Google Chrome Finally Added This Privacy Feature for Android Users

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If you told someone twenty-five years ago that, in the near future, people would voluntarily carry devices that share their locations with companies and organizations at all times, they probably wouldn't believe you. And yet, it's just one way smartphones have changed the way we think about personal privacy. Of course, not only do we choose to take our smartphones everywhere, but it's tough to manage modern life without them.

But it's important to note that not all location information is the same: While the default option is often to share your exact coordinates with the app or service that requests it, you often have a second choice that goes a long way to preserving your privacy: "approximate location." When choosing this option, your phone will only share a rough idea of where you happen to be when asked, rather than a pinpoint address. It's perfect for the times when knowing your general location is necessary for an app to function, but not your exact location. If you're looking for a restaurant in your area, you might just want to share the city or zip code you're in, not your home address. If you want to know what the weather will be tomorrow, that doesn't require your precise whereabouts either. There are exceptions, of course, like navigation apps that need to know exactly where you are to track you, or when you want to find the closest convenience store to your current location. But, often, approximate location is the better choice than precise location when sharing this information with apps.

That's why I find it so surprising to learn that, until now, Google Chrome for Android has not allowed you to share your approximate location with websites. Unlike Android itself, which has the option, Chrome was all or nothing with your location: If you needed to share that info with a website, you'd better be comfortable sending your current spot.

No longer: Starting this week, you'll see a new pop-up when a website asks you for your location information. Rather than answer a basic all-or-nothing question, the menu will ask whether you'd like to share your precise, exact location, or your approximate, neighborhood location. You can even see the difference from a thumbnail preview of a map: "Precise" will share a pinpoint location, while "Approximate" will share a rough radius. You'll have the usual subsequent options here as well: "Allow while visiting the site," "Allow this time," or "Never allow."

It's not clear whether you'll receive the pop-up for websites you've already granted location access for. But you can manage your location settings at any time to change the options that may already be in effect. To do so, open Chrome, tap the three dots to the right of the address bar, then hit "Settings." Then, under "Advanced," choose Site settings > Location. From here, adjust your location settings.

Interestingly, Google says this functionality is currently in development for desktop. That means, for the time being, you'll still need to make the all-or-nothing decision with sharing your Chrome location on Mac or PC.