Google has announced that Chrome on Android will now let users share their approximate location with websites instead of their exact coordinates. The company acknowledges that sometimes you need precise location, like when ordering a burrito or hunting for an ATM, but other times your general vicinity is sufficient - like when a weather site just wants to confirm you're not checking the forecast from Mars.
“By letting you share your approximate location, we’re giving you more control over your location data,” Google wrote in a blog post, which sounds suspiciously like they're admitting users didn't have much control before. “And you can still share your precise location when it’s needed - e.g., for navigation - so you won’t lose functionality.” Because nothing says “freedom” like the option to occasionally not broadcast your exact position.
Google plans to bring this feature to the desktop version of Chrome in the coming months, though the company declined to specify when - or if - iOS users will get the same courtesy. As usual, iPhone owners can wait and wonder.
The company is also introducing new APIs that let web developers request either an approximate location or specify when precise location is truly necessary. Google encourages developers to “review their location needs” and only ask for the nuclear option when it's essential for site functionality - which is a polite way of saying “please stop asking for my exact address just to show me a pizza ad.”
The update is a small win for Android users, offering slightly more control over how much of their whereabouts they leak to the digital world.