Lately, I’ve been hearing from some agencies that they can verify a Google Business Profile instantly using “GPay methods,” and they also claim they can make the phone number visible immediately.
Is this actually real or just another risky shortcut?
As far as I know, if we follow Google’s official guidelines properly, verification usually takes around 14–21 business days in some cases. Sometimes we also need to submit an appeal or wait additionally for the phone number to become publicly visible.
But these agencies are saying they can bypass all that and make the profile live instantly. Even when I explain to clients that this may not be the proper or sustainable verification process, they don’t accept it because they see the profile becoming active immediately.
So I’m genuinely curious:
- Are these methods legitimate?
- Is Google officially allowing some kind of instant GPay-based verification?
- Or are these temporary loopholes that may later lead to suspension/reverification issues?
Would love to hear opinions or experiences from people working in local SEO or GBP management