To get turn-by-turn directions, you may need to turn on your device’s location and give the app the permission to access it. For example, if you’re running late to meet your friends, you’ll probably want to use a navigation app to know the quickest way to get to your destination. You can allow Google and other apps to provide you with useful features based on where your device is located. Many devices, like phones or computers, can work out their precise location. This information can also be used to influence the results that we provide to you. This could help you do things like pull up directions faster by automatically pulling up your home and work addresses. You might also choose to tell us about places that are important to you, such as your home or your work. Depending on your settings, this type of information may be stored with your account and used as an input, for example to decide whether you might still be in Paris when you do more searches at a later time. Some items from your activity, such as previous searches, may also include the general area you were in at the time. For example, if you search for “Cafes in Paris”, we may assume that you would like to see places near Paris and show you results of cafes there. From your past activityĪs you use our services, we may infer that you’re interested in a place even if your device isn’t telling us exactly where you are. Estimating the general area that you’re in means for instance that Google can give you relevant results, and keep your account safe by detecting unusual activity, such as signing in from a new city. Like many other internet services, Google can use information about the general area that you’re in to provide some basic services. This means that any website you use, including, may get some information about your general area.

IP addresses are roughly based on geography. IP addresses are used to make the connection between your device and the websites and services you use. From the IP address of your Internet connectionĪn IP address (also called Internet address) is assigned to your device by your Internet Service Provider, and is a requirement to use the internet. Below are the primary ways we may get information about your location. Location can come from real-time signals, like your IP address or device location, and also your past activity on Google sites and services, to tailor experiences for your context. Depending on the products you’re using and settings you choose, you may provide Google with different types of location information that are critical to making some services work and making others more useful for you.

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