geo: or a Google Maps link
The two styles carry the same point and differ in what a phone does with them:
- geo: link (
geo:48.85837,2.294481): an open standard, RFC 5870. Android passes it to a maps app, and if several are installed the phone may ask which to use. The code is small, 25 by 25 squares. iPhone support for geo: varies, so it is the weaker choice if iPhone users will scan the code. - Google Maps link (
https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=48.85837%2C2.294481): Google documents this form of link. A phone opens it in the Google Maps app if it is installed, or in the browser if not, with a pin at the point. It works on iPhone and Android, but the code is bigger, 37 by 37 squares, and it sends the person to Google's service.
Apple Maps has its own web links, at maps.apple.com. We do not write those, because we cannot test them on enough devices. If everyone who scans the code uses an iPhone, copy a share link from the Apple Maps app and put it in a link QR code.
Finding and writing coordinates
Latitude comes first and longitude second. Latitude runs from -90 (south) to 90 (north) and longitude from -180 (west) to 180 (east). A place in the southern or western hemisphere has a minus sign. On a phone or tablet, a ± button next to each box switches the sign, because the number pad on some phones has no minus key. Swap the two and the pin lands somewhere else, often in the sea. The panel under the form repeats your pair with N, S, E and W so a swap is easy to spot.
Maps often give degrees, minutes and seconds, such as 48°51'30"N 2°17'40"E. Paste that into Paste from a map and it is converted: degrees plus minutes divided by 60 plus seconds divided by 3,600, so 48°51'30" is 48.8583.
More decimals mean a finer point:
- 3 decimals: about 110 metres
- 4 decimals: about 11 metres
- 5 decimals: about 1 metre
- 6 decimals: about 11 centimetres, the most the tool keeps
Shortened map links, such as the ones that start with maps.app.goo.gl, do not hold the coordinates in the link itself, and we do not open links, so they cannot be read. Open the link in your browser first and copy the full address from the address bar, or copy the coordinates from the map.
What the code does not say
A location code holds a point on the map and nothing else: no name, no street address and no opening hours. The phone drops a pin there. Say on the sign or the invitation what the place is, for example "Meeting point, north gate".
Pick the spot people will actually walk to, such as the entrance, the car park or the meeting point, rather than the middle of a large building or park. The phone then offers its own directions from wherever the person is.
A static code never updates. If the meeting point moves, make a new code.
Where a location code is useful
- Events and meeting points: a code on an invitation or a lanyard that opens the exact spot.
- Trails and outdoor sites: a marker that shows where a trailhead, a viewpoint or a drop-off point is.
- Property and delivery: the real door, gate or loading bay, which a street address often does not show.
The coordinates are readable by anyone who scans the code. Only share places you are happy for people to find, and think twice before putting a home location on something that is on public display.