Google Brings Approximate Location Sharing to Chrome on Android

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Google is giving Android users more control over their privacy on the web. Chrome for Android now supports approximate location sharing, allowing users to share a general area with websites instead of revealing their exact GPS coordinates every time a site requests location access. Users still get the option to share a precise location whenever necessary.

Chrome for Android adds approximate location sharing for better privacy

While some websites genuinely require precise location data for services like navigation, ride-hailing, or food delivery, many others only need a rough location to work properly. This new Chrome feature allows users to decide whether a website receives their precise location or only an approximate one.

Approximate location has proven especially useful because it preserves core functionality while reducing the amount of sensitive information apps and websites can collect. Instead of exposing a user’s exact movement patterns or home address, the feature only reveals a broader area, which is often more than enough for everyday services.

The change mirrors a feature that has already become common across mobile apps in recent years. Android already lets users share approximate location with apps that function perfectly fine without precise coordinates. By bringing the same approach to Chrome on Android, Google is effectively extending modern app-style privacy controls to the mobile web.

Google is also preparing new APIs for web developers that will allow websites to explicitly request either approximate or precise location data, depending on their needs. The company says developers should reconsider whether they actually need exact location access for their services. If approximate positioning is sufficient, websites should avoid requesting more sensitive data unnecessarily.

For now, the feature is limited to…

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