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Enable or Disable Location Services for Apple Safari

Do you want to allow or block location access to sites in Apple Safari? Learn how to control location services for Safari on your device.

The website requests geolocation requests to provide local results and services.

The Apple Safari enables you to allow or completely stop these location requests on your phone or Mac. We can adjust the settings or location preferences under the Safari menu.

We can also allow location permission only while using the app or website.

In this guide, we will show you the steps to enable or disable geolocation access to sites on the Safari browser on Mac and iOS devices.

Why do the sites/Safari require your location?

If you’ve allowed Safari or a website that you browser to gain your device location, it helps in getting curated content that is available near you. Along the same lines, the search results will be tailor-made and in line with the requirements.

For example, if you input a query like ‘best cafes nearby,’ the search engine giants could send you the nearby places only if it has your accurate location.

They may also use your IP Address instead of the GPS, but the results will only correspond to your city at the absolute closest, which wouldn’t benefit the end user.

Customizing Location Services for Safari on Mac

The macOS is a privacy-focused operating system. Hence, any changes to the app have to be made at the administrative level. We can enable or disable the Location services under the Security and Privacy preferences of Mac.

Here are the steps to manage the location services preference:

  1. Click on the Apple apple logo menu list.
  2. Select System Preferences/Settings from the menu.
    Apple Mac System Preferences optionIt will open the System Preferences window.
  3. Click to open the Security & Privacy preferences.
    Security and Privacy Preferences menu in Mac OS
  4. Switch to the Privacy tab, and click on the Padlock padlock icon at the bottom.
    It will request to enter the User account credential to make changes.
  5. Confirm the password and hit OK.
  6. Select Location Services from the left menu pane.
  7. Enable the checkbox for the Enable Location Service option.
    Enable or Disable the Location Services for Safari Browser on MacOS
  8. Scroll to the Safari app under the Location Service box, and Enable/Disable checkbox per need.
  9. Click on the Padlock padlock icon to prevent further changes.

That’s it. If you keep the checkbox enabled for the Safari app, the browser will use the location services; otherwise, it will be blocked for all the sites.

Configuring Location Access to Safari on iPhone or iPad

Like Safari on a computer, Safari on a hand-held device can enable or disable the location service at the Phone Settings level.

Here are the steps to manage the location services:

  1. Launch the Phone Settings app on your device.
  2. Open the Privacy menu and choose the Location Services sub-menu.
  3. Enable the Location Services toggle.
    Safari Privacy Location Services Toggle Enabled
  4. Scroll down on the Location Services page, and select the Safari app from the list.
  5. Choose the appropriate desired option from - Never, Ask Next Time, or While Using the App.
    Allow Location Services access option in iOSBased on your selection, your device will receive location access request.

The While Using the App option will notify you every time an app is actively using your location. As a result, you will always be able to keep a tab on the apps tracking you down, and you can then decide on the next course of action accordingly.

On the other hand, the Ask Next Time option would always bring a pop-up requesting the location.

If you wish to stop the location access to Safari completely, you can choose the Never option from the Allow Location Access section in iPhone or iPad location services.

Bottom Line

On that note, we round off the guide on how you could enable or disable location service access in Safari across both macOS and iOS.

No doubt, sharing your location involves an element of risk. Therefore it is always recommended to grant this permission only to the apps that come from trusted developers.

Only give location access to trustworthy sites and follow the necessary security protocols such as HTTPS and SSL certificates.

Lastly, if you've any thoughts or feedback, then feel free to drop in below comment box. You can also report the outdated information.

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Kushal Azza

Kushal Azza

Kushal Azza is a Google Certified IT Professional, Digital Content Creator, and Go-To Digital Marketer with Engineering Degree. He has over a decade of experience solving tech problems, troubleshooting, and innovating digital solutions. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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