Why Is Find My Friends Not Updating Location & How to Fix

Why Is Find My Friends Not Updating Location & How to Fix in 2023

Are you experiencing the frustration of your Find My Friends app getting stuck in one location and not updating? In this article, we will explore the common reasons behind the issue and provide you with effective solutions to fix it. Whether you’re using Find My Friends to keep tabs on loved ones or coordinating meetups with friends, a non-updating location can be a major inconvenience. 

So, let’s dive into the possible causes and discover the steps you can take to resolve this problem, ensuring that you stay connected and up-to-date with your friends’ whereabouts. 

Why Is Find My Friends Not Updating Location?

When Find My Friends is not working and not updating location, there can be various reasons contributing to this issue. Consider the following possibilities:

  1. Temporary glitch in the iPhone: Sometimes, a temporary software hiccup or malfunction in your iPhone can hinder Find My Friends from updating the location accurately.
  2. Hide My Location feature is active on your friend’s iPhone: If your friend has enabled the Hide My Location feature within their Find My Friends settings, their location won’t be visible to you.
  3. Location Services are disabled on your friend’s iPhone: Ensure that your friend hasn’t turned off Location Services in their iPhone settings, as this can prevent Find My Friends from accessing their current location.
  4. Inaccurate date on your friend’s iPhone: If the date and time settings on your friend’s iPhone are incorrect, it can affect the proper functioning of Find My Friends and hinder location updates.
  5. Your friend is in a region where Apple doesn’t have this service: Find My Friends relies on Apple’s infrastructure, and it may not be available or fully functional in certain regions or countries.

Considering these factors, it’s important to troubleshoot and address the specific cause to ensure that Find My Friends updates the location accurately and keeps you connected with your loved ones.

What Should You Check First?

When facing the problem of Find My Friends not updating the location, it’s important to begin troubleshooting by checking a few crucial factors. By paying attention to these key elements, you can identify potential solutions to resolve the issue. Let’s explore the essential aspects you should focus on first to address the problem effectively.

Make Sure Internet Is On

A stable internet connection is crucial for Find My Friends to update location information. Here’s what you can do:

  1. Ensure that both your device and your friend’s device have an active and reliable internet connection.
  2. Check if you are connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data, and verify that your friend has internet access as well.
  3. If the internet connection seems weak or unstable, try moving to a different location or connecting to a different Wi-Fi network.

Check If Your Friend Turned off Location Services

Location Services need to be enabled on your friend’s iPhone for Find My Friends to track their location. Follow these steps:

  1. On your friend’s iPhone, go to Settings.
  2. Scroll down and tap on Privacy.
  3. Select Location Services and make sure it is toggled on.
  4. If it was turned off, ask your friend to enable it by tapping on the toggle switch.

Don’t Turn on Hide My Location on iPhone

If you are the one whose location is not updating, ensure that you haven’t activated the Hide My Location feature in Find My Friends. Here’s what to do:

  1. Open the Find My Friends app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on the “Me” tab located at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Verify that the “Share My Location” option is turned on.
  4. If it was disabled, toggle the switch to enable sharing your location with your friends.

Sign into Find My Friends

If you recently signed out of the Find My Friends app, signing back in can help refresh the app and establish a connection for location updates. Follow these instructions:

  1. Open the Find My Friends app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on “Sign In” located at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Enter your Apple ID and password associated with Find My Friends.
  4. Once signed in, you should see your girlfriends’ location and receive updated location information.

By following these methods and ensuring that the necessary settings are properly configured, you can troubleshoot and address the issue of Find My Friends not updating the location accurately.

How to Fix Find My Friends Location Not Updating

Now that we have identified some common reasons behind Find My Friends not updating the location, let’s explore the methods to fix this issue.

Force Quit Find My Friends

Force quitting Find My Friends involves closing the app completely to address any temporary glitches or issues that might be causing the location not to update. This method allows you to restart the app from a fresh state and potentially resolve the problem.

Restart iPhone

Due to our practical knowledge, restarting your iPhone can help fix minor software issues and refresh the system, which may resolve the problem of Find My Friends not updating the location. By powering off and then turning on your iPhone again, you give it a fresh start and the opportunity to function properly.

Switch to Flight Mode

Switching to Flight Mode temporarily disables all wireless connections on your iPhone, including cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. This can help improve your internet connection by allowing your device to reconnect to the nearest cell towers.

After disabling Flight Mode, your iPhone will reconnect to the available networks, including cellular and Wi-Fi, which should help improve your internet connection and potentially resolve the issue of Find My Friends not updating the location accurately.

Use mSpy App to Track a Phone

mSpy app logo

mSpy is a tracking spy application that allows you to monitor and track your friends’ smartphone activities. Based on our experience, with mSpy, you can monitor your friends location, calls, messages, browsing history, social media activity, and more. To use mSpy app to track a phone, follow these steps:

1. Purchase the software: Visit the official mSpy website and choose the subscription plan that suits your needs. Make the payment and create an account.

mSpy app subscription plan

2. Obtain physical access: To install mSpy app you need one-time physical access to your friend’s device. Make sure you have the device in your possession before you proceed.

3. Download and install mSpy: Log in to your mSpy account and follow the instructions to download the mSpy app. Install it on your friend’s device.

4. Set up mSpy: Open the mSpy app on your friend’s device and go through the setup process. Provide the necessary permissions and grant access to the required features.

Set up mSpy

5. Hide the app: After the setup is complete, you can choose to hide the mSpy app icon on your friend’s device. This ensures that the app runs in stealth mode without being visible to the user.

Monitoring Features

mSpy offers a variety of monitoring features. Here are some of them:

  • Call Monitoring: View incoming and outgoing calls, along with the duration, timestamps, and contact information.
  • Message Monitoring: Read text messages, including SMS, MMS, and instant messaging app chats. You can view the content, timestamps, and sender/receiver details.
  • Web Browsing History: Access a log of websites visited on your friend’s device, including bookmarks and timestamps.
  • GPS Tracking: Track your friend’s location in real-time using GPS technology. You can view their current location and check their location history.
  • Social Media Monitoring: Monitor your friend’s social media activity on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and more. You can view messages, posts, photos, and contacts.
  • Application Monitoring: See the list of installed applications on your friend’s device and monitor their usage patterns.
  • Keylogger: Capture keystrokes on your friend’s device to see what they are typing, including passwords and usernames.
  • Geofencing: Set up virtual boundaries and receive alerts when your friend enters or exits designated areas.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when experiencing issues with Find My Friends not updating the location, it is important to troubleshoot and address the underlying causes. Factors such as temporary glitches, hidden location settings, disabled Location Services, incorrect date settings, or regional limitations can contribute to this problem.

Although the methods mentioned in this article can help to solve the problem it is important to note that mSpy app is the most reliable option with the Find My Friends location update problem solution.

Moreover, if you are looking for the comprehensive solution for tracking and monitoring someone’s smartphone activities including tracking location, calls, messages, browser history, social media activities and more then mSpy is the best choice. It offers a range of monitoring features that can provide valuable information and help you to keep track of your loved ones.

FAQ

What Does It Mean on Find My Friends When the Location Won’t Update?

When Find My Friends doesn’t update the location, it means the app is not showing the most recent location information for the person you’re tracking. This can happen due to app glitches, disabled location services, or a weak internet connection.

How Do You Refresh Someone’s Location on Find My Friends?

To refresh someone’s location on Find My Friends:

  1. Ensure both devices have a working internet connection.
  2. Check if the person has enabled Location Services on their iPhone settings.
  3. If your location isn’t updating, make sure you haven’t enabled the “Hide My Location” feature.
  4. Force quit the Find My Friends app and reopen it to fix any temporary issues.
  5. Restart your iPhone to refresh the system.

How Often Does Find My Friends Location Update?

Find My Friends updates the location based on changes in position or movement. The update frequency varies, typically ranging from a few minutes to several minutes, depending on app settings and device capabilities.

While you cannot prevent someone from taking a screenshot on WhatsApp, you can control who has access to your information, such as your profile picture and status. To adjust these settings, tap the three vertical dots icon at the top right corner of the app, go to Settings > Account > Privacy, and modify the options for Profile photo, About, and Status. Additionally, be cautious about whom you send disappearing messages to. Remember that although the messages or pictures may disappear, there is nothing to prevent the recipient from taking a screenshot or screen recording.

Claire York author
Claire York

I am a journalist turned private detective researching most spy apps and their effectiveness. Apps, the internet, technology and cybersecurity have always been of interest to me. I turned this passion into a career after leaving my journalistic career at a well-known firm.

In overseeing all the important content development for this website, I go beyond what is being sold, detailed, advertised, reviewed, and trying to uncover everything there is to know about these applications.