How to leave a Google review (phone and computer)

The short answer

Leaving a Google review takes about a minute on any device. The steps are the same everywhere:

1. Sign in to a Google account. Reviews can't be posted without one, and they are always public.
2. Find the business on Google Maps. Search its name, or open the review link the business sent you, which skips the search.
3. Open its reviews. On a phone, tap the business, then Reviews. On a computer, scroll and click Write a review.
4. Tap the stars. One star is the lowest score, five the highest.
5. Add a few sentences and photos if you like, then post. You can edit or delete the review later.

Below are the exact steps for each device, what makes a review useful, and what to do if yours doesn't show up.

What do you need before you start?

Three things, and you probably have them already:

• A Google account. If you use Gmail or sign in to YouTube, you have one. If not, Google's help page Create a Google Account shows how to make one with the email address you already use.
• The Google Maps app, or any web browser. Google documents the steps for the Maps app on iPhone and Android and for Google Maps on a computer.
• A real experience with the business. Google's policy says a review should reflect an actual experience and be genuine and unbiased.

Know one thing before you post: Google says all reviews are public and you can't add an anonymous review. People reading it can see the name on your profile, your other reviews, and the photos and videos you've added to Google Maps. You can choose a different display name for everything you post publicly; our guide to anonymous Google reviews explains what that hides and what it doesn't.

Where is the review button on each device?

If you only need to know where to tap, here it is. Full steps for each device follow.

How do you leave a Google review on an iPhone?

Use the Google Maps app. These are Google's steps for iPhone and iPad:

1. Open the Google Maps app and sign in to your Google account.
2. Search for the business or tap it on the map. If several locations come up, tap the one you visited.
3. At the bottom of the screen, tap the business name or address.
4. At the top, tap Reviews.
5. Tap the 5 empty stars.
6. Tap the stars to give your score, then write your review under Share more about your experience.
7. Answer any extra questions that appear, if you want to. Not every place shows them.
8. Add photos if you have them, then post.

The form shows "Posting publicly" next to your profile picture, as a reminder that anyone can read it. Source: Google Maps Help, Add, edit, or delete Google Maps reviews & ratings (iPhone & iPad).

Don't have the Maps app? Google's help page only documents the steps in Google Maps, so the simplest options are to install the free app, open maps.google.com in Safari, or use the review link the business sent you.

How do you leave a Google review on an Android phone?

Most Android phones come with Google Maps and a signed-in Google account. Google's steps:

1. Open the Google Maps app and check you're signed in to your Google account.
2. Search for the business or tap it on the map. If several locations come up, tap the right one.
3. At the bottom, tap the business name or address.
4. At the top, tap Reviews.
5. Tap the 5 empty stars.
6. Tap the stars to score the place and write your review under Share more about your experience.
7. Answer the optional questions about your visit, add photos if you like, and post.

Source: Google Maps Help, Add, edit, or delete Google Maps reviews & ratings (Android).

How do you leave a Google review on a computer?

On a laptop or desktop, use Google Maps in any browser:

1. Go to Google Maps and sign in to your Google account.
2. Search for the business.
3. In the panel on the left, scroll down and click Write a review.
4. Click the stars to score the place. You can also write a review and add photos.
5. Click Post.

Source: Google Maps Help, Add, edit, or delete Google Maps reviews & ratings (computer).

Found the business on Google Search rather than Maps? Google's help article doesn't document a review route from Search, so the dependable way is to search the same name on Google Maps and follow the steps above.

What should you write in a Google review?

Google publishes its own advice in Tips for contributing high quality reviews & photos, and says following it increases the chance your review gets published. In short, Google asks you to:

• Be specific. Describe what other visitors are likely to experience and what makes the place stand out.
• Be authentic. Review your own visit, including the good and the bad.
• Be respectful. Keep criticism constructive, even when you're frustrated, and skip profanity.
• Keep it readable. Check spelling, avoid shouting in capitals, and aim for about a paragraph, which Google calls "a great length for a review".
• Leave out other businesses' details. No phone numbers or website links, and no reviews of a place where you work or used to work.
• Stick to your experience. Google says reviews aren't the place for social or political commentary about news involving the business.

A simple way to structure it

This part is our advice, not Google's. A review that answers three questions is useful to almost anyone reading it: what you came for, how it went, and who you'd recommend it to. For example (a fictional review):

"Booked an emergency visit for a leaking kitchen tap on a Saturday. The plumber arrived within the hour, showed me the worn part before replacing it and cleaned up after. Not the cheapest quote I got, but the price matched what they said on the phone. I'd call them again for anything urgent."

It names the service, gives one concrete detail, is fair about the downside and ends with a recommendation. That is what the next customer is looking for.

Can you add photos to a Google review?

Yes. The review form has an Add photos button on phones and a camera button on computers. Google's photo tips are short: make sure the photo is of the right place, isn't a selfie, isn't blurry or heavily edited, has no text added on top, and isn't a near copy of another photo you're adding.

Remember that photos are public too. Google notes that others can see the photos and videos you've added to Maps, along with the location info attached to them. Check that nothing in the frame shows a person's face or private details they wouldn't want posted.

After the review is published, Google says you can still change the rating and the pictures. Our guide on how to edit or delete a Google review has the steps.

Why isn't your Google review showing?

Google doesn't say how quickly a review normally appears. When one doesn't show, Google's help page About missing or delayed reviews lists the usual reasons:

• It's still being checked. Google checks reviews against its policies, which can take a few days.
• It was removed for a policy reason. Spam and inappropriate content are the most common. Google says removed reviews aren't restored.
• Your app is out of date. Google recommends updating the Maps app if you have trouble leaving a review on an older phone.
• The business doesn't accept reviews. Google has turned reviews off for some kinds of places, such as general schools for students aged 6 to 18.

To check whether your review is live, open your own list of reviews (on a phone, Contribute, then View your profile). Our guide to Google reviews not showing goes through each cause and what you can do about it.

For business owners: how do you make reviewing easy?

A customer who is happy to review you can still give up if they can't find where to tap. Two things help:

1. Send your review link instead of your business name. Google lets you create a link and a QR code for your Business Profile that open the review form directly (see Google's help page Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews). Our free Google review link and QR code generator makes both, with no signup.
2. Send this page with it. Customers who have never reviewed on Google, or who aren't signed in, can get stuck at the first screen. This guide answers their questions so you don't have to.

Two messages you can copy. Replace the words in [brackets]:

Ask every customer the same way, and never offer anything in return: Google's prohibited and restricted content policy doesn't allow incentives or asking only happy customers. For timing, scripts and more templates, read how to get more Google reviews.

Every review you get deserves a reply. To keep up without writing each one, Mekomi's AI review replies draft a reply to every new review in the reviewer's language; 1 to 3 star reviews and any review with a complaint always wait for your approval.