Impossible to review a google places (plus) location from iOS???

[adriandg]

So it seems with the recent shift to google plus for all local listings, it is no longer possible to leave a review for those locations from an iOS device.  Is this true? has anyone found a work around?

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Storwell,

I hear you on that. Google, for all its support of human usability, has not done anything to make the review process easy. I truly hope they can refine it in future, but they are going for authenticity, so they want everybody signed in.

I'll be interested to hear if your technique works. My cell is not an iPhone, so I've not been able to test this myself.

Miriam

[adriandg]

Thanks Miriam!

I no longer own an iphone at the moment so i haven't had a chance to try this out, but you can probably go here: http://www.google.com/mobile/iphone/

and download this:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-places/id406513617?mt=8

Which i assume would let you login to google+ and leave a review.

Personally i believe at that point it has become way too many steps to ask of a customer, especailly if they have to sign up for a google+ account too!

I'll report back i if i find an easier way.

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Storwell,

So nice to see you here! Well, this took some research on my part as I was quite surprised by what you had discovered. I had a Canadian colleague and a US colleague test this on their iPhones and they concur with your findings - you cannot leave a Google+ Local review on these devices. Pretty strange! The issue likely surrounds the fact that you cannot log in via the device, and as you have to be logged in these days in order to leave a review, this is probably what is getting in the way.

My Canadian colleague did get prompted with some sort of message along the lines of 'Add This To Your Homescreen' but he didn't follow through on it and couldn't get the message back again, so we're not sure what that was. It may have had nothing to do with this.

Right now, the full Google+Local display isn't even really available on the iPhone. It's more like Maps+Zagat ratings. I expect that Google is fully aware of the issue you've reported here, and will eventually address it. Thanks for bringing such an interesting question to Q&A!

Miriam

P.S. My American colleague just told me something else I thought I'd come back here and add. He is able to log in on his iPhone, but it doesn't appear to make any difference.