Google seems to have made a change in which phone number they use for tracking calls, even when you tell Google to use the Google Ads number, it is still using the Google Business Profiles phone number. I am told this is a confirmed change and Google still has not changed it back, and it is unclear if Google will change it back.
Anthony Higman has been calling out this issue since September 1st on X and I am told Google has confirmed this twice. Here is the confirmation from Google, who responded on X by saying, "If you are utilizing both location and call assets, ads featuring specific business locations may direct calls to the phone numbers associated with those locations rather than those set within your call assets."
Here is a screenshot of this response:
A week later, Anthony wrote, "We have active and verified call assets; we have the call asset as the Google Ads number in GBP advanced settings. It is still showing the Google Business Profile phone number on all active local ad formats." "This NEEDS to be solved now!! Not after breakfast, not tomorrow NOW," he added.
Anthony sent me this screenshot to show you where this is set:
Here are some more tweets on this:
This is STILL NOT fixed!!! We have active and verified call assets, we have the call asset as the google ads number in gbp advanced settings. ITS STILL SHOWING THE GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE PHONE NUMBER ON ALL ACTIVE LOCAL AD FORMATS. This NEEDS to be solved now!! Not after…
— Anthony Higman (@AnthonyHigman) September 9, 2026
This is new then? Because it HAS ALWAYS been that if we put the google ads phone number in advanced settings within the Google business profile that it would show THE GOOGLE ADS PHONE NUMBER. You do understand tracking performance of ad campaigns, no?
— Anthony Higman (@AnthonyHigman) September 9, 2026
BECAUSE WHAT YOUR SAYING…
will let her respond here but she confirmed this to me in DM's. I asked her to give the team feedback that this is trash and is gonna mess up a lot of things for us.
— Anthony Higman (@AnthonyHigman) September 23, 2026
I have seen it go back on our accounts where the advanced GBP number is working again but not sure if that is…
So We Are Now Being Forced To Make An Impossible Choice. ONLY Use Call Assets And NOT Location Assets To Keep Call Tracking In Tact, Or Use Location Assets And LOSE The Ability To Actually The Calls That Originated From Ads. NEITHER IS A GOOD OPTION HERE.
— Anthony Higman (@AnthonyHigman) September 9, 2026
YESS!!!!! Love it when this happens. Also i have seen this reverse on our accounts recently. But there is def still wonky things going on here.
— Anthony Higman (@AnthonyHigman) September 23, 2026
I mean that section is still there on all GBP's but clearly is no longer working. But is new to me. We have been using that and seeing the right numbers until right now.
— Anthony Higman (@AnthonyHigman) September 10, 2026
It does not seem like a new change but I am not sure. I mean, Higman is on this and he would have noticed these calls not tracking properly. So something changed.
What is even more interesting is that Anthony told me it is fixed and working as it should now. So Google may have made a fix with this?
Forum discussion at X.
