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This post was originally published in 2012 but updated on Feb 28, 2018 to reflect the most recent changes on Facebook.
I was going through a forum when someone raised a concern about how Facebook shows your current city (ex., near Lagos) below every status update and uploaded photos. The person in question expressed concern over stalkers and those on her list who were not even real friends. While some people really want their location to appear under their posts, some are worried for reasons best known to them.
If you’re finding it difficult to enable location sharing when you update your status on Facebook, this post should help.
If you intend to show your location with every status update, there are just a few things you should do.
1. Update your current city from your profile
Be sure your current city is updated on your profile and it is set to public. To do this, go to your profile on mobile or desktop. On the web version, you should be able to do this from Profile > About > Places you’ve lived in > Current City.
On mobile, go to Profile > Edit profile > Edit Details > Current city.
Type in the current city and select it when it appears. This part is important.
2. Enable location from your phone settings
Before this works, be sure location/GPS is enabled in your phone settings. Go through the settings and enable it if it’s already disabled. You may simply pull down the Notification Center to enable it depending on your phone make.
Also, be sure to check permission settings.
Be sure you haven’t specifically disabled location sharing for your Facebook app. If the Facebook app doesn’t have the required permission to access your location, this might not work.
3. Before you try to post an update from your phone…
Next, you should try to post an update from your smartphone. But before you do, try to expand the options and tap “Check in.” On the next page, tap “Turn on location” and your real location should show at the very bottom after a while.
Tap on it and share your update. Don’t worry, it should only display “near as,” not like an actual check-in.
4. If it still doesn’t work…
a. Write a new post and check in to your current city. You can set the audience to “Only Me” and publish.
b. Delete that post, then post your normal update. the location should show.
If after everything it still doesn’t work, go to your Facebook Account Settings > Security and Login > Where you’re logged in > then log out of all other devices.
Removing your location from your Facebook status updates
If you need to remove your location from your Facebook status updates and photos, you should only do two things:
1. Remove or hide your current city from your profile
To do this, go to your profile on mobile or desktop. On the web version, go to Profile > About > Places you’ve lived in > Current City.
On mobile, go to Profile > Edit profile > Edit Details > Current city.
Delete your current city or set the permission to “Only me.”
2. Disable GPS/location on your phone
Go to the settings and disable it if it’s already enabled. You may simply pull down the Notification Center to toggle it off depending on the kind of device you use. Alternatively, you can change permissions just for the Facebook app and deny its permission to access your location.
With this done, Facebook should no longer update your status with your location.