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Chrome on Android Adds Approximate Location Sharing

Google will bring the feature to desktop Chrome in the coming months.

Overview

  • Chrome now gives websites a third option for location requests, letting Android users share a neighborhood-level location instead of exact GPS coordinates.
  • The permission pop-up presents Precise and Approximate choices so users decide the level of detail for each site they visit.
  • Google says desktop support is planned in the coming months, and it has not provided a timeline for Chrome on iOS.
  • New web APIs will let developers request approximate location or state when precise data is required, and Google urges sites to ask for exact location only when it is essential.
  • Android has offered app-level precise versus approximate controls since Android 12, and this change brings similar per-site control to the web in Chrome.