OpenBenches, a niche site that maps memorial‑bench photos, relied on Android phones automatically embedding GPS coordinates in EXIF metadata. Users could upload images via a simple `<input type="file" accept="image/jpeg">` tag, and the site would read the location to place the picture on a map. Recent Google updates have stripped that metadata when photos are submitted through web browsers.

Initially Google redirected developers to a generic `<input type="file">` picker, which preserved EXIF data but opened the full file manager, letting users select any file type. A subsequent change blocked even that workaround, and progressive‑web‑apps cannot retrieve the coordinates either. Bluetooth‑based sharing, QuickShare, and other native transfer methods now also omit geotags, forcing a USB‑to‑desktop upload for full location data.

Developers who need reliable geotag access on Android now face the overhead of building native apps, which require explicit permission to read location‑embedded images. The shift reflects Google’s privacy push to prevent inadvertent location leaks, yet it disrupts workflows that depend on seamless web uploads. As a result, sites like OpenBenches must either adapt to native solutions or accept a loss of map‑based functionality.