If you have moved to a new country, or your search results and recommendations keep showing the wrong place, you may be looking for how to change my google location settings on your own account. To change my google location is to update the home address, country, and location preferences stored in your Google Account, so that services such as Search, Maps, and the Play Store reflect where you actually live. This guide walks through every legitimate way to change my google location on your own account, what each setting controls, and what to do when a change does not take effect.
Before you begin, one important boundary: this guide covers only your own account. You should change my google location settings only for an account you own and control, using your real current address. Attempting to alter someone else’s account, or to falsify a location to obtain content or prices meant for another region, can breach the service’s terms and may lock your account. The steps below keep you on the right side of those rules while fixing the genuine problem of an outdated location.
Why You Might Change My Google Location
People usually want to change my google location after a real move. You may have relocated for work or study, and now local search results, weather, news, and business listings still point to your old city. Or you may have created your account while travelling, and the country on file no longer matches where you live, which affects the Play Store catalogue, payment methods, and currency. In both cases, updating your own account’s location restores results that are actually useful.
Location settings also affect recommendations. Video suggestions, trending topics, and local services all draw on your stored home location and, separately, on your device’s current position. If those two disagree, results can look confusing: your phone may know you are in one city while your account still says another. Sorting out which setting controls which result is the key to fixing the problem, and the sections below separate them clearly.
Home Location Versus Device Location
Your Google Account stores a home address and a country, which you set yourself. Your device separately reports its current position through GPS, Wi-Fi, and mobile networks, which you control with a permission toggle. Search results blend both signals. To change my google location in the account sense, you update the stored home and country settings. To change what your device reports, you adjust location permissions and, if you have moved, simply use the device in the new place so its signals update naturally.
How to Change My Google Location on the Web
The most reliable place to change my google location is the Google Account settings page in a desktop browser. Sign in to the account you own, open your account management area, and look for the personal information section. There you will find your home address and your country settings. Edit the address to your real current address, save it, and check that the country field matches. This stored country is what the Play Store and several other services use to decide which catalogue and currency to show you.
After saving, allow time for the change to propagate. Some services update immediately, while others refresh within a day. If Search still shows your old city, check the separate location controls described below, because Search also uses your device’s current position and a “search region” setting. Changing the account address alone does not always change every result at once, and understanding that distinction saves a lot of frustration.
Changing Your Home Address Step by Step
First, sign in to your own Google Account and open the personal info page. Second, find the addresses section and edit the home address, entering your real street address, city, and postal code. Third, save and confirm the change. Fourth, review the country setting in the same area and correct it if it still shows your previous country. Fifth, sign out and back in on your devices, or wait for them to sync, so the updated details spread to your phone and tablet. Each step is simple, but skipping the country field is the most common reason people feel the change “did not work.”
How to Change My Google Location on Android
On an Android phone, you can change my google location from the Settings app as well as from your account page. Open Settings, go to your Google Account section, and open personal information to edit your home address and country, just as on the web. Separately, open the Location settings to control whether apps may use your device’s position. If you have moved, make sure location services are on and set to an accurate mode, so apps receive your real current position rather than a stale one.
Also check the Search app’s own region setting. Search apps often include a “search region” or “region for results” option that can override your account country for results purposes. If that option still points to your old country, update it to your new one. This is a frequent cause of confusion: the account is correct, but a leftover region setting keeps results anchored to the old place. A related guide on managing your presence in Google Search explains other search settings worth reviewing at the same time.
Play Store Country After a Move
The Play Store deserves special attention when you change my google location. The store’s country is tied to your account’s country and your payment profile, and it typically changes only after you have a valid payment method from the new country. You may need to add a payment method issued in your new country, and the store may allow only one country change per year. Check the store’s country settings page for the current rules before you rely on a switch, and keep any subscriptions in mind, since some are country-specific.
How to Change My Google Location on iPhone
On an iPhone, you change my google location through the Google apps and the account website, since Apple controls the system-level location toggle separately. Open the Google app or visit your account page in a browser, sign in to your own account, and edit the home address and country in personal information. Then check the iPhone’s own privacy settings: under Location Services, make sure the Google app has permission to use your location while in use, so it can report your real current position.
Remember that the iPhone’s region setting, found in the general settings, also affects formats such as dates and currency, and some apps read it as a location hint. If you have moved countries, updating the phone’s region to match your new home keeps everything consistent. As with Android, give the changes a day to settle across services, and if results still look wrong, verify each setting in turn rather than repeating the same edit.
Search Region and Maps Home Settings
Beyond the account itself, two product settings shape what you see. Search has a region setting that controls which country’s version of results you receive. Maps lets you set a home and work address, which controls commute suggestions and the starting point for directions. To fully change my google location, update all three layers: the account’s home address and country, the Search region, and the Maps home address. Updating only one layer is the most common reason a move feels only half-finished.
For a quick check of the other Google settings that affect what you see, read our guide on searching with images on Google, which covers additional search controls. A systematic pass through account, Search, and Maps settings usually resolves even stubborn cases where results keep pointing to the old city.
When Results Still Show the Old Place
If results still show the old place after a day, work through this checklist. Is the account country correct? Is the home address correct? Is the Search region set to the new country? Does Maps have the new home address? Is the device’s location permission on, and is the device actually reporting from the new place? Is a VPN running that routes traffic through the old country? A VPN is a frequent hidden cause: if your connection appears to come from another country, services may trust that signal over your stored address. Turning the VPN off, or setting it to your real country, usually fixes the mismatch.
What You Cannot and Should Not Change
There are limits worth knowing. You cannot change my google location for someone else’s account, and you should never use another person’s details. You cannot freely switch Play Store country back and forth; the yearly limit exists to prevent abuse. You should not set a false address to access another country’s catalogue or prices, because that can lead to payment failures, loss of subscriptions, or account restrictions. The legitimate path is always the same: use your real address, add a valid local payment method where required, and let the services update.
Also note that some settings are inferred rather than stored. Search may estimate your location from your IP address even when your account says otherwise, which is why a VPN or a corporate network can skew results. In those cases the fix is on the network side, not in the account. If you are on a work or university network that routes through another country, results may reflect that network’s location until you connect from your home network.
| Setting | Where to change it | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| Home address | Account personal info | Stored home location for services |
| Country | Account personal info | Play Store catalogue and currency |
| Search region | Search settings | Which country’s results you see |
| Maps home | Maps saved places | Commute and directions starting point |
| Device location | Phone location settings | Real-time position for nearby results |
FAQs About Changing My Google Location
How long does a location change take?
Account changes usually apply within a day, though some services update immediately. If results still show the old place after 24 hours, check the Search region, Maps home, and any VPN.
Can I change my Play Store country anytime?
No. The Play Store generally allows one country change per year and requires a valid payment method from the new country, so plan the switch around subscriptions.
Why does Search still show my old city?
Usually because the Search region setting, a stale Maps home address, or a VPN still points to the old place. Check each layer in turn rather than re-editing the account address.
Is it safe to change my own location?
Yes, when you use your real address on your own account. Never use another person’s details or a false address to obtain region-restricted content.
Conclusion
Learning how to change my google location is mostly a matter of knowing which setting does what: the account stores your home address and country, Search has its own region, Maps has its own home address, and your device reports its real-time position. Update each layer with your real details, allow a day for services to sync, and check for a VPN if results still look wrong. Done properly, your search results, recommendations, and store catalogue will finally reflect where you actually live, and the fix will stay fixed.
