Can Customers Call or Message You From Your Google Business Profile?

By Bill Stilwell · Last reviewed October 16, 2026

The short answer

Customers can call you from the call button on your Google Business Profile (GBP). Google’s built-in chat ended on July 31, 2024, along with call history. Today, verified profiles in some regions can add a chat link that opens WhatsApp or a text message to your number. Google counts call button taps and chat activity in your Performance report.

What this means

There used to be a Chat button on many profiles. Messages went through Google. Google turned that off on July 31, 2024. It also turned off call history, which showed a log of calls from your profile.

Here’s what’s there now:

Call button. Shows your main phone number. Google says calls now go to your own number, not a Google forwarding number. You can add up to 2 more numbers.
Chat link. In Edit profile, under Contact, you can set Chat to WhatsApp or Text message. WhatsApp uses a click-to-chat link. Text message uses a number that can receive texts. Google says if you add both, customers only see the text option.
Performance counts. Google counts taps on the call button as Calls. Chat activity also shows in your metrics.

Say Summit Roofing gets lots of calls during storm season. The owner keeps the office line as the main number and adds a text message chat link to a business mobile line the office manager watches. Homeowners who can’t talk at work can text a photo of their roof instead.

Why it matters

Missed calls are missed jobs. If no one answers and there’s no follow-up, the caller often calls the next business on the list (see 16.2.4 Missed-Call Process).
Old advice is wrong now. Many guides still talk about Google chat. If you plan around a feature that’s gone, leads fall through.
Texts need someone watching. A chat link to a phone no one checks is worse than no link.
Texting has rules. Replying to a customer is one thing. Sending marketing texts needs consent (see 12.6 Communication Consent Records).

Who this applies to

Every business with a phone number on Google. The chat link is optional and Google says it’s only for claimed and verified profiles in select regions.

Skip the chat link if no one can answer texts during your posted hours.

How to do it

Set your main business phone number first (see 12.3.1 Main Business Phone Number and 14.1.4 Phone).
In Edit profile, open Contact. Check the main number. Add up to 2 more numbers if you need them. Google allows mobile or landline numbers, not fax.
Decide if you want a chat link. If yes, pick one: WhatsApp or Text message. Don’t add both unless you know customers will only see the text option.
For WhatsApp, enter your click-to-chat link. For text, enter a number that can receive texts.
Save. Then test from a different phone. Tap Call. Tap Chat. Make sure the right person gets both.
Write down who answers calls and texts, and in what hours (see 16.2.1 Lead Response Ownership).
Check Calls and chat counts in Performance each month (see 14.9.8 Performance Data).
If you use a call tracking number, read 12.3.3 Call Tracking first so your listings stay consistent.

What proof to keep

A screenshot of the Contact section with numbers and chat settings
The date you set up or changed each one
Test call and test text results
Monthly Calls numbers from Performance

Keep these with your listing records and your communication records.

Common mistakes

Looking for Google chat. It’s gone. Set up a chat link instead, if it’s offered for your profile.
Sending texts to a personal phone. When that person leaves, the customer history leaves with them (see 12.5.4 Text Number Ownership and Records).
Adding both WhatsApp and text and expecting WhatsApp to show. Google says only the text option shows.
Never testing the buttons. A typo in the number means every call goes nowhere.
Treating chat replies like marketing lists. Answering a question isn’t consent to send promotions.

When to get help from a pro

Attorney: if you plan to send marketing texts to people who contacted you. Questions to ask:

What consent do I need before I text customers promotions?
What do I need to keep as proof of that consent?

Your phone or call tracking provider: if you want calls from Google counted separately.

Bill’s note

[Bill: add a short story or lesson here. For example, how clients reacted when Google chat ended, or a business that lost leads because no one watched the text line.]

If you’d rather have this done for you, SiteSmarty handles Google Business Profile setup.

How I did this for SiteSmarty

[Date I did this:]
[What I actually did, step by step: which number SiteSmarty uses for calls, and whether I added WhatsApp or a text link]
[What it cost and how long it took:]
[What surprised me or what I’d do differently:]
[Screenshot or photo to add, with private info blurred: the Contact section with chat settings, and the Calls count in Performance]
[Result so far:]

Questions people ask

What happened to Google Business Profile chat? Google turned off chat and call history on July 31, 2024.

How do I add WhatsApp to my Google Business Profile? In Edit profile, open Contact, then Chat. Choose WhatsApp, enter your click-to-chat link, and save. It’s only for verified profiles in select regions.

Can I add more than one phone number? Yes. Google allows up to 2 numbers besides your main one.

Where can I see how many people called from Google? In your profile’s Performance report. Google counts taps on the call button as Calls.

Audit check

Question: Do the call button and any chat link on the Google Business Profile reach a business-owned line that someone answers during posted hours?
Pass looks like: The main number is correct. Any chat link goes to a business-owned WhatsApp or text line. Test calls and texts reach the right person. Calls are reviewed monthly.
Fail looks like: A wrong or old number. A chat link to a personal phone or an unwatched line. Plans built around the retired Google chat.
Evidence to collect: Screenshot of the Contact settings, test call and text records, and the monthly Calls count.

Where this fits

Do this first: 14.1.4 Phone, 14.8.1 Google Business Profile Verification, 12.3.1 Main Business Phone Number

Do this next: 14.9.7 Videos on Your Profile

Sources

Google Business Profile Help, "Changes to Google Business Profile chat and call history" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Business Profile Help, "Chat with customers from your Business Profile" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Business Profile Help, "Edit your Business Profile" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Business Profile Help, "Understand your Business Profile performance & insights" (checked October 16, 2026)

This page explains general rules and Bill's own experience. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation.