Location information on TikTok

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How TikTok collects location information  •  Why TikTok collects location information  •  What location information is collected by TikTok  •  How to turn Location Services on or off in TikTok  •  How to delete your Location Services history  •  How to add a location to your videos  •  How to share feedback on a tagged location  •  Why some locations can't be tagged in videos 






How TikTok collects location information


TikTok collects your approximate location information based on your device or network information, such as SIM card and IP address.

In regions where Location Services are available for the TikTok app, and when you turn it on, TikTok will also collect your location information based on your device's GPS. Learn more about your device's location settings in the Android Help Center and Apple Support. Note: Location Services may not be available in all regions, including the U.S. and South Korea.






Why TikTok collects location information


To help us improve your app experience, we use location information for the purposes set out in our Privacy Policy, such as to show you videos and content that are popular in your area, and where applicable, ads that may be more relevant to you. Additionally, we may ask you to turn on Location Services (if available for TikTok) to provide us with more accurate location information. For example, you may be prompted to turn on Location Services when you browse the For You feed or if you want to tag a location in your video. Providing more accurate location information helps TikTok show you even more relevant content and ads.






What location information is collected by TikTok


Where Location Services are available for the TikTok app, and when you turn it on:
•  TikTok will receive your approximate location from your device's GPS data.
•  The approximate location information TikTok receives from your device is an area of at least 3 square kilometers (1.16 square miles) from your actual location. The area may be larger, depending on the operating system type and version that is running on your device.
•  If you're located in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, or Vietnam, you may also have the option to turn on precise location.

When Location Services is turned off or not available for TikTok:
•  TikTok will continue to collect your approximate location information based on your device or network information, such as SIM card and IP address.
•  The approximate location information TikTok receives from your device or network information is limited to the country, region, city, or, in the U.S., zipcode in which you may be located.

Note: Due to manufacturer issues, some Android devices may prompt you to turn on precise location, even though only Location Services with approximate location is available in your region. In such cases, TikTok will continue to ensure that only your approximate information is collected.






How to turn Location Services on or off in TikTok


If Location Services is available for TikTok in your region, you can choose to turn Location Services on or off in your Privacy settings.

To turn Location Services on or off in TikTok:
1. In the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom.
2. Tap the Menu button at the top.
3. Tap Settings and privacy.
4. Tap Privacy, then tap Location Services .
5. Choose a location access permission for TikTok.
If you're located in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, or Vietnam, you may also have an additional setting to turn precise location on or off. You can also update your Location Services settings directly in your device's settings. Learn more in the Google Account Help Center or Apple Support.

Note: Due to manufacturer issues, some Android devices may indicate that precise location (if available in your region) is turned on in the TikTok app, even though precise location is turned off in your device settings. In such cases, TikTok will prioritize your device settings, and ensure that only approximate information is collected from your device's GPS data.






How to delete your Location Services history


In regions where Location Services are available for the TikTok app, and when you turn it on, TikTok retains the most recent location information collected. This data is refreshed each time a new location is associated with your account and is retained for a maximum of 30 days. You can choose to delete this data at any time.

To delete your location data from your TikTok account:
1. In the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom.
2. Tap the Menu button at the top.
3. Tap Settings and privacy.
4. Tap Privacy, then tap Location Services.
5. Tap Delete location history.

Note: After deleting location history, TikTok will continue to retain less specific location information such as the city in which you may be located.






How to add a location to your videos


In some regions, you can add a location to your TikTok video.

To add a location to your video:
1. Create a video.
2. On the Post screen in the TikTok app:
   ༚  Tap Location to search for a location or choose a location from the list of recommended places; or
   ༚  Select a location from recommended places listed below Location.
3. Tap Post. The tagged location will be displayed in your video.






How to share feedback on a tagged location


If you find a tagged location on TikTok that requires an update, you can share feedback to suggest an edit. You can suggest edits on business and independent locations only, such as restaurants and airports.

To share feedback on a tagged location:
1. In the TikTok app, tap the tagged location on the video
2. Tap the Share button.
3. Tap Suggest an edit and follow the instructions provided to submit.






Why some locations can't be tagged in videos


If you can't tag a location in a video or discover videos related to a location, this may be because we may not have that location available yet or we restrict certain locations from being discovered or tagged in videos to protect the safety of our users.


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