Location: say why it failed, retry once, show permission status

The ⌖ button reported 'Location access denied' for every failure, including timeouts and
no-GPS-fix errors that have nothing to do with permission.

- Specific messages for denied / no fix / timeout, with the exact iPhone steps (Safari tab vs
  installed web app) and the error code for diagnosis
- One patient high-accuracy retry for slow or cold GPS fixes (a real denial is not retried)
- Live permission status line under the search row (allowed / not asked / blocked)
- Mentions Safari content blockers as a possible cause

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

app/public/app-ui.css

@@ -324,3 +324,9 @@ body.map-fs #tab-unified-map { padding: 0; }
 .alert-full p { margin: 0 0 0.6rem; }
 .alert-pre { white-space: pre-wrap; }
 .alert-meta { font-size: 0.74rem; color: var(--ink-light); }
+
+/* Location permission status line */
+.geo-status { font-size: 0.8rem; line-height: 1.45; color: var(--ink-light); margin: 0.5rem 0.15rem 0; padding: 0.5rem 0.75rem; border-radius: 12px; background: var(--paper-darker); }
+.geo-status.hidden { display: none; }
+.geo-status.ok { color: #22c55e; }
+.geo-status.warn { color: var(--ink); background: color-mix(in srgb, #ef4444 14%, var(--paper-darker)); border: 1px solid color-mix(in srgb, #ef4444 45%, transparent); }

app/public/app-ui.js

@@ -405,6 +405,36 @@ function centerMap(city, force) {
   $('map-recenter-btn')?.addEventListener('click', () => { if (state.currentCity) centerMap(state.currentCity, true); });
 })();
 
+
+// ── Location permission status (so "blocked" is visible, not guessed) ────────
+const GeoStatus = (() => {
+  const el = $('geo-status');
+  let status = null;
+  async function render() {
+    if (!el || !navigator.permissions || !navigator.geolocation) return;
+    try {
+      if (!status) {
+        status = await navigator.permissions.query({ name: 'geolocation' });
+        status.addEventListener('change', render);
+      }
+    } catch { return; }
+    const s = status.state;
+    const ios = /iPad|iPhone|iPod/.test(navigator.userAgent) || (navigator.platform === 'MacIntel' && navigator.maxTouchPoints > 1);
+    const standalone = window.matchMedia('(display-mode: standalone)').matches || navigator.standalone === true;
+    if (s === 'granted') { el.className = 'geo-status ok'; el.textContent = '📍 Location: allowed. Tap ⌖ to use it.'; }
+    else if (s === 'prompt') { el.className = 'geo-status'; el.textContent = '📍 Location: not asked yet. Tap ⌖ and choose Allow when your phone asks.'; }
+    else if (s === 'denied') {
+      el.className = 'geo-status warn';
+      el.textContent = ios
+        ? `📍 Location: your phone has this ${standalone ? 'app' : 'site'} set to Don't Allow. Fix it in Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → ${standalone ? '"NeCloud Weather"' : 'Safari Websites'}. A Safari content blocker can also do this: try aA → Turn Off Content Blockers.`
+        : '📍 Location: blocked for this site. Click the lock icon in the address bar → Location → Allow.';
+    } else { el.classList.add('hidden'); return; }
+    el.classList.remove('hidden');
+  }
+  render();
+  return { refresh: render };
+})();
+
 // ── Public hooks ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 let lastOutlook = null;
 window.AppUI = {
@@ -427,6 +457,7 @@ window.AppUI = {
     if (stationFresh) renderStationContext();
   },
   centerMap,
+  refreshGeoStatus: () => GeoStatus.refresh(),
   onAir(air) { renderAqi(air); },
   refreshFx() { const c = $('sky-fx'); if (c && fx.kind) { cancelAnimationFrame(fx.raf); fxResize(c); fxSeed(fx.kind); if (fx.parts.length) fxFrame(performance.now()); } },
   onStation() { syncTopbarLocation(); renderStationContext(); },

app/public/app.js

@@ -2273,26 +2273,63 @@ searchBtn.addEventListener('click', doSearch);
 searchInput.addEventListener('keydown', e => { if (e.key === 'Enter') doSearch(); });
 
 // ── Geolocation ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-locateBtn.addEventListener('click', () => {
+// Why a location request failed, in plain language (the browser tells us: 1 denied, 2 unavailable, 3 timeout)
+const IS_IOS = /iPad|iPhone|iPod/.test(navigator.userAgent) || (navigator.platform === 'MacIntel' && navigator.maxTouchPoints > 1);
+const IS_STANDALONE = window.matchMedia('(display-mode: standalone)').matches || navigator.standalone === true;
+async function geoPermissionState() {
+  try { return (await navigator.permissions.query({ name: 'geolocation' })).state; } catch { return 'unknown'; }
+}
+function geoErrorHelp(err, perm) {
+  const code = err && err.code;
+  const tag = ` (error ${code ?? '?'}${perm && perm !== 'unknown' ? ', permission: ' + perm : ''})`;
+  if (code === 1) {
+    if (IS_IOS) {
+      const where = IS_STANDALONE
+        ? 'Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → "NeCloud Weather" → While Using the App'
+        : 'Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Safari Websites → While Using, then in Safari tap aA → Website Settings → Location → Allow';
+      return `Your phone says location is off for ${IS_STANDALONE ? 'this app' : 'this site'}. Turn it on in ${where}. If you use a Safari content blocker, also try aA → Turn Off Content Blockers for this site.${tag}`;
+    }
+    return `Location is blocked for this site. Click the lock icon in the address bar → Location → Allow, then try again.${tag}`;
+  }
+  if (code === 2) return `Your device couldn't find your position yet (no GPS or Wi-Fi fix). Make sure Location Services is on, turn off Low Power Mode, and try again, ideally on Wi-Fi or outdoors.${tag}`;
+  if (code === 3) return `Timed out waiting for your location. Try again in a moment.${tag}`;
+  return `Could not get your location.${tag}`;
+}
+function geoOnce(opts) {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(resolve, reject, opts));
+}
+// A slow or cold GPS often times out the first time: retry once with a patient, high-accuracy request.
+// A real "denied" is final, so don't retry that.
+async function getPositionRobust() {
+  try {
+    return await geoOnce({ enableHighAccuracy: false, timeout: 12000, maximumAge: 5 * 60 * 1000 });
+  } catch (e) {
+    if (e && e.code === 1) throw e;
+    return await geoOnce({ enableHighAccuracy: true, timeout: 20000, maximumAge: 0 });
+  }
+}
+
+locateBtn.addEventListener('click', async () => {
   if (!navigator.geolocation) { showErr('Geolocation not supported.'); return; }
   clearErr();
   hide(weatherDiv);
   show(loadingEl);
-
+  try {
-  navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(async pos => {
+    const pos = await getPositionRobust();
     const { latitude: lat, longitude: lon } = pos.coords;
     try {
       const city = await buildDetectedCity(lat, lon);
       await loadAll(city, 'gps-button');
     } catch {
       showErr('Could not fetch weather for your location.');
-    } finally {
-      hide(loadingEl);
     }
-  }, () => {
+  } catch (err) {
+    if (state.currentWeather) show(weatherDiv);
+    showErr(geoErrorHelp(err, await geoPermissionState()));
+  } finally {
     hide(loadingEl);
-    showErr('Location access denied.');
+    if (window.AppUI && window.AppUI.refreshGeoStatus) window.AppUI.refreshGeoStatus();
-  });
+  }
 });
 
 unitsBtn.addEventListener('click', () => {

app/public/index.html

@@ -449,6 +449,7 @@
           <button id="units-btn" title="Toggle units">US</button>
         </div>
         <ul id="suggestions" class="suggestions hidden"></ul>
+        <p id="geo-status" class="geo-status hidden" role="status"></p>
         <p id="error-msg" class="error hidden"></p>
       </div>