Google announced that Chrome’s Android app will now allow users to share their approximate location with websites, enhancing privacy for users. This feature provides flexibility without sacrificing privacy when seeking information, such as weather updates, as users can avoid sharing their precise GPS coordinates. Users will still have the option to share their exact location if desired.
The company stated that approximate location sharing will also be implemented in Chrome on desktops in the coming months. New APIs will enable developers to specify the type of location data needed for their websites. “We encourage developers to review their location needs and only ask for precise location when it’s required for the site functionality,” a Google representative said in an email regarding the update.
While Google’s plans for Chrome on iOS regarding this feature remain unclear, iPhone and iPad users have been able to enable approximate location data for specific apps for several years. This existing capability offers a level of privacy but does not allow for the same granularity in location sharing across all websites.
