Google Maps is a versatile navigation app that helps you find the best route option, view your location history, and measure the area and distances of any place in the world. But at the end of the day, it’s just an app and it will have its fair share of flaws. One of them is when the app shows an incorrect location.
The problem can occur for a variety of reasons, from incorrect location settings to a faulty GPS. If the usual tricks like restarting the app and phone didn’t help, we’ve compiled a list of effective fixes you can apply to improve location accuracy in the Google Maps app. So let’s get straight to the point.
1. Enable High Accuracy in Location
Enabling high accuracy mode on your device helps Google Maps calculate your location as accurately as possible. So, if Google Maps is having trouble determining your current location, you can enable location high accuracy mode to see if it helps. Read on to find out how.
Android
Stage 1: Open the Settings app on your phone and go to Location.
Step 2: Expand its Advanced menu and tap on Google Location Accuracy. If not now, turn on the ‘Improve Location Accuracy’ button.
iOS
Stage 1: Launch the Settings app on your iPhone and go to Privacy. Now tap on Location Services.
Step 2: Find Google Maps from the list to open the Precise Location option.
This much. Now restart the Google Maps app to see if the location issue is now resolved.
2. Turn off Battery Saver
Battery saver on your phone often cuts power hungry features like GPS and background app data to save Battery. As a result, it can restrict Google Maps from determining your exact location. Therefore, it is recommended to turn off battery saver when using the Google Maps app for optimal performance. Read on to find out how.
Android
To turn off power saving on Android, open the Settings app on your phone and go to Battery. Now turn off battery saver mode.
iOS
To turn off battery saver on iPhone, launch the Settings app, go to Battery and turn off Low Power Mode.
3. Calibrate the compass
Google Maps uses a sensor on your smartphone called a magnetometer to calculate your exact location. And it is considered best practice to calibrate this sensor from time to time or when the app shows an incorrect location. Here’s how.
Stage 1: Launch the Google Maps app on your Android or iPhone and tap the blue dot that shows your current location.
Step 2: Now tap on Calibrate compass option at the bottom and do the on-screen gesture to make the number 8 with your phone.
Once calibrated, go ahead and see if Google Maps can detect your correct location.
4. Clear Cache
If you have been using the Google Maps app for a while, the app may have collected a significant amount of cache data during that time. Sometimes this cache data can affect the performance of the app and ultimately cause issues like incorrect location issues.
To fix this try clearing this cache data associated with the app. Here’s how.
Stage 1: Open the Settings app on your Android device and go to Apps & notifications. Scroll down to find the Google Maps app and tap on it.
Step 2: Now go to Storage & cache and tap on Clear cache button.
Once cleared, restart the Google Maps app to see if it can detect your location accurately.
5. Disable Fake Locations
Developer Options is a nifty tool on Android that allows you to fine-tune animation scale, improve game performance, and even fake GPS coordinates by creating a fake location on your phone. You may have enabled fake locations while playing with one of these settings. In this case, try to disable it by following the steps below.
Stage 1: Launch the Settings app on your Android device and go to System. Now open the Developer options menu.
Step 2: Scroll down and find ‘Choose fake location app’. Make sure no apps are selected here.
Alternatively, you can also close the Developer options menu to disable any changes made.
6. Turn On Wi-Fi
Besides your phone’s GPS, Google Maps also uses nearby Wi-Fi networks to accurately estimate your current location. So, if Google Maps is showing a wrong location, you can try turning on Wi-Fi on your phone to fix the problem (even if you won’t be connecting to a network).
7. Reinstall Google Maps
Finally, if every method above fails, you can try reinstalling the Google Maps app. It removes all the data associated with the app and also updates the app in the process.
Accuracy Guaranteed
It’s easy to be surprised when apps like Google Maps malfunction. Hopefully, the solutions above helped get things back to normal. If the problem persists, you may want to consider upgrading to a lighter version, Google Maps Go.
Planning to travel to an area where internet connectivity might be a problem? Check out how to download and use Google Maps offline.
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