Android Changes Break Access to Photo Geolocation Metadata for Websites
By
edent
Slow-proofed and worth the wait. Worth its weight in flour.
Summary
The article discusses how Google's Android operating system has broken the ability for websites like OpenBenches to access geolocation metadata from photos uploaded by users. The author, who runs a memorial bench photo-sharing site, explains that modern phones embed location data in photo metadata, which their site uses to map photos. However, Google deliberately changed Android's file picker behavior, preventing websites from accessing this geolocation information when users upload photos through web forms. The article details the technical changes and their impact on niche websites that rely on this functionality.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledMy wife and I run OpenBenches. It's a niche little site which lets people share photos of memorial benches and their locations.
Most modern phones embed a geolocation within the photo's metadata, so we use that information to put the photos on a map.
Google's Android has now broken that.
On the web, we used to use: HTML<input type='file' accept='image/jpeg'> That opened the phone's photo picker and let the user upload a geotagged photo.
But a while ago Google deliberately broke that.
You might also wanna read
Meta's New Facebook AI Feature Scans Users' Camera Rolls for Photo Editing
Meta has introduced an opt-in AI feature for Facebook users in the US and Canada that analyzes users' phone camera rolls to find and edit un
The Verge·7mo ago
Supreme Court to weigh constitutionality of police geofencing warrants for Google user data
The article discusses how police in Virginia used geofencing technology to compel Google to identify users near a bank robbery scene. The Su
npr.org·5d ago
Pentagon Failed to Implement Known Fixes for Troop Phone Tracking; Adversaries Now Exploit Location Data
The US military has known for years that low-cost solutions could prevent adversaries from tracking troops via their phones' location data,
apple.news·15d ago
Google announces June 2026 Android update with personalization, safety features, and cross-platform sharing
Google's June 2026 Android update introduces new personalization and safety features including outfit planning in Google Photos, fake call a
blog.google·8d ago
Pentagon admits foreign adversaries exploited US troops' phone location data; lawmakers demand action
The Pentagon has acknowledged that foreign adversaries have exploited commercial geolocation data from US troops' smartphones in the Middle
theregister.com·12d agoPentagon admits foreign adversaries exploited US troops' phone location data; lawmakers demand action
The Pentagon has acknowledged that foreign adversaries have exploited commercial geolocation data from US troops' smartphones in the Middle
theregister.com·12d agoPentagon admits foreign adversaries exploited US troops' phone location data; lawmakers demand action
The Pentagon has acknowledged that foreign adversaries have exploited commercial geolocation data from US troops' smartphones in the Middle
theregister.com·12d ago
Pentagon Confirms Adversaries Using Commercial Phone Location Data to Target US Troops
The Pentagon was warned for nearly a decade that commercial location data from mobile phones could be exploited by adversaries to track US m
wired.com·13d ago