OpenAI now allows ChatGPT users to share their device location so that ChatGPT knows exactly where the user is and provides better answers and results based on that location.
The feature is called location sharing, OpenAI wrote, “Your device’s location sharing is optional and disabled until you choose to enable it. You can review device location sharing in Settings > Data Controls at any time.”
What it does. If ChatGPT knows your location, it can return better local results. OpenAI wrote:
- “Precise location means that ChatGPT can use the specific location of your device, such as the exact address, to provide more relevant results.”
- “For example, if you ask “what are the best coffee shops near me?”, ChatGPT can use your precise location to provide the most relevant nearby results. On mobile devices, you can choose to turn off precise location separately while keeping almost device location sharing on for more control.”
Privacy. OpenAI said “ChatGPT removes precise location data after it is used to provide more relevant feedback.” Here’s how ChatGPT uses that information:
- “If a ChatGPT reply includes information related to your specific location, such as names of nearby restaurants or maps, that information becomes part of your conversation like any other reply and will remain in your chat history unless you delete the conversation.”
Does it work. Does this work? Well, maybe not as you would expect. Here’s an example from Glenn Gabe:
Why do we care. Optimizing ChatGPT’s local results is a no-brainer for local search and local SEO. Knowing the users location and better yet, the exact location, can lead to better local results.
We hope this will lead to ChatGPT responding with local results that are more useful to users.
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