How Deleted Review Detection Works

ReviewPanel detects when Google reviews disappear from your profile and preserves the original data for your records.

Two-phase detection

Phase 1: Metadata check (fast)

During each sync, ReviewPanel compares the current review count and IDs against the previous snapshot. If a discrepancy is found (fewer reviews, missing IDs), it moves to phase 2.

Phase 2: Deep scan

A full comparison of stored reviews against the current API response identifies exactly which reviews are missing. These are flagged as deleted and tombstoned.

What triggers detection

Scheduled sync — runs on your plan's auto-refresh schedule.
Manual refresh — triggered from the dashboard.
Monthly reconciliation — a full deep scan runs once per month regardless of whether discrepancies are found.

Tombstoning

When a review is detected as deleted, ReviewPanel creates a tombstone record preserving the original data:

Review text (full original content)
Star rating
Reviewer name
Date posted and date detected as deleted
Google review ID

Auto-restore

If a previously deleted review reappears in the Google API response (e.g., Google reinstated it after an appeal), the tombstone is automatically removed and the review returns to your active review list. No action needed on your part.

Notifications

When deletions are detected, you receive:

An in-app notification in your dashboard.
An email summary with the deleted review details.