when I go on google maps and click my location it says I am in Calgary when I am in British Columbia

Question

Whenever I try to locate a store near where I live, search will take me to a store in Calgary...500 miles away from where I live which is in British Columbia. When I want to login to Playnow.com it says it can't determine my location. I had my IP4 address changed to one that is close to my home because the old IP4 address said I was in Calgary. My internet provider changed this. My IP6 address is saying I am in Calgary. For Playnow.com you have to be in your home province in order to login but because my computer keeps saying my location is in Calgary, it won't let me login. Google maps when I go on there and click the little location icon, it says I am in Calgary. I have heard that a lot of people are having this happen to them and apparently there was an update that screwed up everyones location. My computer was fine up to about a month or 2 ago. Microsoft needs to fix this glitch! I have tried everything I can think of to fix this so now I think it's a microsoft problem?

Answer 1

On Windows, location can come from several sources: GPS, nearby Wi‑Fi, cell towers, and IP address. If GPS/Wi‑Fi data is weak or unavailable, services like Google Maps and PlayNow will often fall back to IP‑based geolocation, which can be inaccurate and show a different city or even province.

To correct Windows’ own understanding of device location and reduce reliance on IP only, do the following on Windows 11:

1. Turn on device location
   1. Select Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Location.
   2. Under Location, select Change, and set Location for this device to On.
   3. Make sure Allow apps to access your location is On.
2. Allow apps to use precise location
   1. In the same Settings > Privacy & security > Location page, under Choose which apps can access your precise location, turn On location access for the browsers or apps being used (for example, Microsoft Edge).
3. Set a default location in Windows
   1. Go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Location.
   2. Under Default location, select Set default.
   3. The Maps app opens; set the correct home area in British Columbia as the default. This default is used when a more exact location cannot be detected.
4. Ensure browser location permissions are enabled
   • In Microsoft Edge, when a site like Google Maps asks to use location, choose Allow so it can use Windows location (which is more accurate than IP alone).

If Windows location is enabled, apps are allowed to use precise location, and a correct default location is set, Windows and supported apps will rely less on IP‑only geolocation and more on the device’s configured location, which should help with incorrect placement in Calgary.

If the problem persists specifically on certain websites (like PlayNow) after these steps, it is likely those sites are enforcing their own IP‑based geolocation independent of Windows. In that case, the ISP must ensure both IPv4 and IPv6 address ranges are correctly registered to British Columbia in the geolocation databases those services use.

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References:

• Windows location service and privacy