Earlier this month Google introduced a feature that let you track packages on your iPhone’s Chrome browser. The new feature was built right into the new tab page. Initially, the package tracking feature was reportedly available for everyone across the globe. Now, it seems like Google is backtracking and restricted the feature to the U.S. users.
On investigating, our team member found out that this feature is, like a classic Google move, exclusive for the U.S., at least as of now. Surprisingly, this feature was previously available even for people outside the U.S. However, it didn’t work as intended. Many users started getting bombarded by false package tracking notifications.
On a further investigation, we discovered that Chrome on iOS will be checking whether the user is eligible to use package tracking feature. It says
“that IsUserEligibleParcelTrackingOptInPrompt returns false when the permanent country is not set to US.”
In simpler terms the Package Tracking feature will be restricted to the U.S. users.
It is not uncommon for Google to region lock new features. In fact some of the features on Google Pixel devices are region locked. That said, things took a different turn with the parcel tracking features. In all likelihood, Google considered the feedback from users and turned the feature into US exclusive. Hopefully, once perfected, the tracking feature will be available globally. Did you try out the parcel tracking notification on your iPhone or iPad? Let us know in the comments below.