mdn / mdn/browser-compat-data

api.Permissions - permissions api for geocoding does not work on iOS Safari

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browser:safari_ios data:api info needed
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Description

What type of issue is this?

Incorrect support data (example: BrowserX says "86" but support was added in "40")

What information was incorrect, unhelpful, or incomplete?

Tested on iOS version 18.5
When calling navigator.permissions.query({ name: 'geolocation' }), regardless of the actual status of the geolocation permission, this function call always returns { state: 'prompt' }

What browsers does this problem apply to, if applicable?

Safari

What did you expect to see?

Similar to Chromium browsers, navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition should return prompt, granted, or denied based on the browsers geolocation permission status.
Ultimately, the permissions api is not fully supported in iOS Safari

Did you test this? If so, how?

I confirmed that this is incorrect because right after making this call to navigator.permissions.query({ name: 'geolocation' }) and getting back { state: 'prompt' }, I am able to call navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition and successfully get a result (having agreed to the native share location prompt earlier).
Similarly if I deny location sharing permissions, navigator.permissions.query({ name: 'geolocation' }) will return { state: 'prompt' } but navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition will error, stating permission denied.
I have also confirmed that permissions api works as expected in Chromium browsers on desktop and Android

Can you link to any release notes, bugs, pull requests, or MDN pages related to this?

No response

Do you have anything more you want to share?

No response

MDN URL

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Permissions_API

MDN metadata
MDN page report details
  • Query: api.Permissions
  • Report started: 2025-08-14T18:25:20.372Z

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the browser-compatibility data for the linked MDN Permissions API page, focusing on the geolocation permission query and Safari on iOS. Compare the recorded support information with the reported behavior in iOS 18.5; done means the Safari/iOS data accurately reflects the Permissions API result and its relationship to geolocation permission handling.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
ios, javascript, json
Domain
web-dev
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
52/100

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