diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 25375af7e..1586f0db4 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 # Wikimedia Commons for Android
 
+## v2.12.3
+- Fixed issue with EXIF data, including coords, being removed from uploads
+
 ## v2.12.2
-- Fixed crash on startup (hopefully, could not reproduce it)
+- Fixed crash on startup 
 
 ## v2.12.1
 - Fixed issue with Nearby loading in wrong location
diff --git a/app/build.gradle b/app/build.gradle
index e318c32f6..36280e48a 100644
--- a/app/build.gradle
+++ b/app/build.gradle
@@ -110,8 +110,8 @@ android {
 
     defaultConfig {
         applicationId 'fr.free.nrw.commons'
-        versionCode 549
-        versionName '2.12.2'
+        versionCode 561
+        versionName '2.12.3'
         setProperty("archivesBaseName", "app-commons-v$versionName-" + getBranchName())
 
         minSdkVersion 19
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/CommonsApplication.java b/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/CommonsApplication.java
index e5b124209..2efc43300 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/CommonsApplication.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/CommonsApplication.java
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ import org.wikipedia.AppAdapter;
 import org.wikipedia.language.AppLanguageLookUpTable;
 
 import java.io.File;
+import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.Set;
 
 import javax.inject.Inject;
 import javax.inject.Named;
@@ -47,6 +49,7 @@ import fr.free.nrw.commons.di.ApplicationlessInjection;
 import fr.free.nrw.commons.kvstore.JsonKvStore;
 import fr.free.nrw.commons.logging.FileLoggingTree;
 import fr.free.nrw.commons.logging.LogUtils;
+import fr.free.nrw.commons.settings.Prefs;
 import fr.free.nrw.commons.upload.FileUtils;
 import fr.free.nrw.commons.utils.ConfigUtils;
 import io.reactivex.android.schedulers.AndroidSchedulers;
@@ -141,6 +144,16 @@ public class CommonsApplication extends Application {
 
         initTimber();
 
+
+        if (!defaultPrefs.getBoolean("has_user_manually_removed_location")) {
+            Set<String> defaultExifTagsSet = defaultPrefs.getStringSet(Prefs.MANAGED_EXIF_TAGS);
+            if (null == defaultExifTagsSet) {
+                defaultExifTagsSet = new HashSet<>();
+            }
+            defaultExifTagsSet.add(getString(R.string.exif_tag_location));
+            defaultPrefs.putStringSet(Prefs.MANAGED_EXIF_TAGS, defaultExifTagsSet);
+        }
+
 //        Set DownsampleEnabled to True to downsample the image in case it's heavy
         ImagePipelineConfig.Builder imagePipelineConfigBuilder = ImagePipelineConfig.newBuilder(this)
                 .setDownsampleEnabled(true);
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/kvstore/BasicKvStore.java b/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/kvstore/BasicKvStore.java
index 656e5e455..032898896 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/kvstore/BasicKvStore.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/kvstore/BasicKvStore.java
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import android.content.SharedPreferences;
 import androidx.annotation.Nullable;
 
 import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
 
@@ -204,4 +205,11 @@ public class BasicKvStore implements KeyValueStore {
         _store.unregisterOnSharedPreferenceChangeListener(l);
     }
 
+    public Set<String> getStringSet(String key){
+        return _store.getStringSet(key, new HashSet<>());
+    }
+
+    public void putStringSet(String key,Set<String> value){
+        _store.edit().putStringSet(key,value).apply();
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/settings/Prefs.java b/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/settings/Prefs.java
index 41889e3db..b686e18db 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/settings/Prefs.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/settings/Prefs.java
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ public class Prefs {
     public static final String DEFAULT_LICENSE = "defaultLicense";
     public static final String UPLOADS_SHOWING = "uploadsshowing";
     public static final String IS_CONTRIBUTION_COUNT_CHANGED = "ccontributionCountChanged";
-    public static final String MANAGED_EXIF_TAGS = "managedExifTags";
+    public static final String MANAGED_EXIF_TAGS = "managed_exif_tags";
     public static final String KEY_LANGUAGE_VALUE = "languageDescription";
 
     public static class Licenses {
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/settings/SettingsFragment.java b/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/settings/SettingsFragment.java
index 913e96a9e..3ac74d3ae 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/settings/SettingsFragment.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/settings/SettingsFragment.java
@@ -12,14 +12,18 @@ import android.preference.SwitchPreference;
 import android.text.Editable;
 import android.text.TextWatcher;
 
+import com.google.gson.reflect.TypeToken;
 import com.karumi.dexter.Dexter;
 import com.karumi.dexter.listener.PermissionGrantedResponse;
 import com.karumi.dexter.listener.single.BasePermissionListener;
 
-import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.lang.reflect.Type;
 import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Locale;
+import java.util.Set;
 
 import javax.inject.Inject;
 import javax.inject.Named;
@@ -68,10 +72,12 @@ public class SettingsFragment extends PreferenceFragment {
             return true;
         });
 
-        MultiSelectListPreference multiSelectListPref = (MultiSelectListPreference) findPreference("manageExifTags");
+        MultiSelectListPreference multiSelectListPref = (MultiSelectListPreference) findPreference(Prefs.MANAGED_EXIF_TAGS);
         if (multiSelectListPref != null) {
             multiSelectListPref.setOnPreferenceChangeListener((preference, newValue) -> {
-                defaultKvStore.putJson(Prefs.MANAGED_EXIF_TAGS, newValue);
+                if (newValue instanceof HashSet && !((HashSet) newValue).contains(getString(R.string.exif_tag_location))) {
+                    defaultKvStore.putBoolean("has_user_manually_removed_location", true);
+                }
                 return true;
             });
         }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/upload/FileProcessor.java b/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/upload/FileProcessor.java
index cf2716f2c..361ecf0ad 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/upload/FileProcessor.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/upload/FileProcessor.java
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ public class FileProcessor implements Callback {
      */
     private Set<String> getExifTagsToRedact(Context context) {
         Type setType = new TypeToken<Set<String>>() {}.getType();
-        Set<String> prefManageEXIFTags = defaultKvStore.getJson(Prefs.MANAGED_EXIF_TAGS, setType);
+        Set<String> prefManageEXIFTags = defaultKvStore.getStringSet(Prefs.MANAGED_EXIF_TAGS);
 
         Set<String> redactTags = new HashSet<>(Arrays.asList(
                 context.getResources().getStringArray(R.array.pref_exifTag_values)));
diff --git a/app/src/main/res/xml/preferences.xml b/app/src/main/res/xml/preferences.xml
index cdeaa8366..e689f709b 100644
--- a/app/src/main/res/xml/preferences.xml
+++ b/app/src/main/res/xml/preferences.xml
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@
         <fr.free.nrw.commons.ui.LongTitlePreferences.LongTitleMultiSelectListPreference
             android:entries="@array/pref_exifTag_entries"
             android:entryValues="@array/pref_exifTag_values"
-            android:key="manageExifTags"
+            android:key="managed_exif_tags"
             android:title="@string/manage_exif_tags"
             android:summary="@string/manage_exif_tags_summary"/>