How Accurate Is Find My iPhone? Tips and Tricks for Using It Better

Find My iPhone can be a very helpful tool for finding your iPhone when it’s lost. It can also be utilized for keeping up with family members while they are away from home. However, for it to be effective, the location must be accurate. So, how accurate is Find My iPhone? 

Find My iPhone is very accurate as long as you have an adequate connection to a WiFi network. However, the accuracy will vary if your connection is poor or if it has been a while since the device was connected to WiFi. 

Read on to learn everything you need to know about the accuracy of Find My iPhone. You’ll also learn several helpful tips and tricks for improving location accuracy. 

How Accurate Is Find My iPhone?

Find My iPhone is a handy and accurate tool when the device has an excellent wireless connection or is connected to a strong WiFi network. 

Some reasons the location may be inaccurate include the following:

• No recent Wi-Fi connection
• Location services are not enabled
• Not connected to cell service
• No Bluetooth connection
• GPS is off

Any of these things can cause the programs to be unable to find the device. 

You may also see a green dot around the location. When you see this green dot when trying to locate a device in Find My iPhone, you are not seeing the device’s current location. 

It means that the location is currently unavailable and instead shows the device’s last known location. This will usually happen if the device is in and out of signal. 

How to Make Find My iPhone More Accurate

Sometimes, you’ll notice that the location on Find My iPhone doesn’t reflect the device’s actual location. Luckily, there are some things you can do to make this tool more accurate. 

Make Sure Location Services are Enabled

Your phone’s location can only be tracked if the Location Services are allowed on your device. So if you cannot find your phone at all, you probably have Location Services disabled. 

Follow the steps below to enable your iPhone’s location services:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap Privacy
3. Go to Location Services and turn it on

If the location services are enabled, consider restarting your device to refresh the location. 

Update Time and Date Settings to Automatic 

Inaccurate time and date settings can also interfere with location accuracy. 

Allowing your iPhone to update the time and date settings automatically is the best way to ensure these settings remain accurate at all times.  

To enable Automatic Time and Date Updates on your iPhone:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap General
3. Select Time & Date
4. Make sure Set Automatically is enabled, the time zone is accurate, and the clock is set to 24-Hour Time.

Now, let’s see the next fix.

Connect to Wi-Fi 

Find My iPhone is the most accurate when the device is connected to a stable WiFi connection. One of the main reasons for this is that it works as a steady backup to the GPS and cellular signals that may not be available. 

It may also interfere with your location accuracy if it has been some time since the device was last connected to WiFi. 

Install the Latest Software Update

If your iPhone isn’t running the latest software version, it could also interfere with location accuracy. Updates often include fixes that improve the location accuracy of the device. 

The steps below will help you install the latest iOS:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap General
3. Click on Software Update
4. Tap Automatic Updates
5. Select Download IOS Updates

Once you’ve downloaded and installed the newest update, you should see a significant improvement in your iPhone’s location accuracy. 

FAQ: iPhone Location

Let’s take a look at some frequently asked questions that pertain to your iPhone’s location so any further questions you may have can be answered.

Why Does My “Find My iPhone” Location Jump Around?

Your “Find My iPhone” location will jump around when your connection is unstable. 

If you can connect to a WiFi network, it will help prevent your location from jumping around. The only other solution is to ensure you keep a stable cellular signal. 

Why Does My Location Say I’m Somewhere Else?

If your location says you’re somewhere else, you have a poor connection. 

In most cases, the location reflected is the last location the service was able to detect. 

Why Will the “Find My iPhone” Location Not Update?

If the “Find My iPhone” location will not update, it can be caused by a couple of different things.

These include:

• Location services are not enabled on the device
• The device has no connection
• The device is turned off

Now you know everything about Find My iPhone’s accuracy.

Conclusion

When providing an accurate location, Find My iPhone has many benefits. It can be used to find your device if lost and keep up with others when they’re away from home. However, enjoying these benefits requires an accurate location. 

Although the location is most accurate when the device is connected to WiFi, there are several other ways to improve your iPhone’s location accuracy.