Google Business Messages alternatives: what replaced chat on your Google Business Profile, and how to set it up in 20 minutes
If customers used to message you straight from Google Search or Maps, that button disappeared in July 2024. This explainer gives the exact dates from Google's own notice, compares what businesses use instead, and walks through the setup that most closely replaces it: a WhatsApp or text chat option on your Business Profile, backed by someone (or something) that answers fast.
Quick answer
Google wound down Business Messages, including chat on Google Business Profiles, on 31 July 2024; new conversations stopped on 15 July 2024. The closest replacement is the chat option Google now offers on Business Profiles, which opens WhatsApp or text messaging. Other alternatives are website chat, the call button, and social links on your profile.
What happened to Google Business Messages?
Google shut it down. Its developer notice said Google would be "winding down Google Business Messages on July 31, 2024". Google Business Messages (GBM) was the service behind the Chat button on Business Profiles in Search and Maps, plus chat entry points that brands placed on their own sites.
| Date | What changed, per Google's notice |
|---|---|
| 22 May 2024 | No new partner registrations, agent verifications, or agent and location launches |
| 15 July 2024 | Google stopped creating new conversations; GBM metrics no longer viewable; brand-managed entry points (URLs, web widgets) to be removed or replaced by this date |
| 31 July 2024 | Chat fully ended; no new messages in existing conversations; API endpoints start returning errors; partner console access revoked |
Google's own suggestion at the time was to redirect customers to your other channels and to add website, phone and social links to your Business Profile. The old GBM documentation address now redirects to Google's "RCS for Business" pages, which is a hint about where Google moved its business messaging effort; our RCS vs WhatsApp guide covers that separately.
What are the best alternatives to Google Business Messages?
The closest like-for-like replacement is the chat option Google added to Business Profiles, which sends customers to WhatsApp or to text messaging. The others serve different moments: website chat for people already on your site, calls for urgent needs, and social links for people who prefer Instagram or Facebook.
| Alternative | Where the customer taps | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp chat on your Business Profile | Your listing in Search and Maps | Markets where customers live on WhatsApp | Only available in some regions; hidden if you also add text messaging |
| Text message chat on your Business Profile | Your listing | SMS-first markets such as the US | Needs a number that can receive texts; SMS costs and no rich media |
| Website chat | Your website | Visitors comparing you after a search | Only reaches people who click through to your site |
| Call button | Your listing | Urgent needs: emergencies, same-day bookings | Unanswered calls are lost; nothing works after hours |
| Social profile links | Your listing | Brands active on Instagram or Facebook | Another inbox to watch; slower path to a booking |
Most small businesses end up using two: the profile chat option for people who find you on Google, and website chat for people who reach your site. Both should give the same answers, which is easiest if the same knowledge feeds both.
How do you add WhatsApp chat to your Google Business Profile?
From the Business Profile editor, in about five minutes. Google's help page for the feature lists the steps, and notes that only claimed and verified profiles can add chat and that chat is "currently available for select regions".
- Build your WhatsApp link. WhatsApp's click-to-chat format is https://wa.me/ followed by your full number in international format, with no plus sign, zeros, brackets or dashes. For example, https://wa.me/60123456789.
- Open your profile. Go to business.google.com, choose your business, then Edit profile.
- Open Contact. Next to "Chat", select Edit.
- Choose WhatsApp. In the Chat dropdown, pick WhatsApp, and paste your link into the URL field.
- Save, then test on a phone. Search for your business, tap the chat option, and check that WhatsApp opens on the right number.
Two details from Google's page save time. If you run several locations, more than one Business Profile can use the same WhatsApp link. And chat activity shows up in your Business Profile performance metrics, so you can see whether it is being used. Our step-by-step guide to the WhatsApp button on Google Business Profile has screenshots-in-words for each menu.
Should you choose WhatsApp or text message chat?
Choose the one your customers already use, and do not add both. Google's help page is explicit: if you add both options, customers see only the text message option. Many businesses add both "to be safe" and quietly hide their WhatsApp button.
- Pick WhatsApp in markets like Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Spain, the Middle East and most of Africa, where WhatsApp is how people message businesses.
- Pick text message where SMS is the habit. In the US, for example, Pew Research Center found in 2025 that 32% of adults use WhatsApp, so many customers will not have it.
- If you are not sure, look at your last 50 customer conversations. Wherever most of them happened is your answer.
Our comparison of WhatsApp vs SMS for business goes deeper on cost and features.
Where do website chat and calls fit?
Website chat catches the customer who clicked through from Google to check your prices or services before deciding. It is the natural home for the questions GBM used to answer: hours, prices, "do you do this?", "can I book Saturday?". A chat widget that answers from your own content keeps that customer on your page instead of sending them back to the search results. See AI chat widgets for small business websites.
The call button still matters for urgent needs, and it is still on your profile. The weakness is the same as ever: an unanswered call is a lost customer, and nobody picks up at 10pm. For many service businesses, the best setup is calls during opening hours, and chat (WhatsApp or website) around the clock.
What should you do about answering the messages that arrive?
Answer within minutes, because the person who tapped chat on a Google listing is comparing you with the next listing. The Harvard Business Review study of online leads found that firms responding within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify the lead as those responding an hour later. Your options, roughly in order of cost:
- Notifications and quick replies on the WhatsApp Business app, for low volume.
- A named person who owns the chat inbox during opening hours.
- An AI agent that answers from your knowledge at any hour, books, and hands complex chats to you.
Keep your Business Profile hours, holiday closures and services current, because the chat answers and the listing need to agree. Then ask happy customers for a review in the same chat; here is how to get Google reviews through WhatsApp.
Where does ReplyKit fit as a Google Business Messages replacement?
ReplyKit covers both halves of the setup above. Point your Business Profile's WhatsApp chat option at a number connected to ReplyKit, and add ReplyKit's website assistant to your site with one line of code. Both answer from the same knowledge (your website, PDFs, price lists, Q&A pairs), book appointments into real open slots, and hand chats to you in one click. If the answer is not in your knowledge, the agent says so and escalates rather than guessing.
The WhatsApp side connects through Quick Connect, an unofficial QR pairing of your number as a linked device. It is not the WhatsApp Business API and is not sanctioned by Meta, and a number can be restricted, so use a dedicated number. It only replies to people who message you; no broadcasts. Plans are $29, $49 or $99 a month (compare them); start the 7-day free trial with 300 replies and no credit card, or try the live demo on our homepage.
Not the right choice if your customers mostly text by SMS (ReplyKit does not do SMS), or you need Instagram or Facebook Messenger answered.
Frequently asked questions
When did Google Business Messages shut down?
Google stopped creating new conversations on 15 July 2024 and fully ended Google Business Messages, including chat on Business Profiles, on 31 July 2024. API endpoints began returning errors after 31 July 2024.
What replaced chat on Google Business Profile?
Google now lets verified profiles add a chat option that opens WhatsApp or text messaging, in select regions. You set it up in the profile's Contact section by choosing WhatsApp or Text message under Chat.
Can customers message my business on WhatsApp from Google Maps?
Yes, if your Business Profile has the WhatsApp chat option and it is available in your region. Customers tap the chat option on your listing and WhatsApp opens a conversation with your number.
Why is my WhatsApp button not showing on Google?
One common cause: if you add both WhatsApp and text message chat, Google shows only the text message option. Also check that your profile is verified, that chat is available in your region, and that the WhatsApp link uses your full number in international format.
Is there a free alternative to Google Business Messages?
Yes. Adding WhatsApp or text chat to your Business Profile is free, and the WhatsApp Business app is free. Answering quickly is the part that costs time, which is where quick replies, staff or an AI agent come in.
Is RCS the replacement for Google Business Messages?
Not directly for Business Profiles. Google's old Business Messages documentation now redirects to its RCS for Business pages, but RCS business messaging is a separate, business-initiated channel run through carriers and partners, not a chat button on your listing.
Make the chat on your Google listing answer itself
WhatsApp and website chat answered from your own content, with bookings, at any hour. 7-day free trial, no credit card needed.
Sources and further reading
- Google for Developers, Update on Google Business Messages (archived copy) · wind-down on 31 July 2024; 15 July and 22 May 2024 milestones; suggested alternatives
- Google for Developers, RCS for Business · where the old Business Messages documentation now redirects
- Google Business Profile Help, chat with customers from your Business Profile · WhatsApp or text message chat; verified profiles; select regions; text shown if both added; shared links
- WhatsApp Help Center, How to use click to chat · wa.me link format and pre-filled messages
- Pew Research Center, Americans' Social Media Use 2025 · 32% of US adults use WhatsApp
- Harvard Business Review, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (2011) · faster response and lead qualification
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google, Meta or WhatsApp. Google's menus and regional availability change; the steps reflect Google's help page as checked in October 2026. This article is general guidance.