You need to change your hours, you are standing in the shop, and you go to open the app you used for years. It is not on your phone. You search the app store and find a dozen things that are not it. You find a tutorial from a marketing blog that confidently tells you to open the Google My Business app and tap Info, and the instructions describe buttons that no longer exist anywhere. At this point most owners conclude they have broken something, or that Google has taken away a tool they relied on.

Nothing is broken, and nothing was taken. Digifeel's rundown of the change is blunt about it: the standalone Google My Business app was retired in 2022, so there is nothing to download, and management moved into Google Search and Google Maps instead. The reason this still confuses people four years later is that the internet never caught up. Old tutorials, screenshots, and forum threads still describe an app that has not existed since 2022, which sends owners hunting for something that is not there. Optuno still fields this question regularly.

What happened, in plain terms

Google renamed Google My Business to Google Business Profile in late 2021, and through 2022 it retired the standalone app. Management moved to the places customers were already searching: Google Search and Google Maps.

Nothing about your listing changed. Same profile, same reviews, same photos, same categories, same performance data. There was no migration, no account to move, and no data to rescue. Only the door moved.

Two names for the same thing is the root of the confusion. If a tool, an agency, or an article says "GMB," read it as Google Business Profile. The old terminology is still everywhere, including in some of Google's own back-end tooling for a long stretch, so a vendor talking about GMB is almost certainly describing the current product.

There is one piece of good news for anyone with old bookmarks. The former web address still works and redirects you, so the link you saved in 2019 will not send you into a dead end.

Where the controls live now

For a single-location business, the fastest route is the one that feels the strangest at first: search for yourself. Sign in to the Google account that manages the business, type your business name into Google, and the management controls appear right there in the results. Typing "my business" while signed in works too.

From that panel you can edit your hours, change your business information, upload photos, publish posts, reply to reviews, and see your performance data. It is the same set of controls, presented inside the search results rather than behind a separate login.

The Google Maps app is the other route, and for most owners standing in their shop it is the better one. Open Maps while signed in to the owner account, and your business is reachable from your profile picture. This is the closest thing to the old app experience, and it is where most day-to-day mobile work now happens.

Multi-location businesses keep a web dashboard, now called Business Profile Manager, for bulk edits across many listings from one screen. If you run one location, you do not need it.

How to manage your profile from your phone

The practical answer to "there is no app" is that Maps is the app. Once you have made that switch mentally, the daily work is quick.

Updating hours is the most common task. Open Maps signed in, get to your business, edit the business information, and change the hours. Special hours for holidays live in the same place, and setting them in advance for the year saves the annual scramble.

Photos are the easiest thing to do from a phone and the most neglected. You are standing next to the work. Take the picture and upload it while you are there rather than promising yourself you will do it from the desktop later, because you will not.

Reviews arrive on your phone as notifications if you leave them on, and replying takes a minute in the queue between jobs. Posts work the same way.

If you want to know what shape the profile is in before you start tidying it from your phone, Optuno's free local SEO report gives you a snapshot of your rankings, listings, and reviews.

What to watch out for

The main hazard is not the missing app. It is the third-party apps that filled the gap it left.

Search your app store for Google My Business and you will find results. None of them is Google's. Some are legitimate management tools built on Google's API, and a few of those are worth having. Others exist to charge you for access to a free product, and a handful are outright scams that want your login. Google does not charge to create, claim, or manage a profile, so any app or caller asking for payment to keep your listing alive is not Google.

The second hazard is the tutorial problem. An article that tells you to open the app is not necessarily wrong about everything, since the underlying steps usually still apply. It is just describing a door that has moved. Read past the interface and follow the logic.

The third is duplicates. Some owners, unable to find the app, conclude their listing is gone and create a new one. That is the worst outcome available, because you end up with two listings competing, your reviews split across them, and a likely suspension. If your business is not showing on Google Maps, that has its own causes and its own fixes, none of which involve starting over.

Making the new setup work for you

The move from a dedicated app to Search and Maps has one real consequence worth naming: nothing reminds you anymore. An app on your home screen was a nudge. A search result is not, so the profile drifts unless you build the habit yourself.

Set a recurring reminder. Once a month, spend ten minutes checking your hours, adding a photo or two, replying to anything waiting, and confirming your details still say what you set them to. Google can change your information without asking, so this is worth doing even when nothing seems wrong.

Turn notifications on in the Maps app so reviews and questions reach you rather than sitting unanswered. A profile that gets replies looks like a live business, and Google notices activity.

The rest of the work is unchanged from the app era, and Optuno's guide to Google Business Profile optimization covers the fields that move the needle. If you would rather someone else keep the profile current so it does not drift, Optuno's plans cover Business Profile management and local SEO, with no long-term contracts, no setup fees, and a dedicated contact.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Google My Business app still available?
No. Google retired the standalone app in 2022. For a single business you now edit your listing directly inside Google Search or the Google Maps app, and there is nothing to download. Multi-location businesses use the web-based Business Profile Manager.

How do I edit my Google Business Profile without the app?
Search your business name in Google while signed in to the owner account, and the controls appear in the results. You can also manage the profile from the Google Maps app, which is the closest replacement for the old app on a phone.

Is Google My Business the same as Google Business Profile?
Yes. They are two names for the same free tool. Google renamed it in late 2021, and the features, data, and reviews carried over unchanged. When an article or vendor says GMB, read it as Google Business Profile.

Did I lose my reviews or data when the app was retired?
No. The change was a rename and a move, not a new product. Your listing, reviews, photos, and performance data were untouched, and there was never anything to migrate.

Are the Google My Business apps in the app store real?
None of them is Google's own app. Some are legitimate third-party management tools, others charge for access to something Google gives away, and some are scams after your login. Google never charges to create, claim, or manage a profile.

Do I need Business Profile Manager?
Only if you run several locations and want to make bulk changes from one screen. A single-location business does not need it and can do everything from Search or the Maps app.