Add another Google service to the list of ones the company has unceremoniously killed off, this time the chat and call history feature of Google Business Profile.
Google Business Profile, also known as Google Business Messaging, is a feature allows businesses to communicate with customers via Maps or Search. The story was broke by Search Engine Land after they received an email from Google announcing the decision:
“We are reaching out to share that we will be winding down Google’s chat and call history features in Google Business Profile on July 31, 2024. We acknowledge this may be difficult news – as we continually improve our tools, we occasionally have to make difficult decisions which may impact the businesses and partners we work with. It’s important to us that Google remains a helpful partner as you manage your business and we remain committed to this mission.”
Google says chat and call history functionality will end July 31, 2024, although starting new conversations will be disabled as early as July 15.
Google has a long history of killing off products, leaving users stranded or directing them to use products that don’t yet offer the same level of functionality. As a result of its history, Google has lost the trust of many of its users, with only 16% of users saying they are willing to use services Google is working on. The vast majority are hesitant to trust the company will continue to support new products.
The company even had to unveil Google Enterprise APIs to reassure its cloud customers that they could count on Google long-term.
The demise of a business feature like chat and call history in Google Business Messaging is not going to help the company win back any trust.