iPhone No Location Found (What it Means)

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iPhones have an extremely convenient feature which allows users to track their friends and families with the share location option on the phone. However, you might be wondering what it means if you receive a No Location Found message for your or another’s iPhone. 

When you see the message No Location Found for an iPhone, it can mean one of many things:

  • The location or Find My Phone services are turned off
  • The iPhone is on airplane mode
  • The iPhone is out of service
  • The iOS system is not up to date. 

In this article, we are going to find out how to fix all of these possible issues an iPhone may be experiencing so you can ensure you don’t see that pesky No Location Found message if you don’t want to! 

Does No Location Found Mean They Stopped Sharing?

First things first, if you see a No Location Found message for the iPhone of a family member or friend, it may mean that they simply stopped sharing their location.

Some people will, of course, turn off the location sharing on purpose to increase their privacy, and there is nothing you can do to turn someone else’s location back on. 

If you want to turn location sharing off or back on on your iPhone, here’s what you need to do: 

  1. Launch the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and select Privacy & Security.Settings with Privacy highlighted
  3. Choose Location Services.
  4. Click the toggle button next to Location Services to turn it on or off. 
    Location Services with arrow

As well, to be sure the location is being shared, you will need to close and reopen the Find My app. 

Of course, you cannot change the location settings on someone else’s phone, but now you know how to ensure it is turned on on your iPhone! 

What About My Device List?

If you are seeing no location found in your device list, it is more than likely because that device is dead, or no longer has service. I still have some old phones that are showing up in the Find My app, even though I havent had them for years.

You can easily remove these devices by swiping right on them and revealing the garbage can icon.

Find my device list with a phones remove option showing

Why Is No Location Found Appearing for an iPhone?

In addition to the location services being turned off, there are 3 other reasons why you may be seeing a No Location Found message for an iPhone. 

  • The iPhone is on airplane mode. 
  • The iOS system is out of date. 
  • The iPhone is out of service. 

In the following sections, we are going to go through how to solve each of these issues so you can get your location running and sharing in just a few minutes! 

iPhone is on Airplane Mode

Arrow pointing to airplane mode

Whether you have accidentally or purposely put your iPhone onto airplane mode, it is important to understand that while this is enabled, your iPhone will not share its location. 

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If this has happened by mistake, all you need to do is navigate to the settings menu and click the Airplane Mode toggle to turn it off! 

Once again, you should restart the Find My app to ensure your location is being shared again. 

iOS System is Out of Date

Software updates

A common problem iPhone users encounter is that they do not update their system frequently enough, and the iPhone stops working properly. 

For many of us, when we see the update message, we simply hit “remind me later,” but these updates are essential to a correctly functioning phone! 

If you are receiving a No Location Found notification for your phone, you should navigate to the updates section within the settings menu. 

Settings > General > Software Update

If there are available updates, it’s important to run them. After that, restarting your iPhone will likely solve the problem! 

iPhone is Out of Service

When your iPhone is out of service, it cannot share your location. 

While there are some areas where your mobile data network simply will not work, you can always connect your iPhone to a local WiFi network to ensure the location is shareable. 

It’s important to note that if you cannot find a friend or family member’s phone on the Find My app, they may have turned off their location, or they may simply be temporarily out of service. 

You can refresh the app to see if their iPhone has reconnected to service, and you may see their location in just a few minutes! 

The Bottom Line

Apple has combined the Find My Friends and Find My Phone apps into one easy-to-use app: Find My, where you can locate your iPhone as well as the location of your loved ones in seconds. 

However, sometimes you will see a No Location Found message when you are attempting to find your own or someone elses phone. 

Hopefully, you now understand that there are several reasons why this may happen. 

The No Location Found message can mean that the location services are turned off, the iPhone is out of service, it needs to be updated, or it is simply on airplane mode. 

While you cannot adjust the settings on someone else’s iPhone, at least now you know how to solve this problem if you are experiencing it on your own iPhone! 

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