Where do voice assistants get my opening hours?

Each maker names its own listing. Google's help page for the Gemini app says Gemini takes addresses, ratings and opening hours from public information on Google Maps, which includes the Business Profile. Apple says its place card, managed in Apple Business, appears in Maps and Siri. Microsoft says Bing Places details are eligible for AI-generated responses. Keep all three listings identical.

How do I set holiday hours on Google Maps?

Open the Business Profile, choose Edit profile, then Hours, and next to Special hours choose Edit. Select the date, then enter the hours or mark the day closed. Google says special hours suit changes of 6 days in a row or fewer, and that special hours show only when the business hours are set to Open with main hours.

Should I confirm holiday hours even if they do not change?

Google recommends it. Its help page on special hours says it's a good idea to confirm your hours for official holidays, even if they're the same as your regular hours, because this makes it clear to customers that your special hours are accurate. Confirming is one step in the profile, and it tells a customer that the hours shown for that day are checked.

When should I mark my business temporarily closed on Google?

Google's help page says that if your business is closed for 7 or more days in a row, or will be closed for an unknown period of time, you should mark your business as Temporarily closed. For shorter changes, up to 6 days in a row, use special hours. Mark the business open again as soon as it reopens.

Should an appointment-only business show hours on Google?

Google's guidelines say businesses that operate only by appointment shouldn't provide hours, so leave the main hours empty and explain how to book in the description and on the website. Apple's rules differ: Apple Business asks such a business to list the hours during which appointments can be made. Both listings then follow their own maker's rule.

Can Gemini in Google Maps tell drivers when my business closes?

Google's help page for Gemini in navigation lists place answers among its features, with the example question "When does {Place Name} close?". The answer comes from the information Google Maps holds about the place, so correct main hours and special hours on the Business Profile are what make that spoken answer right on an ordinary day and on a holiday.

Why did Apple change my business hours?

Apple's guide says customers can report from the place card that a location was closed when it showed as open, and that Apple reviews these reports and edits the place card. Apple then emails the people who manage the location. You can accept the change, or contest it by editing the hours to the correct values in Apple Business.

Is Bing Places still worth setting up in 2026?

Bing Places costs nothing, and Microsoft's post of 3 October 2025 says its new version imports listings from Google while keeping the business name, hours and contact details. Microsoft's post of 10 February 2026 says Bing Places details are eligible for inclusion in AI-generated responses on Microsoft's services. For a business with a correct Google profile, the import means the details need not be typed again.

What should I do when an AI tool gives customers the wrong hours?

Ask the customer which app gave the answer, then correct the listing that app reads: the Google Business Profile for Gemini and Ask Maps, Apple Business for Siri and Apple Maps, and Bing Places for Microsoft. Google warns that AI-powered answers can sometimes be incorrect and asks users to send feedback, so you can also send feedback in the app.

How do you make maps and voice assistants give the right hours, directions and open now answers?

Which apps answer questions about hours and directions in 2026, the types of hours Google and Apple accept, how to set holidays and closures, how to place the map pin, what Bing Places adds, and the routine before every holiday.

See if customers can find you

You make maps and voice assistants give the right hours, directions and open now answers by keeping three listings exact and identical: the Google Business Profile, the Apple Business place card and the Bing Places listing, with main hours, special hours for holidays and a correctly placed pin. Google's Gemini takes opening hours from public information on Google Maps and answers questions such as "When does {Place Name} close?" during navigation, and Apple says its place card appears in Maps and in Siri, so each listing is the source that its own assistant reads.

Which apps answer questions about hours and directions in 2026?

A customer in a car or with full hands asks aloud. Google's help page Use Gemini while you navigate says that in Google Maps you say "Hey Google" or tap Gemini in navigation mode, and that Gemini gives place answers, with examples such as "When does {Place Name} close?" and "What's the most popular dish on the menu?". The Gemini app does the same outside the map: its help page says Gemini uses public information from Google Maps to give addresses, descriptions, websites, ratings, and opening hours, and its first example is "Where's the closest coffee shop and what time does it open?".

Ask Maps is the newest of these. Google announced it on 12 March 2026 as a conversational experience in Google Maps, starting in the U.S. and India on Android and iOS, with desktop coming soon; the help page for computers now describes it. On Apple devices, Apple's guide says the place card appears in many parts of Apple's software, from Maps to Siri. For Microsoft, the Bing Webmaster Blog post of 10 February 2026 says a Bing Places listing keeps address, hours, and contact information current and eligible for inclusion in AI-generated responses.

We looked for an Amazon page that says where Alexa takes its information about local businesses and did not find one, so this guide makes no claim about Alexa. The table lists what the official pages say about the others.

Apps that answer local questions about hours and directions, and the listing each one names. Sources: Google Maps Help, Gemini Apps Help, Google's post of 12 March 2026, Apple Support (14 April 2026) and the Bing Webmaster Blog (10 February 2026), all accessed 16 October 2026.
App	What its maker says it answers	Listing the owner keeps correct
Gemini in Google Maps, during navigation	Place answers, such as when a named place closes	Google Business Profile
Gemini app	Addresses, descriptions, websites, ratings and opening hours, from public Google Maps information	Google Business Profile
Ask Maps	Complex questions about places, with follow-up questions and directions	Google Business Profile
Siri and Apple Maps	The place card, which appears in Maps and Siri	Apple Business location
Microsoft Copilot and Bing	AI-generated responses that may include Bing Places details	Bing Places for Business listing

How do you set hours on Google so that open now is right?

Google's help pages describe four kinds of hours, and each answers a different question. Main hours are the normal week. A break in the day, such as a lunch closure, is set by creating 2 entries for the same day with different times. A business open day and night chooses Open 24 hours for each day. Special hours cover days when the business temporarily adjusts its hours of operation or remains closed for 6 days in a row or fewer, such as holidays and events. More hours are for specific services with different times, such as senior hours or delivery and takeout hours, and Google says they should in general sit inside the main hours.

Three rules from Google's page on special hours prevent wrong answers. It's a good idea to confirm your hours for official holidays, even if they're the same as your regular hours, because a confirmed day tells customers the hours are accurate. For special hours to show at all, the business hours must be set to Open with main hours. And if the business is closed for 7 or more days in a row, or will be closed for an unknown period, the owner should mark it as Temporarily closed in place of using special hours.

Google's guidelines add one exception that surprises owners: certain types of businesses shouldn't provide hours, including those that operate only by appointment and those with varied schedules such as classes or showtimes. Google's own list of examples includes hotels, schools, cinemas and event venues. An appointment-only business on Google should therefore leave the main hours empty and explain booking in its description and on its website.

How do you set hours in Apple Business?

Apple's guide, published on 14 April 2026, uses three kinds of hours. Standard hours are when the location is accessible to customers, and they appear on the place card. Special service hours are optional, for a service with its own times, such as a hair service or a parts counter. Temporary hours cover single days or date ranges when the location is open or closed out of the normal pattern, such as holidays, maintenance or other occasions.

Two Apple rules differ from Google's, and an owner with both listings should know them. Apple says that whenever possible, hours shown on your place card need to match the hours published on your official website. And for a business that works by appointment, Apple asks for the hours during which appointments can be made, where Google asks such a business to give no hours. So the same clinic may show booking hours on Apple and none on Google, and both follow the rules.

Apple also corrects place cards. Its guide on accuracy says that if a place card states a location is open and a customer finds it closed, they can report this issue to Apple directly from your place card. Apple then edits the location name, status or hours of operation, and sends an email to the people who manage the location. An owner can accept the change or contest it by editing the field to something different from Apple's suggestion; a name change goes to review, which can take up to five business days.

How do you make directions lead to the right door?

A pin in the wrong place sends customers to the wrong street. Google's guidelines ask for a precise, accurate address and allow a suite or floor number on the second address line. When the address has no street number or Google's system cannot find it, the edit page lets the owner pin the business's location directly on the map. Businesses that show their address should keep permanent fixed signage of their business name at that address.

Apple is more exact about the pin. Its Apple Business guide says the latitude and longitude coordinates need to be on top of the building, centred over your location, and can't be on the sidewalk, the road or the nearest intersection, nor at the front doors or the parking entrance. The address itself should be the one officially listed on your website and the one customers use to travel to or find you.

After setting both, test them the way a customer would: on a phone, ask Google Maps and Apple Maps for directions to your business from a street nearby, and see where the route ends.

What does Bing Places add?

Bing Places for Business is Microsoft's listing service. Microsoft's post of 3 October 2025 calls it a free online platform where businesses can create and manage their listings to appear in Bing search results and Bing Maps, and it announced that the service moved from www.bingplaces.com to www.bing.com/forbusiness. The same post says the new import flow from Google is faster and better at preserving key attributes like business name, hours, and contact details, which saves typing for an owner whose Google profile is already correct.

For AI answers, Microsoft's words are careful, and so are ours. The Bing Webmaster Blog post of 10 February 2026 says businesses can register with Bing Places for Business so that address, hours, and contact information remain current and eligible for inclusion in AI-generated responses. The October 2025 post speaks of deeper integrations with Bing Maps and Copilot as work still to come. This guide gives no verification steps for Bing Places, because we could not read Microsoft's current help pages for them; follow the instructions shown on bing.com/forbusiness when you sign in.

What happens when an AI answer about your business is wrong?

Google says plainly that this happens. Its help page for Ask Maps says AI-powered answers can sometimes be incorrect, and it asks users to check important information in more than one place, to click the links for AI sources and to send feedback when something doesn't look right.

What the owner controls is the information that the answer reads. When Ask Maps or the Gemini app gives wrong hours, open the Business Profile first: look for blue text, which Google uses to show information it changed, and for suggested edits waiting for review, since Google may publish a suggested edit after 4 days if other public information supports it. Correct the profile, then check that the website and Apple Business say the same thing. If a customer tells you an assistant gave the wrong hours, ask which app it was, because each app reads its own maker's listing.

What is the routine before every holiday and closure?

Holidays and planned closures are the days when the real hours differ from the listings, unless someone changes the listings first. A short routine, done two weeks before each public holiday and before any planned closure, keeps the answers right. Two weeks leaves time for the changes to appear and for a mistake to be fixed.

Do every step. We suggest starting with Google, because Bing Places can import from it, and finishing with the website, because both Google and Apple compare against it.

Google Business Profile: set special hours for the day, or confirm the normal hours if they do not change.
Google Business Profile: for a closure of 7 or more days, mark the business Temporarily closed.
Apple Business: add temporary hours for the same dates.
Bing Places: update the hours, or import them again from Google.
Website: change the hours on the contact page and on any page that shows them.
After the change appears, ask Google Maps and Siri on a phone whether the business is open on that day.

Part of a larger guide

This page is one part of Local answer engine optimization. The other parts:

Questions people ask

Where do voice assistants get my opening hours?: Each maker names its own listing. Google's help page for the Gemini app says Gemini takes addresses, ratings and opening hours from public information on Google Maps, which includes the Business Profile. Apple says its place card, managed in Apple Business, appears in Maps and Siri. Microsoft says Bing Places details are eligible for AI-generated responses. Keep all three listings identical.
How do I set holiday hours on Google Maps?: Open the Business Profile, choose Edit profile, then Hours, and next to Special hours choose Edit. Select the date, then enter the hours or mark the day closed. Google says special hours suit changes of 6 days in a row or fewer, and that special hours show only when the business hours are set to Open with main hours.
Should I confirm holiday hours even if they do not change?: Google recommends it. Its help page on special hours says it's a good idea to confirm your hours for official holidays, even if they're the same as your regular hours, because this makes it clear to customers that your special hours are accurate. Confirming is one step in the profile, and it tells a customer that the hours shown for that day are checked.
When should I mark my business temporarily closed on Google?: Google's help page says that if your business is closed for 7 or more days in a row, or will be closed for an unknown period of time, you should mark your business as Temporarily closed. For shorter changes, up to 6 days in a row, use special hours. Mark the business open again as soon as it reopens.
Should an appointment-only business show hours on Google?: Google's guidelines say businesses that operate only by appointment shouldn't provide hours, so leave the main hours empty and explain how to book in the description and on the website. Apple's rules differ: Apple Business asks such a business to list the hours during which appointments can be made. Both listings then follow their own maker's rule.
Can Gemini in Google Maps tell drivers when my business closes?: Google's help page for Gemini in navigation lists place answers among its features, with the example question "When does {Place Name} close?". The answer comes from the information Google Maps holds about the place, so correct main hours and special hours on the Business Profile are what make that spoken answer right on an ordinary day and on a holiday.
Why did Apple change my business hours?: Apple's guide says customers can report from the place card that a location was closed when it showed as open, and that Apple reviews these reports and edits the place card. Apple then emails the people who manage the location. You can accept the change, or contest it by editing the hours to the correct values in Apple Business.
Where exactly should my pin sit on Apple Maps?: Apple's Apple Business guide says the latitude and longitude coordinates need to be on top of the building, centred over your location. They can't be on the sidewalk, the road or the nearest intersection, and they can't mark how customers enter, such as the front doors or the parking entrance. Check the pin on the map after you claim the location.
Is Bing Places still worth setting up in 2026?: Bing Places costs nothing, and Microsoft's post of 3 October 2025 says its new version imports listings from Google while keeping the business name, hours and contact details. Microsoft's post of 10 February 2026 says Bing Places details are eligible for inclusion in AI-generated responses on Microsoft's services. For a business with a correct Google profile, the import means the details need not be typed again.
What should I do when an AI tool gives customers the wrong hours?: Ask the customer which app gave the answer, then correct the listing that app reads: the Google Business Profile for Gemini and Ask Maps, Apple Business for Siri and Apple Maps, and Bing Places for Microsoft. Google warns that AI-powered answers can sometimes be incorrect and asks users to send feedback, so you can also send feedback in the app.

Sources

Use Gemini while you navigate, Google Maps Help. Accessed 16 October 2026.
Find places & get directions in Gemini Apps, Gemini Apps Help, Google. Accessed 16 October 2026.
Ask questions in Google Maps, Google Maps Help. Accessed 16 October 2026.
Ask Maps and Immersive Navigation: New AI features in Google Maps, Google, The Keyword. Posted 12 March 2026, accessed 16 October 2026.
Edit your business hours, Google Business Profile Help. Accessed 16 October 2026.
How to set Special hours, Google Business Profile Help. Accessed 16 October 2026.
Guidelines for representing your business on Google, Google Business Profile Help. Accessed 16 October 2026.
Edit your Business Profile, Google Business Profile Help. Accessed 16 October 2026.
Understand Google updates on your Business Profile, Google Business Profile Help. Accessed 16 October 2026.
Configure location attributes in Apple Business, Apple Support. Published 2026-04-14, accessed 16 October 2026.
Maintain location information accuracy with Apple Business, Apple Support. Published 2026-04-14, accessed 16 October 2026.
Introducing the New Bing Places for Business: Built for Business Owners, Powered by Research, Bing Search Blog, Microsoft. Posted 3 October 2025, accessed 16 October 2026.
Introducing AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools Public Preview, Bing Webmaster Blog, Microsoft. Posted 10 February 2026, accessed 16 October 2026.
Understand how Google sources & uses info in Business Profiles & local search results, Google Business Profile Help. Accessed 16 October 2026.

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The free Get Found Check reads your homepage and returns a letter grade, a separate grade for readiness for AI assistants and three to five quick fixes, in under 60 seconds. If you want your hours and listings kept identical across Google, Apple and Bing, contact us for pricing.

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