How to Manage Google Business Profile Photos via API

Two ways a photo reaches the profile

Use profile media when the category matters: setting the cover photo, replacing the logo, tagging interior and exterior shots so Google files them correctly. Use the photo post format when the photo is part of a content calendar and should go through the same scheduling and approval flow as posts.

Every request below takes location_id, the placement id from List placements.

Google’s photo requirements

Google reviews every photo before it appears publicly. An image that violates the content policy is rejected silently from the public listing; the API call itself succeeds.

Upload a photo with a category

Google fetches the file from the URL you give it, so media_url has to be a public HTTPS address that stays valid for a while. A short-lived signed URL or an address on a private network fails.

curl -X POST "https://api.postproxy.dev/api/profiles/prof_abc123/google_business/create_media" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "location_id": "accounts/113344/locations/558899",
    "media_url": "https://cdn.acme.example/storefront-2026.jpg",
    "category": "EXTERIOR",
    "description": "Storefront on Market Street after the September refit"
  }'

Available categories:

Set the cover photo or logo

COVER, PROFILE, and LOGO are single-slot categories: uploading a new one replaces the current one on the listing. Google decides how the cover is cropped, so upload it at 16:9 with the subject centred.

curl -X POST "https://api.postproxy.dev/api/profiles/prof_abc123/google_business/create_media" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "location_id": "accounts/113344/locations/558899",
    "media_url": "https://cdn.acme.example/logo-2026.png",
    "category": "LOGO"
  }'

List the gallery

curl "https://api.postproxy.dev/api/profiles/prof_abc123/google_business/media?location_id=accounts/113344/locations/558899&page_size=100" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

{
  "mediaItems": [
    {
      "name": "accounts/113344/locations/558899/media/AF1QipN…",
      "mediaFormat": "PHOTO",
      "locationAssociation": { "category": "EXTERIOR" },
      "googleUrl": "https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/…",
      "createTime": "2026-09-16T09:12:00Z",
      "dimensions": { "widthPixels": 1600, "heightPixels": 1200 },
      "insights": { "viewCount": "1284" }
    }
  ],
  "nextPageToken": "…"
}

name is the handle for deletion. Page size goes up to 250; pass page_token from the response to continue. Customer-uploaded photos appear in this list too, with no locationAssociation, so filter on it to see only the business’s own uploads.

Delete a photo

curl -X DELETE "https://api.postproxy.dev/api/profiles/prof_abc123/google_business/delete_media" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "location_id": "accounts/113344/locations/558899",
    "media_name": "accounts/113344/locations/558899/media/AF1QipN…"
  }'

Only media the business uploaded can be deleted. Customer photos have to be flagged to Google through the listing, which the API does not expose.

Push one photo set to every location

A rebrand or a seasonal campaign usually means the same cover and logo on every location. Loop the placements:

const BASE = "https://api.postproxy.dev";
const headers = {
  Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.POSTPROXY_API_KEY}`,
  "Content-Type": "application/json",
};

const { data: locations } = await fetch(`${BASE}/api/profiles/${PROFILE}/placements`, { headers })
  .then((r) => r.json());

const assets = [
  { media_url: "https://cdn.acme.example/cover-autumn.jpg", category: "COVER" },
  { media_url: "https://cdn.acme.example/logo-2026.png", category: "LOGO" },
];

for (const loc of locations) {
  for (const asset of assets) {
    await fetch(`${BASE}/api/profiles/${PROFILE}/google_business/create_media`, {
      method: "POST",
      headers,
      body: JSON.stringify({ location_id: loc.id, ...asset }),
    });
  }
}

Location-specific photos (the actual storefront) stay per location; only the brand assets are shared.

Errors

Full parameter tables are on the Google Business API reference.