Understand and manage your watch’s location settings

• Apps you’ve granted location permission to can find your watch’s location to give you location-based info, services, or ads. Learn how to change app location settings.
• If Google Location Accuracy (also known as Google Location Services) is on, Google Location Accuracy can collect data to improve location-based services. Learn about Google Location Accuracy.
• You can get search results based on your watch's location, if your app and browser permissions allow it. Learn how to manage your location when you search on Google.
• You can locate where your watch is if you lose it. Learn about Find My Device.
• If you have location for time zone enabled, your watch can use your location to determine your time zone. Learn about location for timezone.

If you have Location History turned on, your precise device location is regularly saved to your devices and Google’s servers, even when Google apps aren’t being used. You can always review your Location History, or change how long you keep it, by visiting activity.google.com or your Timeline. Learn about Location History.

• You can get search results and ads based on information such as your IP address. Learn how to manage your location when you search on Google.

For some wearable LTE devices, emergency location services or your mobile carrier can still automatically send your watch’s location to emergency responders when you call or text an emergency number. Learn about emergency location services.

When you have Google Location Accuracy turned on, your watch uses these sources to get the most accurate location:

• GPS
• Wi-Fi
• Mobile networks
• Sensors (such as accelerometer)

Google may collect location data periodically and use this data in an anonymous way to improve location accuracy and location-based services.

When you turn off Google Location Accuracy, your watch uses GPS and sensors, like accelerometer, to determine location. GPS can be slower and less accurate than other sources.

When Google Location Accuracy is off, GPS, Wi-Fi, network, and sensor data are not used or collected by Google Location Accuracy.

For Android 12 and higher, you can manage each app’s permission to access precise location. This is different from Google Location Accuracy, which is a location setting for your device that allows your watch to use more sources for the most accurate location.  Even with Google Location Accuracy on, you can grant an app only approximate location permission if you don't want to allow it access to your device’s precise location.  If you turn off Google Location Accuracy, apps may not be able to get your device’s precise location. Learn how to manage app location permissions.