With the Find My app, for example, Apple offers an app with which you can find your iPhone, AirPods, and other devices linked to the Apple ID. It’s also useful for keeping up with friends and family with their location services. However, in some cases, your attempt to locate a family member often ends in futility, with Find My app showing a “No location found” message.
If you’ve ever encountered this error, you can agree with me that this is one of the most annoying location service errors or problems for iPhone users. Unfortunately, you can’t narrow it down to one particular cause. The problem can be due to various reasons. With the tips in this article, you can figure out the problem and find your device or friends again.
Read also: How to Ping a Phone to Find Its Location
What Does “No Location Found” Mean on iPhones?
There are a lot of reasons you could be having this problem. Here are what it means in most cases:
1. The other person/phone ran out of battery
If the person you’re trying to locate at the other end has a phone with a suddenly dead battery, the “No location found” error could pop up at your end.
2. Location services not switched on
The reason could also be that Location Services is not enabled in Settings. So to find your friends on Find My, you must ensure you share your location and Location Services are enabled.
3. You need to agree to new iCloud ToS
If you have new iCloud terms of service, which you need to read and agree to but have yet to do so, the app may lock you out on some features until you do so.
Read also: Why Is My Location Wrong on My Android Phone?
4. Your phone’s Airplane Mode is on
Your Location Services work for Find My when your internet service is turned on. When airplane mode is turned on, the WiFi or internet service is turned off, and apps that work with location services will not work appropriately.
5. System issues
I found reports of some iPhone users sharing their location with the same friends but suddenly started having the No Location Found issue. They could only see their friend’s location, except they had the app open. This problem has been confirmed to be due to an outdated iOS version.
6. Low network speed
Many iPhone users also report having this issue when they’re out of the home. But when they’re back home and using a WiFi service, they can see their friends online again. This is caused by low network speed or high network traffic.
Read also: How to Stop Sharing Location With Someone Without Them Knowing
6 Tips to Fix “No Location Found” on iPhones
Now below are some tips to fix the problem once and for all:
1. Restart your phone
As I always say, restarting a phone is one of the first ports of call in the case of a problem before starting the actual troubleshooting. A lot of people were able to resolve the issue by restarting their devices. You can also log out and log into iCloud with your Apple ID and see if the problem resolves.
2. Upgrade iOS
A few Find My users fixed the problem by upgrading their devices to the latest iOS. You can make an update manually if you missed an update or haven’t had your iPhone in your hand for a long time.
- Start by backing up your phone with iCloud so that if there’s a problem with the new iOS update, you can return to your present iOS.
- Go to your phone settings and tap on General.
- Scroll down and tap Software update.
- If there is an update, tap Download and Install to download it.
Read also: Why Does My Location Keep Turning OFF and ON by Itself on iPhones and Android Devices?
- If there is an update, tap Download and Install to download it.
- Next, tap on Install now and enter your security code.
Tips
- The updates are automatically downloaded by default. But if your iPhone isn’t updating by default, you can change it under iTunes & App Store settings. Just enable Automatic downloads for Updates in this category.
- To know whether you’re on the latest iOS version, go to Settings on your iPhone or iPad, switch to General, and then About. In the Version field, you can see which iOS version is installed on your device.
3. Enable Location Services
For the location apps to work properly on the iPhone, you must enable the location services for Find My or any other app you wish to use. So do the following:
- Go to Settings on the iPhone
- Tap Privacy in the iOS settings.
- Go to the Location Services section.
- Toggle on Location Services
- Scroll down till you see the app (i.e., Find My or any other app)
- In Allow Location Access, tap Ask Next Time or While Using the App.
4. Turn on your internet service or WiFi network
Again, an internet connection is required for the location to be shared by a device. Therefore, location sharing may only work in areas with good network coverage. For example, you may encounter connectivity issues in the forest, high-rise buildings, or indoor spaces with thick insulated walls. If your internet service is turned on, but the coverage is poor, you may connect to a WiFi network instead.
5. Set your date and time
An incorrectly set date and time from a poor network connection can cause your iPhone location apps to bring up a “No location found” error.
So, reset your date and time by going to Settings > General > Date and Time. Then, tap on Set Automatically or 24-Hour Time. I recommend Set Automatically because your phone can automatically update the date and time over the network.
6. Enable Share Location in the app
If you can’t see the location of friends or family members in the Find My app, perhaps you need to enable Share Location. So do the following:
- Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
- Tap on the People tab
- Tap on a family member’s name
- Tap Share My Location
Conclusion
If you want to locate a family or friend and get located with Location Services, enable Share Location in the app, be in an area with good network coverage, or use a WiFi service. Furthermore, the iPhone should run with the current iOS version to avoid errors. Also, ensure that the iPhone automatically determines the time zone and country location.
