How to Add Location Information to Your Google Photos

If you want to benefit from all the useful features the Google Photos app has to offer, you need to know how to add the location information to your photos.

Fortunately, this is a straightforward process.

In this article, we’ll show you how to add location information in Google Photos, and how to ensure the location is included when sharing your photos. Plus, you’ll learn how to see the location of your photos on a map and remove or hide the location details using Android and iPhone devices.

How to Add Location Information to Your Google Photos via Android/Tablet

At present, you can’t add or edit your location information using Android or iPhone devices. Here are the steps for doing so from your desktop:

1. From your desktop, navigate to photos.google.com.
   
2. Open the photo then click Info.
   
3. Next to the location, select More > Edit.
   
4. Select or Add the location.
   
5. Click Remove location to remove it.
   

How to Share a Photo and Location in Google Photos via Android/Tablet

When sharing a photo, the location may be shared if it was approximated, or you added/changed the details. Here are three ways to share your photo[s]:

Share in a conversation

To create an ongoing conversation, where everyone can add comments, photos and videos etc.:

1. Access Google Photo and sign into your account.
   
2. Select the photo.
   
3. Click on the Share icon.
   
4. From Send in Google Photos, select the people you want to share with:
   • Select one person’s name
   • Multiple names
   • Or enter a name, email add, or number to search for someone specific
5. Hit Send.
   

To send a link or share to another app:

1. Select the photo or photo album.
   
2. Tap the Share icon.
   
3. From Share to apps select the app to share with, then swipe left for more apps.
   
4. Select Create link to create and share the link.
   

To create a shared album:

1. At the bottom select Photos.
   
2. Select the photos you wish for the album.
   
3. Then, from the top select +.
   
4. Select Shared album.
   
5. Enter the name of the album > Share.
   
6. Select the people to share the album with.

How to Delete an Estimated Location in Google Photos via Android/Tablet

Google Photo uses your Location History or landmarks identified in your photo to estimate your location. To delete an estimated location:

1. Select the photo > More.
   
2. Next to location, select Remove.
   

How to Hide Photo Locations From Others via Android/Tablet

1. At the top right-hand corner, select your profile picture or initials > Photo settings.
   
2. Switch on Hide photo location data.
   

Note: Shared albums or conversations that you’ve previously contributed to won’t be affected by this setting. People may still be able to guess where your photos were taken based on the landmarks.

How to Locate Photos on a Map in Google Photos

Do the following to locate your photos via an interactive map:

1. Select the Search tab at the bottom of the screen.
   
2. In the Places section under the Search bar, select View all.
   
3. Select Explore map:
   
4. Tap any of the heat areas to see the pictures taken in that area.
   
5. Pinch and zoom in on the heat areas to find the locations where your photos were taken.
   

How to Assign Locations to Albums in Google Photos via Android/Tablet

1. Open the album, at the top right select More > Edit album.
   
2. Select Location > Done.
   
3. To move a location in the album, select More > Edit album, then drag it to the position and select Done.

How to Enable Automatic Photo Locations in Google Photos via Android/Tablet

Do the following to automatically add location information when you take a photo via an Android device:

1. Go to your Camera app’s settings
   
2. Turn the location setting On.
   

How to Add Location Information to Your Google Photos via iPhone/iPad

Currently, adding or editing your location information on an iPhone device is not available. If you missed the steps on how to do this from a desktop for Android earlier, here they are again:

1. From your desktop navigate to photos.google.com.
   
2. Open the photo then click Info.
   
3. Next to the location, select More > Edit.
   
4. Select or Add the location.
   
5. Click No location to remove it.
   

How to Share Photos With a Location in Google Photos via iPhone/iPad

When sharing a photo, the location can be shared if it was estimated, or you added/edited the details. Here are three ways to share your photo[s]:

Share in a conversation:

To create an ongoing conversation, where everyone can add comments, photos and videos etc.:

1. Access Google Photo and sign in to your account.
   
2. Select the photo.
   
3. Click on the Share icon.
   
4. From Send in Google Photos, select the people you want to share with:
   • Select one person’s name
   • Multiple names
   • Or enter a name, email, or number to search for some specific.
     
5. Hit Send.
   

To send a link or share to another app:

1. Select the photo or photo album.
   
2. Tap the Share icon then Share to.
   
3. Select Create link to create and share the link.
   

To create a shared album:

1. At the bottom select Photos.
   
2. Select the photos for the album.
   
3. Select + from the top then Shared album.
   
4. Enter a name for the album.
   
5. When complete select Share.
   
6. Select the people you wish to share the album with.
   

How to Delete an Estimated Location From Google Photos via iPhone/iPad

To delete estimated location:

1. Select the photo > More.
   
2. Next to location, select Remove.

How to Hide Photo Locations From Others via iPhone/iPad

1. Select your profile picture or initials > Photo settings.
   
2. Switch on Hide photo location data.
   

Note: This setting won’t change shared albums or discussions you’ve previously contributed to. People might be able to guess a location based on recognizable sights visible in your photo.

How to Locate Photos on a Map in Google Photos via iPhone/iPad

To locate your photos on a map, do the following:

1. Select the Search tab at the bottom of the screen.
   
2. In the Places section under the Search bar, select View all.
   
3. Select Explore map:
   • Tap any of the heat areas to see the pictures taken in that area.
   • Pinch and zoom in on the heat areas to find locations where your photos were taken.

How to Assign Locations to Albums in Google Photos via iPhone/iPad

1. Open the album, at the top right select More > Edit album.
   
2. Select Location > Done.
   
3. To change the location position within the album, select More > Edit album; drag to the correct place then Done.

How to Enable Automatic Photo Locations in Google Photos via iPhone/iPad

Do the following to automatically add location information when you take a photo via an iPhone device:

1. Open your iOS device’s “Settings.”
   
2. Tap “Privacy.”
   
3. In the “Privacy” menu, choose “Location Services.”
   
4. In the “Location Services” menu, scroll and find “Camera.” If “Camera” is not listed, try resetting the app or launching it. It should prompt for location permission the first time it requests it, such as a fresh install or a particular update.
   
5. If “Camera” is listed in the “Location Services” menu, ensure that “Location Services” is set to “On,” then select “Camera” from the list.
   
6. In the “Location Services -> Camera” menu, select “While Using the App,” then set “Precise Location” to “On.”
   
7. Ensure the Google Photos iOS app is installed from the App Store, then launch it and allow all permissions if you just installed it.
   
8. Tap on your “profile icon” in the upper-right corner to open the settings menu.
   
9. Select “Google Photos settings.”
   
10. Tap on “Location.”
    
11. Select “Location sources.”
    
12. Set “Estimate missing locations” to “On,” then tap on “Camera settings.”
    
13. Choose your device from the list and follow the instructions to adjust the location settings. You may have completed the task already in previous steps.
    
14. Go to your iOS Camera app and snap a picture. Confirm that “location details” now exist with the photo. The locatoion should appear above the image. Tap the “circled i” (information icon) to view more details.
    
15. Scroll up to see more information, including the street name if applicable.
    
16. Open “Google Photos” to confirm the image uploaded successfullly, then view it’s information to confirm location details. You can optinbally tap “Open in Maps” to get a street view, coordinates, address, etc.
    
17. If you tapped on “Open in Maps,” You can choose Google Maps or iOS Maps to view location information, but Google only showed coordinates in the app while iOS showed address.
    

Additional FAQs

How Do You Get Pictures on Google?

If you want a picture to appear in the search results, you’ll need to upload it to a website. Either your own or a free web hosting service:

• Upload on a blog with Blogger.

• Develop your own site with Google Sites.

When your post is searchable via a public website, Google will locate your picture and include it in the images directory. The webpage that your picture is on needs to be publicly accessible.

Here are some tips for helping your pictures[s] to appear in the search results:

• Help Google understand the type of image and the searches it’s connected to by including descriptive text like a caption, tag, or an “alt”.

• To help attract lots of traffic to your website, make sure the photo is high-quality.

Also, remember that the pictures you upload won’t appear in the results straight away; Google will need to index them first.

How Do I Remove a Photo From Google Photos?

When Back up and Sync is turned on, the photos and videos you delete will stay in the trash for 60 days before being permanently deleted.

From an Android & iPhone device:

• Access the Google Photos app and Sign in.

• Select the photo[s] you wish to delete

• Click on Trash at the top.

Locating Your Moments in Time

How cool is it being reminded of the exact location you were when a particular photo was taken? It helps bring your experiences and memories back to life. Now that you know how to add location information to your Google Photos, you can organize and store your pictures making them easier to find.

However, Google’s location predictions can sometimes be way off! Have you ever received an inaccurate/funny estimated location for one of your photos? We’d love to hear about it. Please let us know in the comments section below.