***Check Your Cover Photos!!

[Joan2709]

I just happened to be checking some listings I work with in private window browsing to see search position and Airbnb was displaying an old photo as the cover photo! This was NOT the cover photo I had chosen in the Photo Tour and that was displaying in View Mode either in the Listing Editor. Good thing I checked. No idea how long it has been like that! 😠

The only way for me to get it corrected was to actually delete the bogus cover photo entirely from the photo tour. C'mon Airbnb! This is a big deal going into spring break and our busy summer season and could have hurt this listing because the wrong cover photo was showing in guest searches.

Could one of the moderators please forward this to the appropriate Team at Airbnb? This is a big deal, as the cover photo is crucial to a listing's success. Having the wrong one showing to guests and a completely different one shown to a Host in the Listing Editor is not good! Who knows how many Hosts are not aware this is happening.

@Rebecca @Bhumika @Paula 

@Shelley159 - I think you mentioned recently some difficulty in choosing a cover photo for your listing? Wonder if this is related? 

@Joelle43

@Helen3 

@Lorina14 

@Frances3408 

@Guy991 

 - can you check your listings in private window browsing and see if you are having a similar issue?

[Shelley159]

Hi @Hayat69 

I do think what you saw happening is relevant here - it would make sense if the system is moving towards showing photo's tailored to a specific search. Thanks for letting us know.

[Rebecca]

Hi @Joan2709 👋

We can confirm that everything is working as expected. Just to clarify, a listing’s cover photo may change depending on the category where it’s being featured, as well as what a user is searching for. This means the cover photo you see might differ based on these factors.

We’re keeping a closer eye on this thread, and as always, if you'd like to share any feedback with Airbnb, you can do so here: Share feedback with Airbnb

[Joan2709]

@Rebecca 

Thanks for the update! However, that explanation, is not accurate (I don't believe).

Cover photos were changed in the past. This used to only occur when Categories were in place and a guest chose to search by a specific category. Screen shot shows National Parks but (in the past) a guest could choose any category "Cabin" for example and Airbnb would change the cover photo. Many Hosts were not happy about that either:

Airbnb removed categories in April 2025. Guests can no longer search by categories (except for the Rooms category). You can see from the screen shot, they have been removed from the Top of Search. This is how it appears to a guest now (categories removed):

Something else has changed.

@Shelley159 mentioned she thought is was the algorithm suggesting a cover photo based on the guest's past searches on Airbnb. It most likely can't be based on the property categories any more, as guests cannot search by categories since last year.

See this thread:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Ask-about-your-listing/Airbnb-Automatically-Changing-My-Cover-Ph...

[Shelley159]

Yes I think you're right @Joan2709 , the photos may be changing more due to the "as well as what a user is searching for" part of @Rebecca 's explanation.

Thank you so much for letting us know Rebecca - now we won't think we're crazy when we see different cover photos!

It is, however, going to make it harder to help other hosts in the Community Center. Many people ask for help finding their listings in search results - the only quick way to help them, is by looking for the cover photo 😖

[Joan2709]

@Shelley159 

That is a good point! It will be like "Whack-a-Mole" (if you understand that reference 😊) trying to find the listing if the cover photo changes based on the guest search preferences. Since we search in private window browsing, maybe the algorithm goes to the category shown in properties section on the Host side? However, that is problematic, as listings created after April 2025 should not be in any category since they were removed?

Additionally, many listings were in the wrong categories and there is no clear pathway for Hosts to remove those wrong categories as Airbnb has removed all the help articles about that.

[Shelley159]

Yes I know Whack-a-Mole! 😁 

@Joan2709 it's happened before that I thought it was strange that I couldn't find some of the listings that people were asking about.

Perhaps they had different cover photos displaying in my searches - it will take some getting used to.

[Joan2709]

@Shelley159 

For sure.

My suggestion to Airbnb is stop overreaching and assuming what the cover photo should be for guest searches of any kind. Let the Host decide that.