The “Find My” application for Apple’s mobile devices can be a godsend when you lose track of your iPhone or iPad. Sometimes it could be a theft scenario, and other times you might have just misplaced your device while it’s on silent. However, there can be instances when you’re met with an irritating ‘no location found’ iPhone error. Fear not, the potential solutions to this issue are rather straightforward and won’t consume more than roughly 20 minutes of your time. Let’s dive into the ways to resolve it.
Understanding the ‘No Location Found’ iPhone Error
Apple amalgamated the “Find My Friends” and “Find My iPhone” apps into the “Find My” feature with the advent of iOS 13 and iPadOS. Since then, Apple has been continually refining the “Find My” app, introducing features to locate even disconnected, powered-off, or wiped iPhones. However, these capabilities are not foolproof.
There can be several reasons why the iPhone’s “Find My” app doesn’t display any location. Your location services might be turned off, or perhaps your phone is switched off.
Two types of messages could be presented. One is the ‘Location not available’ error, and the other is the ‘No location found’ message. The latter implies that the app couldn’t locate the device presently, but the situation may change once a GPS signal is detected. Conversely, ‘Location not available’ means the “Find My” app was unable to locate the device, and it will keep searching for it.
How to Remedy the ‘No Location Found’ iPhone Error
It can be quite irksome to face the ‘No Location Found’ error on your iPhone, especially if you’re uncertain how to address it. Here are a few strategies you can adopt to fix this error.
Adjusting Your Settings to Resolve the ‘No Location Found’ Error
Firstly, check that your Location Services are activated. If they are, try turning them off and back on. Below are the steps to enable Location Services:
For an iPhone or iPad:
- Go to Settings.
- Choose the Privacy option.
- Enable the Location Services.
For a Mac:
- Navigate to the Apple menu.
- Select the System Preferences option.
- Pick the Security and Privacy option.
- Go to Privacy. There you’ll find the Location Services option. Enable it.
Ensure that the ‘Find My’ function is activated under Location Services, and set to ‘While Using the App.’ Also, the ‘Share My Location’ should be turned on. If it’s already activated, switch it off, wait for a moment, and then turn it back on. Here’s how you can enable ‘Share My Location’:
For an iPhone:
- Open Settings.
- Pick the Privacy option.
- Go to the Location Services option.
- There you’ll find the Share My Location option. Enable it.
- Activate the ‘Find My iPhone’ or ‘Find My iPad’ functions.
- Turn on ‘Share My Location.’
Additionally, your device should be set with the correct time and date. Here’s how you can adjust the time and date on your device:
For an iPhone and iPad:
- Go to Settings.
- Select the General option.
- Pick the Date & Time option.
For a Mac:
- Access the Apple menu.
- Choose the System Preferences option.
- Click on the Date and Time option.
Ensure that your device is connected to the internet, either through Wi-Fi or Cellular data. Also, if you’re using cellular data on your iPhone or iPad for internet connectivity, make sure the ‘Use Cellular Data’ option is turned on for ‘Find My.’ Here’s how you can do that:
- Go to Settings.
- Select the Mobile Data or Cellular option.
- Turn on the ‘Find My’ option.
Lastly, ensure that both the ‘Find My iPhone’ or ‘Find My iPad’ and ‘Share My Location’ options are enabled in the System Services menu.
Rectifying the ‘No Location Found’ Error with Apple System
The ‘No location found’ message might appear because the ‘Find My’ feature is not operational. To check the Apple system status, follow these steps:
- Visit the Apple System Status page.
- Select the Find My option.
- You will receive a message if Find My is unavailable. If everything is functioning normally, a green dot will be displayed. If not, Apple’s services are encountering issues which you can’t resolve. Usually, such issues are fixed within a few hours.
Updating the Device to Fix the Error
Make sure your device is running the latest version of iOS. There might be a bug in the Location Services affecting some users. An update could potentially resolve the issue.
Here’s how you can check and update your iOS version:
- Go to Settings.
- Choose the General option.
- Select the Software Update option.
Resetting the Privacy and Location to Resolve the ‘No Location Found’ Error
If the issue persists after trying all the aforementioned steps, you could reset your Location and Privacy settings to their default settings.
Here’s how:
- On your iOS device or iPad OS, go to Settings.
- Select the General option.
- Choose the Transfer or Reset iPhone option.
- Pick the Reset option.
- Select the Reset Location & Privacy option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ‘No Location Found’ Mean it’s Blocked?
Most likely, the second iPhone might not have a mobile or Wi-Fi signal. The contact might also have turned off their location settings, or their phone could be powered off.
How Can You Tell if a Contact Has Disabled Their Location on Their iPhone?
If ‘Find My’ shows a “Location not available” warning, it means someone has turned off their location. You might not see your friend’s symbol on the ‘Find My’ map. You are not alerted when someone disables their current location. However, the app will inform you when a contact’s location is updated. If you turn on notifications for ‘Find My,’ you can receive alerts about a contact.
Closing Thoughts
While trying all these potential solutions to the ‘no location found’ iPhone error can be exasperating, none of them are particularly time-consuming. If you have a second device to check the location services, you can halt your attempts as soon as the service starts working again. Let us know in the comments which solution worked for you!