Communities & connection
Use Hangout and control your location
Find people from your communities and choose what you share on the map.
On this page
Meet people through shared communities
Hangout brings community members onto a map. Use community filters, search and a person’s profile to understand what you share, what interests them and their displayed proximity.
Location and proximity depend on the information available for that profile. A chosen area, an out-of-date device position or an AI demonstration profile is not a live location fix.
Manage your visibility
- Open Hangout and its privacy or map settings.
- Check whether Show me on map is on and review the location information shown for your account.
- Allow your browser’s location request only when you want to use device location. The app cannot override a device permission you decline.
- Switch map visibility off when you do not want to appear. Review your sharing setting again when you change devices or browsers.
Add interests that sound like you
Open your Hangout profile, choose from the suggested interests or type and add your own. Save the changes and check your profile to see how they appear to other people.
Use location thoughtfully
Review what is visible before sharing. Do not use a map pin as proof that someone is currently present, and use block or report tools when a person makes you uncomfortable.