---
title: Dialer Location (OSM)
description: "**Dialer Location (OSM)** in iodéOS refers to a feature in the phone dialer app that uses **OpenStreetMap (OSM)** to look up geographic information — like showing the **location of a phone number’s area code**, or resolving **business names to numbers…"
url: "https://iode.tech/documentation/dialer-location-osm/"
updated: "2025-05-23"
category: System and Technologies
---

# Dialer Location (OSM)

**Dialer Location (OSM)** in iodéOS refers to a feature in the phone dialer app that uses **OpenStreetMap (OSM)** to look up geographic information — like showing the **location of a phone number’s area code**, or resolving **business names to numbers and addresses** — directly in the dialer, without using Google services.

### What It Does:

1. **Reverse Lookup**:
   When you receive a call or type in a number, it can identify the **region** (e.g., city or country) of that number based on the area code, and optionally show a map location.
2. **Search by Name (Optional)**:
   You might be able to search for local businesses or contacts by name (e.g., "Pizza near me"), and the dialer uses **OpenStreetMap** data instead of Google Maps to provide results.
3. **No Google Dependency**:
   This entire lookup system works **without Google Play Services**, aligning with iodéOS’s privacy-first approach. OSM is open-source and community-maintained.

### Technical Insight:

- Some Android dialers (including those on privacy ROMs like iodéOS) offer plugins or built-in support for using OSM and Nominatim (OSM’s geocoding API) for location services.
- iodéOS may include this as a setting like “**Dialer Location (OSM)**” — allowing you to enable/disable it.

### Why It Matters (Privacy Perspective):

| Feature | Google Dialer | iodéOS Dialer (with OSM) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Location lookup | Uses Google Maps API | Uses OpenStreetMap/Nominatim |
| Data shared with | Google | No corporate data sharing |
| Internet connection needed | Yes | Yes (but private) |
| Customizable | No | Possibly, yes |