# How to Use User Location in Applications and Assess Its Limitations

DevFeed: [How to Use User Location in Applications and Assess Its Limitations](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/the-cake-user-location-is-a-lie-17715.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://austingil.com/user-location-is-a-lie/>)

Author: Austin

Published: 2024-07-25T14:10:28Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Back End - Austin Gil](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/back-end-austin-gil.md>)

Topics: [Programming](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/programming.md>), [App](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/app.md>)

Tags: [app](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/app.md>), [back-end](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/back-end.md>), [business-logic](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/business-logic.md>), [coding](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/coding.md>), [compliance](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/compliance.md>), [development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/development.md>), [edge-compute](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/edge-compute.md>), [front-end](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/front-end.md>), [geolocation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/geolocation.md>), [html](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/html.md>), [ip](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ip.md>), [javascript](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/javascript.md>), [js](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/js.md>), [location](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/location.md>), [location-based](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/location-based.md>), [privacy](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/privacy.md>), [programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/programming.md>), [software](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software.md>), [web-development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/web-development.md>)

## AI overview

This article examines location-based programming, including use cases such as regional language, currency, store locators, weather data, and geofencing. It distinguishes user-experience, application-logic, and policy or compliance concerns, then discusses four ways to obtain location: user reporting, device heuristics, IP address, and edge compute.

## Source excerpt

A post discussing the nuances around location-based programming. Various ways to access user location, how they can fail, and what to do about it.