Firefox Community Forum

Hello everyone,

Since Firefox version 150, when you want to share your location with a website, the location settings of the Windows Settings app open - provided that you have not allowed apps, or more specifically desktop apps or if the location service is completely disabled.

If you continue to deny desktop apps access by simply closing the Settings app and clicking "Cancel" on the "Awaiting Location Permission" prompt, "Google Location Services" will be used instead.

How do I know it’s Google? It says so here: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/does-firefox-share-my-location-websites

The opening of the Windows Settings app can be suppressed by "geo.prompt.open_system_prefs" = false, and the use of the Windows location service can be disabled with "geo.provider.ms-windows-location" = false.

Is Firefox trying to move away from Google Location Services, or why was this changed without a simple option to choose? In my opinion, it would be useful if it were possible to choose the default location service directly in the Firefox settings. Not least because, in my tests, I found that "Google Location Services" are often more accurate and also because manually setting a location in Windows 10 is no longer easily possible since the Maps app was discontinued.

Thanks and regards, Martin

The newest update of Firefox makes my Windows Settings window pop up, and demands that I allow Firefox to access my location and or device.

This is unacceptable. That setting is greyed out on Win 10 machines....FIX FIREFOX. I am not buying a new computer just to use Win 11, which is nothing but spyware.