Google Announces Discontinuation of Business Profile Q&A API
Google Announces Discontinuation of Business Profile Q&A API
Google has announced that it will discontinue the My Business Q&A API on November 3, 2025, a decision that will impact businesses and developers using the tool for managing question-and-answer functionalities on Google Business Profile listings. The announcement was made on September 17, 2025, through notifications sent to developers via the Google for Developers platform.
Programmatic Access to End
Once the discontinuation takes effect, businesses will no longer be able to use the API to manage customer inquiries programmatically. The My Business Q&A API, accessible through the mybusinessqanda.googleapis.com service endpoint, had allowed businesses to create, update, delete, and list questions and answers for multiple locations using a centralized system. These capabilities were particularly valued by marketing teams managing multi-location businesses, enabling automated workflows and standardized responses across franchise networks.
Google has assured businesses that existing Q&A data will remain accessible through the API until the discontinuation date, providing time for exporting historical information. However, the company has not provided specific details on replacement functionalities or migration options. According to the email notification sent to developers, the company is "in the process of updating the Q&A functionality and user experience."
Q&A Still Available Through Manual Management
Despite the API’s discontinuation, the Q&A feature itself will remain available to businesses and consumers via Google Search and Google Maps. Business owners can continue managing questions and answers manually through the Google Business Profile web interface, which provides full functionality for posting and responding to inquiries. Google clarified that the move affects only programmatic access and not the feature's overall availability.
"Q&A functionality is still available to businesses and consumers" through the platform’s native interfaces, Google confirmed. For users, the Q&A feature remains visible in certain search scenarios, including results from Google Maps and map pack listings. However, it does not appear in direct search results without map pack displays, as noted by local search expert Joy Hawkins.
Impact on Businesses and Developers
The discontinuation of the Q&A API is expected to disrupt businesses and marketing firms that incorporated the tool into their customer service workflows. Agencies and software providers that relied on the API for centralized Q&A management will now need to adapt to manual processes. This change may particularly affect franchise systems and large-scale retail operations that previously benefited from the automation enabled by the API.
The Q&A API deprecation is part of a broader trend in Google’s approach to streamlining its business management tools. Over the past few years, the company has phased out other features, including the Google Business Profile chat feature, which was discontinued on July 31, 2024, and the My Business Business Calls API, which ended on May 30, 2023. These changes indicate Google’s strategic emphasis on consolidating functionality and reducing developer API access points.
Broader Trends in Google’s API Strategy
Google has consistently prioritized enhancing its analytics capabilities while reducing programmatic content management options. For example, the Business Profile Performance API has seen significant updates, including the introduction of the fetchMultiDailyMetricsTimeSeries method, which allows businesses to retrieve multiple performance metrics in a single request. This new functionality replaced the older accounts.locations.reportInsights method, which was discontinued on March 30, 2023. However, unlike previous transitions where enhanced tools were introduced, no equivalent replacement for the Q&A API has been announced.
This decision aligns with Google’s apparent focus on maintaining consumer-facing features while limiting programmatic access for developers. The company’s approach reflects a preference for enhancing measurement capabilities over content management functionalities.
Looking Ahead
The My Business Q&A API’s discontinuation follows a familiar timeline, with Google providing a 47-day notice for businesses to prepare. Developers and businesses have until November 3, 2025, to adjust workflows and export any necessary data from the API.
While Google has stated its intention to improve the Q&A user experience, the lack of specific details about future plans leaves affected businesses and developers uncertain about the next steps. As the date approaches, industries reliant on the API will need to pivot toward manual management processes or alternative solutions to maintain customer engagement across Google’s platforms.
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