Forum Discussion
How to correct location services
I switched to T-mobile 2-3 months ago and since then I occasionally search for a restaurant or a chain store near me and it will come up with results near to Philadelphia, PA when I live in Pittsburgh, PA. I have tried changing my location settings everywhere I can think of but the it will pop up like that again. i tried calling tech support two nights ago and finally was told by tech support that he did not know and that I should try doing a YouTube search for a solution. Today while searching for a Home Depot near my home Philadelphia sites popped up again and when I did a Right-Click on the line it came up and said: "Your general area is estimated from your I address. An IP address is assigned to your device by your internet service provider and it is required to connect to websites and online services". The useless tech support guy the other night did tell me I should go into the store for help, which I did yesterday - unfortunately, she was even less help than he had been as she used her 3" long acrylic nails to try and search on my tablet (and she was rude too). Any suggestions how to help my home computer and my cell phone and my tablet find me on a regular basis?
This issue has been exhaustively discussed here. The most recent discussion is at and applies equally to web sites (and all content providers):
For web sites using my browser I utilize the Location Guard Add-On Extension, which is available for Firefox, Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Not sure that'll help for the Apple browser but maybe there's an add-on available for Apple products. Regardless it will only work for web sites that utilize the browser's built-in java script API, and not those that rely on 3rd party IP-Address based geolocation services based on fault logic. For your phone, you'll want to ensure precise location services are allowed for your apps (including browser). But again, your at the mercy of the app and what method it uses to determine your location.
FWIW, on Firefox the Home Depot site does in fact give me the nearest location as the crow flies when Location Guard is enabled with a fixed location (not necessarily the same as driving distance when having to circumnavigate a river is involved ) . Other sites do also - I've even provided some sites with feedback on this subject and they've taken my advice to use the java script API approach rather than paying for 3rd party IP-address based geolocation services.
Many web sites will also remember the location once you’ve manually established it using their site and allow cookies for that site.
Perhaps some others here that are more fluent in iOS can offer some options, but you won’t get any help from T-Mobile since it’s really not their problem - although they could provide a clear explanation.
Sorry for the lengthy response, everyone wants bumper sticker solutions these days but this one’s complicated.
