# "Explore" tab has changed locations in the App, can't switch it back **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Tags:** question, android-app\ **Created:** [June 30, 2025, 9:10pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/explore-tab-has-changed-locations-in-the-app-cant-switch-it-back/67063 "2025-06-30T21:10:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aydenburd](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/aydenburd/32/76584_2.png) [@aydenburd](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/aydenburd)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2025, 9:10pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/explore-tab-has-changed-locations-in-the-app-cant-switch-it-back/67063/1 "2025-06-30T21:10:13Z")
Hello! I am primarily an app user who is confused by a recent change that seems to have happened without any input on my part. My “explore” tab has always just shown “my location” as the default filter, which I always really liked especially when I was traveling and could easily see what other people were observing wherever I was; it was also nice that “my location” seemed to populate from a slightly larger geofence than areas I might manually select otherwise. Now my “explore” is set to “global,” and while I can run a specific search for other locations, I can’t seemingly change the default back to its previous settings. I saw [this thread](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/inat-changes-explore-default-and-new-location-search-method/66670/3) from a user with a similar issue, when I googled it. On desktop, I can indeed change the default location back to [my county]; however, there is no way to change it back to the previous “my location” that I enjoyed so much. I’m also confused because I have never messed with this setting on desktop, and you can’t even access it on the mobile app, so I don’t know how it was changed in the first place. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks :) ---
**Author:** ![thomaseverest](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/thomaseverest/32/63220_2.png) [@thomaseverest](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/thomaseverest)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2025, 10:11pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/explore-tab-has-changed-locations-in-the-app-cant-switch-it-back/67063/2 "2025-06-30T22:11:23Z")
Explore defaults to my location on my Android app. It is easy to remove that from the search filter, but it is also the first suggestion for me even if am viewing globally. So maybe this is a bug? Can you share photos? ---
**Author:** ![aydenburd](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/aydenburd/32/76584_2.png) [@aydenburd](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/aydenburd)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2025, 11:39pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/explore-tab-has-changed-locations-in-the-app-cant-switch-it-back/67063/3 "2025-06-30T23:39:29Z")
It’s always defaulted that way for me as well in the past! ![Screenshot_20250630_150142_iNaturalist](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/3X/9/c/9c74451fcc181a134488ced80d320f836b6e5a7b.jpeg) Also, when I tried the suggestion from that other thread to at least set my default location on desktop to [my county,] it doesn’t seem to have ever synced with the app regardless. The app still does say “global.” ---
**Author:** ![thomaseverest](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/thomaseverest/32/63220_2.png) [@thomaseverest](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/thomaseverest)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2025, 12:21am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/explore-tab-has-changed-locations-in-the-app-cant-switch-it-back/67063/4 "2025-07-01T00:21:43Z")
I think the other thread is something unrelated. I wouldn’t expect those desktop settings to affect the app. If you tap the search icon, is my location not an option? I’d also try clearing the cache and things like that. ---
**Author:** ![aydenburd](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/aydenburd/32/76584_2.png) [@aydenburd](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/aydenburd)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2025, 4:19am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/explore-tab-has-changed-locations-in-the-app-cant-switch-it-back/67063/5 "2025-07-01T04:19:09Z")
Huh. A few hours later, it has simply reverted on its own (again, I haven’t done anything). Must indeed have just been a weird glitch/bug. Thanks for trying to help anyway! ---
**Author:** ![thefungiphotographer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/thefungiphotographer/32/40927_2.png) [@thefungiphotographer](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/thefungiphotographer)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/explore-tab-has-changed-locations-in-the-app-cant-switch-it-back/67063/6 "2025-07-30T19:23:35Z")
I’m having the same issue but it’s been a about a day now. I got a new phone (I had an android before and still do) and the “my location” button is nowhere to be found. I checked my app permissions in case location was turned off, but it wasn’t that. ---
**Author:** ![tiwane](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/tiwane/32/54612_2.png) [@tiwane](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/tiwane)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2025, 9:22pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/explore-tab-has-changed-locations-in-the-app-cant-switch-it-back/67063/7 "2025-07-30T21:22:36Z")
Which version of the app are you using? ---
**Author:** ![thefungiphotographer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/thefungiphotographer/32/40927_2.png) [@thefungiphotographer](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/thefungiphotographer)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2025, 9:53pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/explore-tab-has-changed-locations-in-the-app-cant-switch-it-back/67063/8 "2025-07-30T21:53:48Z")
1.36.8 ---
**Author:** ![thefungiphotographer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/thefungiphotographer/32/40927_2.png) [@thefungiphotographer](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/thefungiphotographer)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 1:26am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/explore-tab-has-changed-locations-in-the-app-cant-switch-it-back/67063/9 "2025-07-31T01:26:08Z")
Issue is fixed… In all my un-tech-savvyness I thought I could give iNaturalist permission to use location without actually having location turned on. I should have known that is not the case. Sorry for the confusion! ---
**Author:** ![tiwane](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/tiwane/32/54612_2.png) [@tiwane](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/tiwane)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/explore-tab-has-changed-locations-in-the-app-cant-switch-it-back/67063/10 "2025-07-31T22:27:44Z")
All good, thanks for following up! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/2X/7/7831452cf7f0d653ff1ffd34176334b7ef1b6a17.png) [@system](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 10:28pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/explore-tab-has-changed-locations-in-the-app-cant-switch-it-back/67063/11 "2025-09-29T22:28:00Z")
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