Hi Ana, is this a case number for Mozilla Support, or a different site?

Hi jscher2000,

Thanks for answering.

This case is from Mozilla Support. If you can give me any more help on this I would appreciate it. The case describes a question: whenever I do a search in the browser (Firefox) the zip code for my location is never correct, even after updating it. Should I be worried about this (this only happens in Firefox)?

Best regards,

Ana

Hi Ana, here is my understanding:

When you visit Google, it will first guess your location based on your IP address. Your IP address is assigned by your Internet service provider, or if you are at the office, your company's service provider, or if you are somewhere else, their service provider. The latitude/longitude coordinates associated with an IP address often are based on the location of an office or IT facility in your town or a nearby town rather than your own address.

You also can give Google permission to ask Firefox for your precise location. In that case, Firefox sends Google's location service a list of Wi-Fi hotspots provided by Windows, and the location service will calculate your lat/lon based on data from Street View or Android devices. If you are in a busy area, this usually is quite accurate, but if you live far from the road, it can be wildly incorrect.

You mentioned updating the zip code for your location -- which I think means you told Google your zip code so it doesn't need to use either of the above methods of guessing your location. If you are providing that to Google, it should be retained either in your account settings or in a cookie. Is it not being retained?