If you use Google Maps for navigation on your smartphone, you are likely familiar with the constant push notifications asking for your opinion. Shortly after leaving a restaurant, a supermarket, or a park, your phone buzzes with a notification asking, “How was [Location]?” prompting you to leave a star rating or write a detailed review.
Google does this to crowdsource data for its business listings, but if you value your privacy and do not want to become an unpaid local guide, these constant pings are incredibly annoying. You can disable these location-based review requests directly within the Google Maps app.
How to Stop Google Maps Review Notifications
You can turn off these prompts in the notification settings of the Maps application.
- Open the Google Maps app on your Android or iOS smartphone.
- Tap on your Profile Picture (or initial) in the top-right corner of the screen, next to the search bar.
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
- Scroll down the list and tap on Notifications.
- From the Notifications menu, select Your reviews.
- You will see a list of toggles for different types of review requests. Look for the toggle switch labelled Rate & review places.
- Tap the switch to turn it Off.
- While you are on this screen, you may also want to turn off Questions about places and Add your photos to stop all location-based polling.
The changes apply immediately. Google Maps will continue to provide accurate GPS navigation and traffic updates, but it will no longer interrogate you about your experience after you park your car and leave a venue.