The Apple iOS devices are defined by their ease of use, simplicity, and the general feeling that ‘it just works. Amongst all the smart features that your iPhone has, location services form its core.
Whether you are using your Apple ID to share your location over iMessage or are using the location service for food delivery, the location services allow you to access the smarts of your iPad or iPhone online.
However, for many users, a task as simple as sharing a location can become somewhat challenging if you do not know precisely where to enable location services from.
That got us thinking, and we are here to guide you through all the nitty-gritty that will help you fix location-sharing issues on your iOS device.
Table of Contents
Absence of Location Services toggle in Control Centre
First and foremost, one of the reasons it gets tricky to enable location services in the absence of the location services shortcut. On competing OSes (Android) location feature is easier to toggle On or Off via the notification shortcuts.
But iPhone still does not have the option to enable or disable iPhone users’ GPS and location services.
Although this might sound like a flaw, considering how optimized your iPhone is, Apple expects you always to have the location services enabled on your device without having considerable battery drain. Still, it cannot be denied that location features might impact overall battery backup, no matter how minuscule.
Enable location services by diving into the Settings app
Now that you know that iPhone Control Centre can not be used to enable or disable location services, let’s get into the Privacy and Apple id settings to control your location feature.
The main location services features are placed inside the Privacy menu of your device, which all iOS users should be aware of. Location sharing is a subset of location services, and hence, location services need to be switched on for Share my location to work.
To switch On location services, follow these steps:
- Got to iPhone Settings > Privacy
- Tap on Location services
- Toggle Location Services to On
Well, that was easy! What you just did has helped enable location services device-wide. But that’s not all. You can also control app-specific location permissions by going to the desired app listed on the same screen as the Location services option.
Location Sharing via Share My Location menu
Alright, so you followed the steps above and still run into the issue of “Share my location not working” yet. Well, after enabling the location service on your device, enabling location sharing is as simple as going to:
- Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Share My Location
You can also go to the same options menu by heading to:
- Open Settings > Your iCloud id Profile (available on top of the Settings menu) > Find My
- Just switch on the toggle for Share My Location.
- If you have Family set up in your iCloud account, tap on the desired name from the family members’ list, and you are set!
The above steps should make sharing location with your family members and friends as easy as a breeze.
If you are still running into trouble with sharing location, the next section will further help you troubleshoot.
Share My Location in Google Maps
After going through the above steps, if you wonder why you still can’t share your location with your friends or that family member who uses Google Maps, we have covered you. And well, it’s pretty simple:
- In the location Services menu, scroll down to find Google Maps (or any other app you might be facing an error in.
- Tap on it.
- Here, you can choose to select the appropriate option.
- It is generally suggested to allow precise location options with Maps and Navigation apps, but you can choose what you prefer.
All you need is to keep your iPhone Online and open up Google Maps, which automatically detects your location. Start sharing location with friends and family, navigate your city, and get on with that road trip!
Enhance Your iPhone Location and Privacy Restrictions
The above method works for all location-dependent apps on your iPhone. So whether it be a social media app, Shopping app, or any other: you can follow the above steps similarly and control which app can access your location and when. As a rule of thumb, most apps do not require sharing locations all the time with them.
Thus, this particular feature can allow you to enhance privacy restrictions on your iPhone further online.
Ensure You Are on the Latest iOS Stable Build
It’s always a good idea to keep automatic software updates enabled. It ensures that you have the latest features, but it also keeps the latest big fixes applied.
Go to Settings > General > Software Updates > Automatic Updates
Switch it On.
If you did not have Automatic Updates Switched On, refresh and check for updates on the same screen to see whether the latest version of iOS available for your iPhone.
Reset Location and Privacy
You followed all the above methods and are still running into an error when sharing your current location with friends. Well, Apple has a way to reset your iPhone data or just the Preferences if you choose so to fix and troubleshoot issues quickly.
- Go to Transfer or Reset iPhone
- Tap on Reset. (Don’t worry, this won’t result in any data loss on your iPhone.)
- Tap Reset Location & Privacy
This will reset all location preferences, including Share My Location.
Share My Location Not Working Still?
Now to sum it up, even after following the above methods, if you are still struggling to get the location feature to work, there are two final ways to fix it:
- First, go to General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase all Content and Settings.
- Connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac and use the iTunes Reset and Repair tool to factory reset your iPhone.
Lastly, if all else fails, it’s a possible sign that you might need to contact Apple Support for your queries, product-related questions, or potential hardware issue.
