How to Change your Google Location Preferences for Android 3.0 Tablet

September 3, 2011

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Android How-To's

locationsettings android3.0 How to Change your Google Location Preferences for Android 3.0 Tablet

Google and Apple use your location information to enhance your mobile tablet experience. Many consumers are afraid of the privacy issues with allowing mobile apps to track where you are. To allay these fears Google allows you to change your location preferences for your Android Tablet.

Google’s location services can use either your GPS, or your data network to find where you are. Typically the WiFi and mobile data networks are much more inaccurate than using GPS. Of course you can turn off the GPS receiver, but that would render GPS navigation useless.

When you use Google’s location services, what Google does is collect data about where you are and the local network you are using. Google claims to not match that data with your Google account or mobile number. Most apps such as Google Search and the Android Browser allow you to use Google’s location services in the search results. This allows you more control over individual app usage even when you enable Google location service. The location preferences are set up when you first start your Android Tablet, but can easily changed as need by following the following steps:

1) Go to “Location & Security Settings”

2) Once you are at the “Location & Security Settings,” you can disable/enable the following location settings:

Use Wireless Networks: Check/uncheck to use information from your wireless and mobile networks to determine your approximate location.

Use GPS Satellite: Check/uncheck to use GPS to determine your location more accurately than the network or wireless

Use Location for Google Search: Check/uncheck to use location information when you use Google Search, Voice Search, etc.