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FAQs about the Tweet location feature

Below are some answers to common questions regarding tweeting with your location. If you're wondering how to Tweet with your location, please see our Adding your location to a Tweet article.

What location information is attached to my Tweets?

  • Enabling location services allows you to selectively add location information to your Tweets. This feature is off by default and you will need to opt-in to use it.
  • Once you've enabled location services through either your web settings or your mobile device, Twitter will be able to:
    • Attach your specific location (latitude and longitude) to your Tweet when you are using Twitter for Android, Twitter for iOS or other mobile applications that allow you to attach a specific location to a Tweet.
    • Attach a place (such as a city or neighborhood) to your Tweet if you are using twitter.com on the web, or other clients that allow you to attach a general location to your Tweet.

    What controls do I have when I attach location information to my Tweets?

    Even after you enable tweeting with your location in your settings, you have additional control over which Tweets (and what type of location information) is shared. We want you to have control over how and when your location information is shared. With this in mind:

    • Tweet Location is off by default, and as a user you need to opt-in to the service.
    • You can turn Tweet Location on or off at any time, or clear your location before you tweet.
    • You can delete all of your past location data with a single click (see How to Tweet with Your Location for step-by-step instructions).
    • Be cautious and careful about the amount of information you share online. There may be some updates where you want to share your location ("The parade is starting now." or "A truck just spilled delicious candy all over the roadway!"), and some updates where you want to keep your location private. Just like you might not want to tweet your home address, please be cautious in tweeting coordinates you don't want others to see.
    • Remember that when you're opted in to Tweet Location, you can still choose not to share your location for individual Tweets, or choose a more general location level if your application allows.
    • Please familiarize yourself with our general location settings and the settings of any applications and devices you tweet with so that you are always aware of the information you share.
    • Remember, once you post something online, it’s out there for others to see.

    What location information is displayed?

    • All geolocation information begins as a location (latitude and longitude), sent from your browser or device. Twitter won't show any location information unless you've opted-in to the feature, and have allowed your device or browser to transmit your coordinates to us.
    • If you have chosen to attach location information to your Tweets, location information is displayed underneath the test of the Tweet. Click the location information on web to see a map with the pin of your location.
    • On twitter.com and Twitter for Android, Twitter for iOS and other Twitter applications, locations will be shown as a place (such as the name of a neighborhood or city) rather than a latitude and longitude when possible.
    • If you have attached a specific location to a Tweet (for example, using Twitter for iPhone or Twitter for Android), those specific coordinates will still be attached to and available with the Tweet. For example, clicking on the location information under a Tweet on twitter.com will show a map with a pin of that location. If you have attached a place to your Tweet, the map may still show a pin at the geographic center of that place.
    • Application developers are required to be up-front and obvious about whether your exact coordinates, or just the place, will be displayed. When you tweet from a third-party application or mobile device, it should be clear which type of data will be publicly displayed.

    What location information does Twitter store for Tweets?

    • Twitter stores the location information attached to a Tweet for as long as the Tweet exists (or until you click the Clear my location history button on the settings page as described here). This is similar to how we store the timestamp that says when the Tweet was made.
    • This helps improve the accuracy of our geolocation systems (for example, the way we define neighborhoods and places).

    Having trouble?

    Our Account Settings troubleshooting section has answers to common problems.

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