Short answer: In 2026, Google rolled out an updated Merchant Center Terms of Service that broadens how merchant data can be used — including to power AI-driven shopping experiences — and continuing to use Merchant Center after the effective date counts as accepting the new terms. Multiple industry reports cited mid-June 2026 as the effective date; always confirm the exact date in your own Merchant Center notification.
What changed in the Merchant Center Terms of Service?
The updated Merchant Center Terms of Service broaden how your merchant data may be used: how product content is submitted, how data may be processed to power future Google services (AI-generated shopping experiences, recommendations, summaries, and customer assistance), and how publicly available marketing emails may be used to connect merchants with customers. A related change was Google’s reported move to automatically link some Google Ads accounts to Merchant Center for advertisers not yet running product ads. Industry coverage tied this to Google’s 27 May 2026 announcement about AI-powered shopping (AI Mode and the Gemini app).
Who do the new Merchant Center Terms of Service affect?
Every Merchant Center account holder, across markets and verticals. It deserves extra attention from high-risk and restricted-category sellers (supplements, medical supplies, restricted products), where broader data usage and automatic Ads–Merchant Center linking can increase exposure across more Google surfaces — and where any mismatch between feed, site, and claims is more consequential under misrepresentation enforcement.
In our compliance reviews, the issues that most often trip up high-risk sellers aren’t exotic — they’re a feed that says one thing while the product page, pricing, or on-site claims say another, plus identity and policy gaps (contact details, returns, who is actually behind the store). As more Google surfaces draw on the same merchant data and Ads accounts get linked automatically, those inconsistencies get surfaced and cross-checked in more places at once — exactly where misrepresentation enforcement tends to bite. None of this is a verdict on any account; it is simply where we see the most avoidable risk before a review.
What should merchants do about the Merchant Center Terms of Service update?
- Read the updated Merchant Center Terms of Service and confirm the effective date in your own Merchant Center notification.
- Make sure product data, pricing, availability, and on-site policies (returns, shipping, privacy, contact) are accurate and consistent with your feed.
- Review which Google Ads accounts are — or may become — linked to your Merchant Center, and confirm that linkage is intended.
- High-risk sellers: re-check that landing pages and claims are consistent with your feed and policies. Our guide to selling supplements on Google Shopping and the website page requirements checklist cover the basics.
This is policy and process information only. It is not a guarantee of any account outcome, and it does not mean any product is “legal to advertise” — eligibility always depends on the product, claims, landing page, and Google’s review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to accept the new Merchant Center Terms of Service?
Continuing to use Merchant Center after the effective date is treated as acceptance of the updated Merchant Center Terms of Service. There is no separate button you can decline and then carry on as before. If you do not agree with the new terms, the practical option is to stop using the service. That makes the sequence important: read the terms before the date shown in your own Merchant Center notification, not after it. If you keep uploading feeds and serving products past that point, Google treats that continued use as agreement to the updated terms.
How will Google use my merchant data under the new terms?
The updated Merchant Center Terms of Service broaden data use beyond simply showing your products. Your merchant data may be processed to power Google services including AI-generated shopping experiences, recommendations, summaries, and customer assistance. The terms also cover how product content is submitted and how publicly available marketing emails may be used to connect merchants with customers. The practical consequence for you is reach: the same feed you upload can appear in more places than before, so accuracy in titles, pricing, availability, and claims now matters across a wider set of Google surfaces than it did previously.
Does the Merchant Center Terms of Service update increase suspension risk?
The terms themselves do not suspend accounts. What changes is exposure. Broader data usage and automatic Ads–Merchant Center linking mean your feed, your website, and your claims can be cross-checked across more Google surfaces, and that is where misrepresentation enforcement most often bites. If your product page, pricing, or on-site claims say something different from your feed, an inconsistency that previously went unnoticed now has more opportunities to be caught. If you are already suspended, our 2026 suspension diagnostic hub helps you identify the specific violation.
What is the automatic Ads and Merchant Center linking?
Industry reports describe Google automatically linking some Google Ads accounts to Merchant Center for advertisers who are not yet running product ads. The practical effect is that an account you did not deliberately connect can end up associated with your merchant data. Open the linked accounts section of your Merchant Center and confirm every linkage is intended, then remove any you do not recognize or do not want. This matters most for high-risk and restricted-category sellers, because an unexpected link widens the set of surfaces your products and claims can be reviewed against.
When did the Merchant Center Terms of Service change?
Multiple industry reports cited mid-2026, with many pointing to 15 June 2026. That exact date is not stated verbatim on a public Google page, so treat it as reported rather than confirmed. The date that actually governs your account is the one in your own Merchant Center notification, so check the notifications panel in your account and the terms page linked from it. If you are documenting compliance for your own records, note the date Google showed you rather than a date from a news article, because that is the one that applies to you.
Where can I read the official Merchant Center Terms of Service?
You can read them on Google’s official Merchant Center Terms of Service page, which is linked in the Sources section of this article and also from the notification inside your Merchant Center account. Go to that source rather than any summary, including this one, before deciding whether to keep using the service, because the binding text is the terms themselves. If your account sells into multiple countries, check whether a country-specific or regional version of the terms applies to you, since the version you are shown can depend on where your business is registered.
Sources
- Merchant Center announcements changelog — Google official
- Merchant Center Terms of Service — Google official
Get a compliance check before the change affects you: if you sell in a high-risk or restricted category, the safest move is a second set of expert eyes on your feed, site, and claims. Book a free 15-minute Merchant Center compliance review →