviews as normal, this bug doesn't appear to block new review submissions
  • Check back periodically since Google has not published a fix timeline, and note any partial restoration in your support thread

Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Google has said a fix is in progress but hasn’t published a timeline, and reports suggest reviews are returning unevenly rather than all at once. Contacting support and referencing your existing case is currently the best way to stay on record for a fix.
There’s no confirmed timeframe. Some businesses have reported reviews returning in batches within a few weeks of reinstatement, others are still waiting. Google has only confirmed it’s aware of the issue and working on it.
You can keep collecting new reviews normally, new submissions don’t appear to be affected by this bug. Just avoid asking customers to repost reviews that already existed, since duplicate content can trigger a policy flag.
Your star rating is typically calculated from whatever reviews are currently visible, so a drop in visible reviews can shift the displayed average. Google hasn’t confirmed a direct ranking impact, and since the reviews are hidden rather than deleted, any effect should resolve once they’re restored.
That’s a different, unrelated situation. Reviews removed for violating Google’s review policies are not restored, regardless of this reinstatement bug. If you’re not sure which applies to you, ask Google support to clarify when you report the missing reviews.

Dealing With a Suspended or Reinstated Google Business Profile?

If your profile was recently suspended and reinstated, or is still working through the process, our guide on Business Profile suspensions covers the full picture, why profiles get suspended and how to get back in good standing. If reviews are your main focus going forward, our guide on getting more Google reviews can help rebuild momentum once your fix lands.
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