Chrome is testing a new feature that prevents websites from knowing exactly where you are

What’s happened? Google is testing a new approximate location toggle in Chrome for Android, seen in version 142.0.7444.171.

• The feature lets a website access an approximate location, rather than the precise GPS-based location (via Android Authority).
• The Chrome app itself still has precise location permission at the operating system level, but it doesn’t share it with the website.
• This brings Chrome closer to Android’s app-level location model, which offers better user control over the location sharing rather than a one-size-fits-all permission.

Why is this important? Websites will no longer automatically gain access to precise GPS data, marking a major shift toward web-privacy parity with native apps.

• It helps reduce unnecessary exposure of sensitive location information.
• Although the update limits tracking, it still allows for essential location-based functionality.
• This granular control could encourage more users to keep location access enabled rather than turning it off entirely.

Why should I care? You’ll be able to browse sites for weather, local news, and map previews, without revealing your exact location.

• This reduces targeted tracking and hyper-localized advertising.
• It cuts down on permission anxiety. Instead of choosing between sharing a precise location and nothing, you finally get a middle ground.

OK, what’s next? If testing goes well, Google should roll this out broadly, likely making it the default Chrome behavior on Android devices.

• Other browsers may follow, creating a new privacy baseline in which approximate location becomes the norm for the mobile web.
• Web developers will eventually need to design experiences that gracefully adapt to two different levels of location data accuracy.