Short answer: Don't rush; first check whether the option exists for you. Since Nov 6, Google Maps shows a Message button next to Call, but it only connects to WhatsApp or SMS and is limited to select regions. Taiwanese shops should first spend an hour completing hours, services and prices so AI auto-replies have correct answers when they arrive.
On November 6, Google's monthly small business bulletin explained that Google Maps business listings on Android and iOS now place a Message button next to Call, reachable from the profile, the expanded header and the bottom action bar. Customers used to scroll a long way to find chat; now it is as visible as calling. Tapping it opens the business's linked WhatsApp or SMS. Google's reasoning is practical: when a technician is on a job or a stylist is with a client, the customer still has a way to reach you.
Why now? Google has gone in a circle on business chat. Its own Business Messages and Business Profile chat shut down on July 31, 2024, replaced by linking channels customers already have on their phones, such as WhatsApp or SMS. The other thread is AI. More than 80% of Google searches now show AI Overviews, and in late October AI-powered Business Profile messaging expanded: AI answers routine questions about hours, menus and reservations for free and hands harder ones to the owner. On November 6, a "Chat" option was also spotted in search sitelinks. The entry points are multiplying, and they all read the same business data.
Rivals take other routes. Meta keeps WhatsApp and Messenger as their own ecosystem, while Podium in the US and Singapore-born SleekFlow pull messages from many platforms into one paid inbox. In Taiwan, LINE has more than 20 million monthly active users, and LINE Official Accounts are where shops actually handle customer service. The broader direction: messaging platforms each hold their users, and Google wants to keep the "search to contact" step on its own pages.
What does it mean for Taiwanese small businesses? The button itself matters little, because few Taiwanese customers use WhatsApp and SMS needs someone watching it. What needs preparing is your business data. Below: what changed, whether to turn it on, and the no-subscription fixes to make first.
The details: a more visible button, still only two channels
The change is where the button sits, not how many channels it supports.
- Placement: Message now sits beside Call in Google Maps on both Android and iOS.
- Channels: per Google's Business Profile help page, only WhatsApp or SMS can be set; if both are set, customers see only SMS.
- Requirements: the profile must be claimed and verified, and chat is "available for select regions."
- Reporting: chat counts appear in Business Profile performance metrics.
- AI replies: free, answering routine questions, but only for customers on RCS networks and phones; other messages go straight to your phone.
What three kinds of readers should do now
Bottom line: check whether the option exists, then decide, but update your data regardless.
- Brand and business owners: open your Business Profile, go to Edit profile, then Contact, and look for Chat. Turn on SMS only if the option exists and someone can reply within an hour.
- Marketers and SEO operators: complete hours (including special hours), services, price ranges and FAQs, and review chat and call data monthly.
- Developers and agencies: make booking and inquiry pages open a LINE Official Account in one tap on mobile, and mark up services and prices as structured data AI can read.
Messaging tools compared: decide who replies first
Before choosing a tool, decide whether messages go to one person or a team.
| Tool | Positioning | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile messaging | Maps and Search entry point, WhatsApp or SMS, AI replies in testing | Free (SMS charges depend on carrier) | Shops with someone to answer texts quickly |
| LINE Official Account | Taiwan's main customer-service channel, auto-replies and broadcasts | Free plan; paid plans by message volume | Most Taiwanese small businesses |
| SleekFlow | Unified inbox for WhatsApp, LINE, Instagram and more | Monthly, by seat | Multi-agent teams with high cross-platform volume |
| Podium | Texting, reviews and payments in one | Monthly | US local service businesses |
What the news won't tell you
For Taiwanese shops, the button matters less than the headlines suggest, and the risks are real.
- No LINE: the help page lists only WhatsApp and SMS, so the channel Taiwanese customers use most is missing, and an enabled button may go unused.
- No reply is worse than no button: a customer who taps Message and waits half a day is likely to leave a worse review or go elsewhere.
- AI only knows your data: if hours or prices are outdated, AI will answer wrongly and confidently, and customers find out at the door.
A no-subscription alternative for small businesses
Skip the unified inbox for now and get three things right:
- Business Profile: complete special hours, services and price ranges, check quarterly, and add your website booking page if an appointment-link field is available.
- Website: add a "Ask on LINE" button to the home and service pages, write 10–15 short FAQ answers, and add FAQPage structured data.
- SMS: if you do enable it, use a dedicated store phone, reply within one hour during business hours, and auto-reply after hours with your hours and LINE link.
FAQ
What is the Message button in Google Maps?
It is a button beside Call on business listings. Tapping it opens the business's linked WhatsApp or SMS, and it has been live on Android and iOS since Nov 6.
Can a Google Business Profile link to LINE?
Not currently. The help page lists only WhatsApp and SMS, so Taiwanese shops should put their LINE Official Account on their website and booking links.
What if a Taiwanese shop doesn't see the Chat option?
Your region isn't enabled yet. Complete hours, services and prices now and decide when the option appears; no application is needed.
Does Google's AI auto-reply cost money?
Google says it is free. It answers routine questions only from your profile data and hands off what it can't answer, so keep that data accurate.
Our take
Most commentary says "Google Maps now has messaging, go turn it on." We think the opposite for Taiwan: the button won't bring many messages soon because it doesn't connect to LINE. The real change is one layer down. Google is letting AI answer customers using your business data, and next come Chat in search results and bookings in AI Mode. Whoever has complete data gets AI speaking on their behalf.
So Taiwanese small businesses shouldn't add another channel to babysit. They should turn the Business Profile, website service pages and FAQs into one accurate data set, so every entry point says the same thing.
The lesson for ScriptWalker (a Taiwanese Laravel/Flutter custom development studio) is that a "business data consistency check" can be a recurring service: audit whether the Google Business Profile, website structured data and LINE Official Account auto-replies agree, and offer one back office that updates them together. That has more long-term value than selling another chatbot.
Sources
- Search Engine Roundtable: Google expands business messaging to Maps on iOS and Android (Nov 6, 2026)
- Google Business Profile Help: link your messaging channel
- Google Business Profile Community: Google Small Business Bulletin
- Search Engine Roundtable: AI-powered Business Profile messaging expands
- 9to5Google: Google Business Messages shutting down in 2024
- Search Engine Roundtable: over 80% of Google searches have AI Overviews
- 1111 News: LINE has over 20 million monthly active users in Taiwan