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How to fix your iPhone not showing locations in Find My
As an iPhone owner, I often take the Find My app for granted. You don't need it most of the time, but when you do, it's pretty reliable. Like any piece of software, though, it can potentially go haywire, especially since it's completely dependent on cloud connections and GPS satellites.
When Find My isn't reporting location data, there are a few tactics you can try to get things working again. Some factors may be out of your control, but I'll address those as well.
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Find My
Apple's Find My allows you to view the location of your Apple devices, locate items you've attached AirTag too, and track the location of your friends and family.
Make sure Location Services are enabled
Laying the essential groundwork for Find My
Location Services are a likely culprit, at least when you're trying to locate someone's iPhone, iPad, or Mac. People sometimes disable them for privacy's sake, but that prevents all location data from being broadcast, no matter the app or whether that data is based on GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or nearby celltowers.
On an iPhone, you can check the state of Location Services by going to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Make sure the primary toggle is on, and double-check that Find My itself is set to While Using the App -- similar options are present on iPads and Macs. If you're trying to find a friend or family member, ask them to follow the same steps.
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Make sure Find My and Share My Location are on
An easy mistake that offers a quick fix
To build off the previous point, you (or someone you're tracking) may have inadvertently disabled the Find My service, and/or Share My Location. The latter gives an iPhone the greenlight to broadcast location info via Find My.
Navigate back to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Share My Location, and check that the Share My Location toggle is on. Next, go into the Find My iPhone menu and toggle all available options.
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Flip Wi-Fi, cellular, and Bluetooth back on
Better to leave them on as long as possible
It happens to be best of us -- we disable an iPhone's radios to save battery life but forget to switch them back on. iPhones need to connect to the internet to reach the Find My network, and without Bluetooth, they may not be able to track nearby accessories like AirTags. Likewise, a device you're tracking can't share its location if relevant communications are off.
The quickest way to fix this issue on an iPhone is by swiping down on your battery indicator to open Control Center, then tapping the appropriate icons.
Apple has similar menus on iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches.
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Check and make sure you're signed in to iCloud
Apple needs to know who you are to show where you are
iCloud is the umbrella for most of Apple's cloud services -- not just Find My -- so you're probably already logged in. But if there's any doubt, open the Settings app. You should see your name up at the top, but if you see a prompt to sign in to your iPhone instead, you'll need to log in with your Apple ID username and password.
Once that's done, tap iCloud, then Show All under Apps Using iCloud. The toggle should be active next to Find My.
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Fix reception problems or move locations
Do you have a clear signal? If not, move
Sometimes there's nothing wrong with your software or hardware -- it's just that the thing you're trying to track has signal issues. A person's iPhone, for example, could be surrounded by skyscrapers, which frequently block GPS and cellular traffic. AirTags can only broadcast if they're within range of an iPhone or iPad with Bluetooth enabled, so if you've lost one on a remote hiking trail, it might not appear in Find My for days -- if ever.
Be patient.
There's usually not much you can do in this situation except be patient. If you're tracking a person, and it's mission-critical, you might ask them to relocate closer to a celltower or Wi-Fi hotspot, or try sharing their location via an alternative platform like Google Maps.
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Update and/or reboot your iPhone
A fresh start never hurt anyone
However unlikely it is, there's a non-zero chance of a bug with the Find My app or the rest of iOS. Check for updates by going to Settings > General > Software Update. If there is one, backup your iPhone before installing it.
If there's no update, you might still luck out by rebooting your iPhone, which should clear out caches and restart some processes. On devices without a home button, press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons simultaneously. Drag the power-off slider to shut down, then hold the side button again for several seconds to restart.
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Check the status of iCloud servers
Be ready to wait depending on what you find
Apple does periodically experience downtime with iCloud, planned or otherwise. See if Find My servers are operating properly by visiting the company's system status web page. If they're down, you can try contacting Apple support, but it's probably wiser to be patient.
If iCloud sign-in is broken, it may not matter whether there's a green light next to Find My. Like I said, you need to be signed into to iCloud to do anything with it.
