If you’re like me and you often use the Find My app, you might get a tad befuddled when you spot a “no location found” under your friend’s name when it wasn’t there before.
Suddenly, their location isn’t being shared with you anymore, and you’re left scratching your head, wondering if there’s something off with your iPhone.
Adding to this puzzlement, you might have noticed another label that says “location not available”. And you’ve probably thought, “Okay, what’s the difference between these two?”
Well, after sifting through personal experiences and diving deep into research, I’ve managed to gather a rundown of what you need to know about the “no location found” message and how to fix it.
So, let’s navigate through this together.
The Clever Fix:
Visit the Apple system status page to check if the Find My system is working. A green dot on your screen means it’s working, while yellow or red means it’s down.
Bear in mind, location sharing falls flat when an iPhone is switched off or if it has shut down due to a dead battery.
But if you know for a fact that these aren’t the issues, it makes sense to check the status of the Find My network first before tinkering with your iPhone’s settings.
Assuming the system is down, all you need to do is hang tight until it’s back up and running.
But if it isn’t, it’s time to figure out if the error lies with your friend’s device or yours.
What does “no location found” mean?
There’s been quite the chatter on social media about the “no location found” and “location not available” labels, with people speculating their use as a tool to catch a potentially unfaithful partner.
However, folks often jumble up the meanings of these two labels.
To clear the air once and for all, let’s distinguish between the two.
“No location found” pops up when the iPhone is experiencing a technical hiccup. Conversely, “location not available” shows up if a person ceases to share their location with you, or if they remove you from their share list.
It’s not wise to jump to the conclusion that “no location found” means the phone was purposely turned off.
There are several reasons (which we’ll get into next) that could lead an iPhone to display that label, and manually switching off the device is just one of them.
Perhaps the user is in a place with no network coverage, or maybe the phone’s battery has kicked the bucket—you never can tell.
In any case, it’s crucial to remember that it’s not a bad thing if your friend decides to stop sharing their location. They might be choosing to value their privacy, which is their right. You ought to respect their choice.
However, it won’t hurt to ask them if they’ve stopped their location sharing so you can be sure the error isn’t on your side.
Causes and fixes of “no location found”
1. iPhone has no reception
It’s totally reasonable to see a “no location found” message if your buddy is out hiking or camping in some far-flung place.
Location sharing needs good signal connectivity. So, if the iPhone is out of signal range or isn’t connected to the internet, you’re bound to see the “no location found” message.
If that’s the case, there’s not much you can do. Just hang tight until your friend returns from their wilderness adventure.
Once they’re back in an area with better signal, their location should pop right back up.
2. Technical glitch
Sometimes, the issue might be a small technical glitch that’s messing with your iPhone’s location services.
A good ol’ restart could be the magic fix that restores everything to normal. It’ll clear any ongoing processes and give your phone a fresh start.
So just shut down your iPhone, boot it up again, wait for it to catch a signal, then open up the Find My app.
Never underestimate the power of a simple restart. Give it a shot. If it doesn’t work, let’s explore some other solutions.
3. iPhone is in airplane mode
If you’re tracking a pal who’s jet setting somewhere, odds are their phone is in airplane mode.
You’ll have to wait until they deactivate airplane mode before you can see their location.
Also, it’s quite possible they may have unintentionally flicked on airplane mode while messing around in the Control Center. Even with airplane mode on, their Wi-Fi might still function, so they might not even notice the change.
If there’s an airplane icon on top of the screen, it means that it is turned on.
If you’re certain that they’ve accidentally switched it on, you can guide them to turn it off using either of these methods:
- Scroll up the screen to launch the Control Center and tap the airplane icon once.
- Go to Settings > Airplane Mode (tap the toggle once to turn off). The toggle is gray if it’s turned off.
If the airplane mode is off but the “no location found” is still there, let’s try the next fix.
4. Outdated software
If you’re a pro at hitting “remind me later” every time your iPhone nudges you about a software update, well, that could be the root of your problem.
Old software can sometimes goof up location sharing.
Sometimes, updates to the Find My app are bundled into system updates, so if you’ve been skipping updates, that might explain why you’re having trouble.
To check if there’s a system update waiting for you, follow these steps:
- On your phone, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
If an update is ready, go ahead and run it. And don’t forget to ask your friend to update their software too, if they haven’t already.
5. Location sharing is turned off
If your friend has purposefully turned off location sharing, there’s no way you’ll be able to see where they are.
They might’ve decided to switch it off temporarily for privacy and are now unsure about how to reactivate it. If that’s the case, you can help them out by sharing these steps:
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services (turn on if it’s toggled off).
- Ensure that Find My in the Location Services is set to While Using the App.
- Close and re-launch the Find My app.
What to do if the “no location found” persists
As a last-ditch effort, you can reset your location and privacy settings. Heads up though—a “reset” means everything will go back to the default settings. So brace yourself because you’ll need to set up the Find My app all over again.
Here’s the procedure:
- Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy.
- Enter your password when prompted, then tap Reset Settings.
This will hopefully squash any lingering bugs on your phone and get your Find My app back on track.
A tip to all Find My users
I highly recommend enabling the Send Last Location feature.
It allows others to spot your last known location before your phone runs out of juice.
It’s a neat safety net for emergencies—if, say, your phone gets swiped or you end up getting lost and need a mate to track you down.
Here’s how you switch this feature on:
- Go to Settings > Apple ID > Find My > Find My iPhone > Find My Network (turn this on) > Send Last Location (turn this on).
When this option is active, your device will note down its last known location just before the battery goes kaput.
That location will be visible for 24 hours before it switches to “no location found.”
Wrapping up
I’ve learned it’s wise to check the Find My status on the linked Apple website before I start troubleshooting.
It’s a rare occurrence, but there’s still a chance that the Find My network might be out of service, so it’s worth checking first.
The best part is that it only takes a quick click! If the system is down, that single click will save you a whole lot of time and effort trying out different fixes.
An iPhone might not share its location due to the following reasons:
- The iPhone has no reception.
- There is a technical glitch.
- The iPhone is in airplane mode.
- The software is not updated.
- Location sharing is turned off.
When you’re sure that neither your device nor your friend’s is the problem, try doing a reset.
Turning on Send Last Location is also a top-notch idea. That way, you can still see your friend’s last spot before their phone either lost signal or ran out of battery.
If, after trying all these possible solutions, you’re still stuck, reach out to Apple support.
I hope this guide has helped clear up any confusion!
