The <Geolocation> HTML Element

Summary

Published: January 13, 2026 From Chrome 144 you can use the new <geolocation> HTML element. This element represents a major shift in how sites request user location data—moving away from script-triggered permission prompts toward a declarative, user-action-oriented experience. It reduces the boilerplate code required to handle permission states and errors, and provides a stronger signal of user intent, which helps avoid browser interventions (like quiet blocks). This launch is the result of extensive real-world testing and rigorous discussion with the web standards community. To understand the utility of this element, it is important to examine the history of its development and the data that drove its design. From generic <permission> to specific <geolocation> The <geolocation> element is the latest evolution of the Page-Embedded Permission Control initiative, where it initially was proposed as a generic <permission> element with a type attribute (see the original explainer). The value of the type attribute (for example, "geolocation") would determine the type of the requested permission. For example, the initial proposal includes values such as camera, microphone, and geolocation. Validation of the concept We ran an origin trial for the generic <permission> element from Chrome 126 to 143. The aim of this trial was to test the hypothesis that a dedicated, in-context button would improve user trust and decision-making. The results from this origin trial supported the validation of this core concept: Zoom reported a 46.9% decrease in camera or microphone capture errors (such as system-level blockers) by using the element to guide users through recovery. Immobiliare.it saw a 20% increase in successful geolocation flows. ZapImóveis observed a 54.4% success rate in users recovering from a "previously blocked" state when presented with the element. Redefinition of the design While the concept proved successful, the implementation required refinement. Feedback from browse...