Google briefly brought native GBP Messaging back with an AI agent, but it is not active right now.

Google appeared to be rolling out a new version of Google Business Profile Messaging inside the New Merchant Experience, and the biggest change was that messages could be handled by an AI agent before a business owner or staff member stepped in.

Update 6/30/26: This feature no longer appears to be active. It may still be rolling out, or Google may have removed it before relaunching it more broadly. We were not able to get screenshots fast enough before it disappeared, so this article is based on what was visible while the new messaging page was live.

This is a big shift for local search and local lead generation. GBP Messaging used to be a fairly simple feature. A customer clicked the message button, sent a question, and the business had to respond. Google killed that native messaging feature in July 2024. Then, in early 2025, Google introduced WhatsApp and text messaging options for some profiles. Now, native messaging looks like it is coming back in a much more advanced form.

We are still early here, so I would treat this as a developing feature rather than a fully documented product. But based on what was visible, Google is not just bringing back inbox messaging. It is adding an AI layer that can answer questions, separate chats by status, provide future insights, and potentially connect Google Ads directly to a chat experience on your Business Profile.

The new GBP Messaging layout has four tabs.

The new Messages button in the NMX appeared to open a page with four tabs: Messages, Insights, Settings, and Promotion.

That structure tells us a lot about where Google may be taking this. This is not just an inbox. It looks more like a messaging dashboard where a local business can manage conversations, review performance, configure the AI agent, and possibly run ads that send customers directly into chat.

The Messages tab separates chats by AI status.

The Messages tab appeared to divide conversations into two sections: Needs your attention and Handled by your AI agent.

That split matters because it suggests Google wants the AI agent to handle common questions on its own, then surface only the conversations that need human help. For a busy local business, that could reduce missed leads after hours, during appointments, or when staff are tied up on the phone.

For example, a dentist’s office may get repetitive questions about hours, accepted insurance, emergency appointments, parking, or whether new patients are being accepted. If those answers are clearly available on the GBP and website, the AI agent may be able to respond instantly. If someone asks whether a painful tooth can be seen today or wants to discuss a billing issue, that should be handed off to a person.

The most important detail is that there may not be a clear opt-out right now.

The single most important thing local businesses should understand is that, at the moment, there does not seem to be a way to opt out.

That may change as the feature develops, but right now this is the detail I would pay closest attention to. With the old GBP Messaging feature, businesses had to be ready to respond or risk a poor customer experience. With this new version, the AI agent may be answering questions on behalf of your business, which raises the stakes for profile accuracy.

If Google is using your Google Business Profile and possibly your website to answer customer questions, outdated information becomes a bigger problem. Incorrect hours, old service pages, vague pricing, outdated booking policies, or inaccurate service areas could lead to bad answers in chat.

Your GBP and website need to be as updated as possible.

The best setup advice right now is simple: everything should be as updated as possible, which is no different than before.

That may sound basic, but it is the most practical move businesses can make while this feature is still new. If an AI agent is going to answer questions about your business, it needs clean, current information to work with.

I would review these areas first:

  • Business hours: Include regular hours, holiday hours, and any appointment-only details.
  • Services: Make sure your GBP services match what you actually offer now.
  • Service areas: Remove cities or neighborhoods you no longer serve and add any new ones.
  • Pricing: If you show pricing, make sure it is current. If pricing varies, explain what affects the quote.
  • Booking policies: Clarify deposits, cancellation windows, emergency availability, and online booking options.
  • Website content: Update key service pages, FAQs, contact pages, menus, team pages, and location pages.

For restaurants, this means menus, hours, reservation policies, private event details, and takeout options should be current. For HVAC companies, emergency service availability, financing, maintenance plans, and service areas need to be clear. For law firms, practice areas, consultation policies, disclaimers, and intake expectations matter even more because accuracy and compliance are more sensitive.

The Settings tab gives businesses control over the first impression.

The Settings tab appears to let businesses set up a welcome message, add conversation starters, upload a logo, and toggle customer handoff notifications.

This is where many businesses may accidentally hurt lead quality or customer trust. A vague welcome message like “How can we help?” is not harmful, but it does not guide the customer. Better conversation starters can help people ask the right questions faster.

Good conversation starters could include:

  • “Do you have appointments available today?”
  • “Can I get a quote for this service?”
  • “Do you serve my area?”
  • “What are your hours this week?”
  • “Do you offer emergency service?”

The biggest mistake I would watch for is leaving customer handoff off, if the option is available and the business relies on timely lead response. The whole point of the AI agent is not to replace human judgment in every situation. It should handle simple questions and pass the rest to someone who can help.

Questions about hours, location, basic services, menu items, parking, accepted payment methods, or appointment links are usually safe for AI to handle. Questions about urgent medical symptoms, legal advice, custom quotes, complaints, refunds, availability for same-day service, or anything involving personal details should trigger human attention.

The Insights tab could become one of the most useful parts of the feature.

The Insights tab is marked as coming soon, and it is expected to show audience, conversion, and conversation data.

If Google gives businesses useful chat analytics, this could become more than a messaging tool. It could show what people actually want to know before they call, book, or visit.

The first metrics I would watch are conversation volume, handoff rate, conversion rate, missed or unresolved chats, common topics, and time to handoff. If many people ask the same question, that probably means your GBP or website does not answer it clearly enough. If people ask about pricing and then stop responding, the offer may need more context. If people ask about availability, service areas, or booking steps, they may be close to buying.

Patterns matter. A restaurant seeing repeated questions about gluten-free options should update its menu and GBP details. An HVAC company seeing repeated questions about emergency service should make emergency availability more visible. A dentist seeing repeated insurance questions should tighten up the insurance section on the site and profile.

The Promote tab could change local Google Ads strategy.

The Promote tab suggests businesses may be able to launch ads that let customers message them directly from Google Search results.

That is one of the most interesting parts of this update. If searchers can click an ad and immediately engage with the GBP AI chatbot, local ads may become more conversational. Instead of sending every click to a landing page or phone call, advertisers may be able to send high-intent users into a guided chat.

I would test this carefully. Start with high-intent services where customers commonly have quick questions before converting. Examples include “emergency plumber near me,” “same day AC repair,” “dentist accepting new patients,” “personal injury consultation,” or “catering for 30 people.”

The conversation starters should match the ad intent. If the ad promotes emergency AC repair, the first chat options should help confirm service area, urgency, and availability. If the ad promotes dental implants, the chat should guide users toward consultation details, financing information, and appointment requests without overpromising.

AI chat can help, but accuracy and expectations still matter.

AI chat can create a measurable lift in leads or bookings when it answers common questions quickly and hands off sensitive or high-value conversations at the right time.

Most AI chatbot guides gloss over lead quality, response accuracy, compliance, and customer expectations. That matters because local customers are not just browsing. They may be trying to book an appointment, solve an urgent problem, compare pricing, or decide whether they trust a business.

A home service business could benefit quickly from this feature if the AI agent answers after-hours questions about service areas, emergency availability, trip fees, and booking steps. The biggest setup difference would be clean service pages, accurate GBP services, strong conversation starters, and customer handoff turned on for quote requests or urgent issues.

For now, we have very few firm suggestions beyond the basics because the feature is new. But the basics are important: stay active with your Google Business Profile, keep your information current, review your website content, and pay attention to how Google continues to roll this out.