Decision sheet — Android & iPhone
Precise versus approximate location
Precise location gives an app the device's exact position; approximate location gives it only an area. On Android that area is about 3 square kilometres, and precise is usually within about 50 metres. On iPhone you choose with the Precise Location switch, and Apple's help does not publish a size for the approximate area. Weather, local news and shop finders work fine on approximate; turn-by-turn directions and finding a lost phone need precise.
- Read6–8 min read
- You needThe phone in your hand, unlocked
- Works onAndroid 12 and later (approximate choice) · iPhone with the Precise Location switch
Verified: October 2026 against Google Android Help, Android Developers documentation and Apple Support.
A service may work with an approximate area instead of exact coordinates. Choose precision based on the task, not the marketing label: Google's own developer guidance says most features can be fulfilled with approximate location only.
How to check and set precision
- Find the switch on Android. Touch and hold the app icon › App info › Permissions › Location. If location is allowed, a “Use precise location” switch appears underneath. On Android 12 and later you can also pick approximate directly in the app's permission prompt, even when it asks for precise.
- Find the switch on iPhone. Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › the app › Precise Location. Leave it on only if the app needs your specific location.
- See what the app requested. On Android, App info › Permissions › More › All permissions shows under “Location” whether the app asked for approximate, precise, or both.
- Decide by the task. Ask whether the feature works with an area a few kilometres wide. Weather, local headlines and nearby-store lists do; walking directions, a ride pick-up point or finding your own lost phone do not.
- Read the circle, not the dot. In Apple Maps a blue circle around the marker means the location can't be determined precisely; the smaller the circle, the greater the precision. A precise setting still gives an estimate, not a guarantee.
- Revisit after the task. If you turned precise on for a trip or a delivery, turn it back off when you are done.
Which precision does the app have?
Open the app's location setting and pick what you see.
Exact position, when the signal allows.
On Android, precise location is usually within about 50 metres and sometimes within a few metres. On iPhone, the app gets your specific location.
Do this: Keep it for directions, pick-ups or finding your own device; otherwise turn it off.
An area, not a point.
On Android the app can tell only that the device is in an area of about 3 square kilometres. Apple's help says approximate may be sufficient for an app that doesn't need your exact location, without giving a size.
Do this: Usually the right choice for weather, news and local search.
You still decide.
On Android 12 and later you can grant only approximate even when an app requests precise. Android's guidance tells developers that apps should still work with approximate.
Do this: Grant approximate first; upgrade only if a feature visibly fails.
Precision does not apply.
If the app cannot use location at all, the precise switch has nothing to control.
Do this: Nothing to change.
Edge cases — when precise is not precise
- Precise is still an estimate
- Android describes precise as an estimate that is “as accurate as possible” — usually within about 50 metres, sometimes a few metres. Google notes that GPS may be unavailable or obscured indoors or near large buildings, which is where the estimate is hardest.
- GPS needs time and sky
- Apple notes that GPS accuracy depends on the number of visible satellites, and that locating all visible satellites can take several minutes, with accuracy gradually increasing over time.
- Location Accuracy helps both
- On Android, Location Accuracy (also called Google Location Services) uses Wi-Fi access points, cell towers, GPS and motion sensors to estimate location faster, especially indoors.
- Approximate is not invisible
- Turning precise off narrows what the app receives from the phone's location services. Apple and Google both note that apps and websites can still estimate a rough location from other signals, such as your IP address.
- Background keeps the same precision
- On Android, background location has the same precision as foreground location. An app limited to approximate stays approximate while closed.
- No published size on iPhone
- Apple's help does not describe how large the approximate area is on iPhone, so do not read an iPhone approximate result as a specific street or building.
Precise and approximate at a glance
| Precise | Approximate | |
|---|---|---|
| What the app receives on Android | The device's exact location, usually within about 50 m | An area of about 3 km² (about 1.2 sq mi) |
| What the app receives on iPhone | Your specific location | Your approximate location (Apple publishes no size) |
| Where to set it on Android | App info › Permissions › Location › Use precise location | Same switch, off |
| Where to set it on iPhone | Location Services › the app › Precise Location on | Precise Location off |
| Good for | Directions, pick-up points, finding your own lost phone | Weather, local news, nearby shops |
| More than needed for | Weather, news, apps that only need a town | — |
| Not enough for | — | Finding a specific door or room |
If you are unsure which to choose
Start approximate
Grant approximate first. Android's guidance tells developers to make apps work with approximate, so most features should keep working.
Precise for one session (Android)
Some Android apps offer a button that shares your precise location for a single session only. On iPhone, the official help describes no one-session precision option; Allow Once limits how long an app has access, not how exact it is.
Precise only during a task
Turn precise on for the delivery or the trip, then off again — the switch can be changed at any time.
Precision is a setting on the phone, chosen by the person using it. No service can raise an app's precision from outside, and no website can turn an approximate area into an exact point. A result that claims street-level accuracy from a phone number alone is not something Apple's or Google's help describes.
Official sources (checked October 2026)
- Android Help — Manage location permissions for apps
- Android Developers — Location permissions (foreground, background, accuracy)
- Android Developers — Request runtime location permissions
- Apple — Control the location information you share on iPhone
- Apple — About privacy and Location Services
- Android Help — Manage your device's location settings
Questions people ask
How big is “approximate location” on Android?
Google's help says the app can tell that the device is in an area of about 3 square kilometres. Android's developer documentation gives the same figure, about 1.2 square miles.
How accurate is “precise location”?
On Android it is usually within about 50 metres and sometimes within a few metres or better. It is still an estimate; Google notes GPS may be unavailable or obscured indoors or near large buildings.
How big is approximate location on iPhone?
Apple's help does not describe a size. It says approximate location may be sufficient for an app that doesn't need your exact location, and that is all it states.
Can I give an app approximate location even if it asks for precise?
Yes. On Android 12 and later you can choose approximate in the permission prompt. On iPhone, turn Precise Location off for that app in Location Services.
Which apps really need precise location?
Apps that must find a specific point: walking or driving directions, a ride pick-up, or finding your own lost device. Weather, local news and shop finders usually work with approximate.
Does precise location use GPS only?
No. On Android, Location Accuracy (Google Location Services) combines Wi-Fi access points, mobile network towers and GPS with sensor data such as the accelerometer. Apple says iPhone Location Services uses cellular, Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth information.
If precise is off, can websites still guess where I am?
Roughly, yes. Google notes that with location off you can still get local results and ads based on your IP address, and Apple notes that apps and websites may use other ways to determine location.