Google Maps now requires you to sign in to a Google account to see all the reviews on a Google Business Profile listing. It is also required in order to sort the reviews, leave a review, and more.
I assume this was done to help prevent AI, bots, and third parties from scraping the Google reviews.
Here is what it looks like when you try to click the option to "see more reviews" or "sort" the reviews, etc:
Google says "Sign-in to get the best of Google Maps:"
- Reviews & photos: Read and search through every review and photo.
- Saved places. Keep track of your favorites with lists that you can share.
- Personalized travel. Get instant travel times to your frequent places, like home and work.
Here is a GIF showing when this prompt shows up:
This was spotted by a number of people including Syed Amir on X, Michael B. Snow on LinkedIn and Jean-Sébastien Girard on LinkedIn.
Again, I have to guess this is about stopping bots, scrapers, AI platforms and other third-parties.
