When a mobile application or website asks for permission to access your location, you have the option to either allow or block the request. If access to your location is not allowed for any reason, you will receive the following error message.
ERROR: Unable to begin review as GPS location could not be determined. For help enabling location services, click here.
Below are instructions for troubleshooting issues with Geotagging and/or Location Services if it is blocked on various mobile operating systems, as well as Internet browsers.
Note: It's important to keep in mind that most (if not all) devices will only request to access your location once as to not 'nag' the user. Therefore, some settings need to be double-checked.
Mobile Devices (app)
Tip: After implementing any of the below fixes for Mobile Devices, please close then re-open the app and navigate back to the Location Review page. You should then be prompted (again) to allow access to your location.
iOS
Example of the notifications/pop-ups, which appear in the middle of the screen. There will be two (2) of them initially*.
Tip: The above message will pop up once the page loads, regardless of if you have selected a Location Review that requires access to your location or not.
Note: *It will only appear once if you choose "OK". However, if you choose "Not Now", the message will appear each time you open/reload this page. Also, you will not be able to proceed if the Location Review requires access to your location.
- Check the 'Location Services' (global) setting is enabled:
- Go to 'Settings → Privacy'
- Click on "Location Services"
- Ensure the 'Location' Services' setting is switched to the on position (as below)
- Check if app 'Location' permission is off:
- Go to 'Settings → Privacy'
- Click on "Location Services"
- Scroll through the list and find + select your platform's app
- Ensure the "While Using the App" option is checked (as below)
Android
Example of the notifications/pop-ups, which appear in the middle of the screen. There will be two (2) of them initially*.
Tip: The above message will pop up after you have selected a Location Review that requires access to your location.
Note: *It will only appear once if you choose "OKAY". However, if you choose "NOT NOW", the message will appear each time you open/reload this page. Also, you will not be able to proceed if the Location Review requires access to your location.
- Check if app 'Location' permission is off:
- Open up the app drawer, then go to 'Settings → Applications manager'
- Scroll through the list and find + select your platform's app
- Click on "Permissions"
- Ensure the 'Location' setting is switched to the on position (as below)
Attention: Due to the wide range of devices that use the Android operating system, accessing the application manager may be different to what's specified above. Please refer to your device's user manual to determine where to find this setting.
Internet Browsers
Tip: After implementing any of the below fixes for Internet Browsers, please return to and/or reload the Location Review page. You should then be prompted (again) to allow access to your location.
Google Chrome
See below example of the notification/pop-up, which appears at the top left of the page.
- Check the 'Location' (global) setting is enabled:
- Click on the menu icon (top right), then go to "Settings"
- Scroll down, then click on the "Advanced" button/link
- Go to 'Content settings → Location'
- Ensure this is set to "Ask before accessing (recommended)" (as below)
- Check if location access is blocked for your platform:
- Click on the menu icon (top right), then go to "Settings"
- Scroll down, then click on the "Advanced" button/link
- Go to 'Content settings → Location'
- If you see your platform in the 'Block' list, click the rubbish bin icon to remove it (as below)
Mozilla Firefox
See below example of the notification/pop-up, which appears at the top left of the page.
- Check if location access is blocked for your platform:
- Whilst on the platform page, press the Alt (PC) or Option (Mac) keyboard button
- A menu will appear at the top of the page, go to 'Tools → Page Info'
- Once the pop-up window appears, go to the "Permissions" tab
- Ensure the "Access Your Location" option is set to "Allow", then close the pop-up window (as below)
Apple Safari
See below example of the notification/pop-up, which appears in the top middle of the page.
- Reset location access blocks/warnings:
- Go to 'Edit → Reset Safari'
- Once the pop-up window appears, uncheck all options, except for "Reset all location warnings"
- Click on the "Reset" button (as below)
Note: Be advised that this will reset the location access requests for any/all websites that you have blocked in the past. Unfortunately Apple Safari does not allow you to specify.
Internet Explorer (v11+)
See below example of the notification/pop-up, which appears at the bottom middle of the page.
- Clear location access blocks/warnings:
- Go to 'Tools → Internet Options'
- Once the pop-up window appears, go to the "Privacy" tab
- Click on the "Clear Sites" button under 'Location', then click on the "OK" button (as below)
Note: Be advised that this will clear location access requests for any/all websites that you have blocked in the past. Unfortunately Internet Explorer does not allow you to specify - it's all or nothing.
Microsoft Edge
See below example of the notification/pop-up, which appears at the bottom middle of the page.
- Clear location access blocks/warnings:
- Click on the menu icon (top right), then go to "Settings"
- Click on the "Choose what to clear" button under 'Clear browsing data'
- Click on the "Show more" button/link
- Uncheck all options, except for "Location permissions"
- Click on the "Clear" button (as below)
Note: Be advised that this will clear location access requests for any/all websites that you have blocked in the past. Unfortunately Microsoft Edge does not allow you to specify - it's all or nothing.
Opera
See below example of the notification/pop-up, which appears at the top middle of the page.
- Check if location access is blocked for your platform:
- Click on the menu icon (top left), then go to "Settings"
- Go to the "Websites" tab
- Scroll down, then click on the "Manage exceptions..." button under 'Location'
- If you see your platform with the "Behavior" set to 'Block' list, click the X icon to remove it
- Click on the "Done" button (as below)