Guides

Does Google allow AI replies to reviews?

Yes — Google's own guidance on replying to reviews does not prohibit AI-written replies. It asks that every reply follows its content policies, stays relevant and personal, and avoids promotions, and Google has been testing its own “Reply to reviews with AI” button since March 2026.

Sources checked 16 October 2026. Written by Firstcliq, which sells automatic review replies — so every claim about Google below links to Google or to the article it comes from.

What Google's guidance actually says

Google's help pages on review replies say nothing about how a reply is written — by hand, from a template or with AI. What they do say:

• Replies must follow Google's content policies, and every reply is checked before it is published.
• Keep replies short, clear, professional and polite.
• “Instead of sending the same ‘thank you’ to everyone,” focus on reviews where you can share a helpful update or answer a question.
• Be conversational, not promotional — don't use a reply to offer deals.
• Never share a reviewer's private information or make personal attacks.
• For negative reviews: be honest, apologise where appropriate, address the reviewer and their specific feedback, and reply promptly.

Sources: Google Business Profile Help — Tips to write better review replies · Google Business Profile Help — Manage customer reviews · Google — Maps user-contributed content policy

Every reply is checked before it goes live

Google reviews each reply against its content policies. That usually takes up to 10 minutes, and sometimes up to 30 days; a reply that is not approved has to be revised. An approved reply is public, appears under the review as coming from the business — not from a named person — and the reviewer is notified.

Source: Google Business Profile Help — Manage customer reviews

Google is testing AI replies itself

In March 2026 some business owners began seeing a “Reply to reviews with AI” option in the Business Profile dashboard, which suggests a reply the owner can edit and submit. In July 2026 it was still described as a test limited to select accounts, with availability varying by location and account, and reports differing on whether bulk AI replies need a manual review before they publish. Google had made no broad announcement. We have not verified its status since July 2026.

Sources: Search Engine Land, 20 March 2026 · Search Engine Roundtable, 24 March 2026 · Location3, 7 July 2026

So what makes an AI reply a bad one?

Not the AI. Read against Google's guidance, the risk is a reply that is generic, promotional, careless with a reviewer's details, or posted without anyone checking the reviews that need a person. Those are things to control, whatever writes the draft.

How Firstcliq handles it

• Replies respond to what the review actually says, in the reviewer's language, and the AI is instructed never to add a detail that was not in the review.
• 1–2★ reviews are never answered automatically — they are held for you, on a timer you choose.
• Any branch can be set to manual approval, so nothing posts until someone opens it.
• Replies post after a delay you set, so they read like a manager who saw the review.
• Prefer no AI at all? Template mode uses only wording you wrote.

How the hold works → The three reply modes →

Questions