Find my iPhone Not Working? Full Guide to Fix & Alternative Methods

“Find My” is an application developed by Apple designed for locating and tracking Apple devices such as iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and AirPods. The app utilizes a variety of technologies, including GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, to provide real-time and accurate location information.

Users can employ the Find My app to track the locations of their own devices, share their location with friends and family, and locate misplaced or stolen devices. Additional features include Play Sound, Lost Mode, and Erase, offering users tools to secure and manage their Apple devices remotely.

As we expect the app to work perfectly, there are instances when the Find my iPhone just stops working, and we are left in a helpless situation. In this article, we will go through the common causes to Find my iPhone not working, how to fix them, and alternative methods.

Why is Find my iPhone not working? Ways to Fix

Find My iPhone can stop working because of some common problems like:

1. Weak or no internet connectivity on your iPhone.

Find my iPhone needs an active internet connection to find the device’s location. The connection could be through Wi-Fi or cellular data. If your iPhone has a weak internet connection, it will take a while to find the location of your device, or it will not locate at all.

How to Fix: Check Network Connection

Step 1: Start Settings on your iPhone.

Step 2: Tap on Wi-Fi or Cellular, depending on what kind of network connection you have. Check your carrier’s available networks list, and make sure your phone is connected to a network with a good signal.

Step 3: If your iPhone has an active connection with the network, then your device will be able to track Apple phone on Apple Maps.

2. Wrong Apple ID.

To track your iPhone using Find My iPhone, you need to enter your Apple ID for the target device. An Apple ID is a unique account for every apple user; it syncs with all of your apple devices, from iPhones to Macs. If you enter the wrong Apple ID, it will fail to recognize that iPhone and won’t be able to track your cell phone using Apple’s precision finding that’s now available for iPhone 15 and Apple Watch.

How to Fix: Check your Apple ID

Step 1: Go to Settings on your iPhone.

Step 2: Tap on your Apple ID at the top right corner of the screen.

Step 3: Verify if it is the right Apple ID that you are using to log in to Find my iPhone.

Step 4: If it is not the right account, change it to the correct one.

3. Incorrect Date and Time.

Find My iPhone only works when the date and time on your device are correct. That’s because Find my iPhone checks when it sends a signal to the server, which will then return the location of your device to you. If your device is still on but set to a different time zone, or if the date and time are wrong, you won’t be able to see your device’s location or any other device linked to the Apple ID.

How to Fix: Correct the Date & Time

Step 1: Open Settings on your iPhone and tap on General.

Step 2: Choose Date & Time.

Step 3: Tap on Set Automatically.

Step 4: Lastly, tap on the back button and allow your iPhone to connect to the internet and update the date and time settings.

4. Restrictions on settings.

To use Find My iPhone, you must have Location Services set to ON. You also need to enable the ‘Allow Find My iPhone’ setting on your device. However, if you have any privacy or security restrictions enabled, you will prevent Find My iPhone from tracking your phone if it’s turned off.

How to Fix: Enable Location Services

Step 1: Start Settings on your iPhone.

Step 2: Scroll down and tap on Privacy.

Step 3: Tap on Location Services, then turn it ON. It will show you a list of trusted applications. Make sure the Find my iPhone app is on the list, as it allows you to locate your device when it is not in use.

Step 4: Lastly, tap on the button and enable Location Services by giving permission to allow the feature to track location.

Now, try to use Find my iPhone app again and see if it is working.

Also, disable Don’t allow changes.

Tap on Location services, then select the “Allow Changes” button.

5. Some apps are incompatible with the browser.

Find My iPhone lets you use the Safari browser installed on your iPhone to track your device. However, some apps cannot be used in the browser. For instance, you will get an error message if you are trying to track a lost iPhone or iPad with a different browser other than Safari that does not support the Find My iPhone app.

6. Weak or no GPS signals on your iPhone.

According to Find my iPhone, the app uses GPS software to find the location of your device. If you cannot get a GPS signal on your device, Find My iPhone will not be able to track it and will not be registered on the server. In that case, the app will display a message saying, “No location found.”

7. iOS hasn’t been updated or is damaged.

To use Find My iPhone, your device must run on iOS 5 or later. If you have an older version of iOS or if your system is damaged, the app will not work. To solve this issue, you will need to update your device’s iOS.

How to Fix: Update iOS on iPhone

In fact, with the latest iOS 15 system upgrade, users have the ability to locate their iPhone even when it is turned off.

Step 1: Start Settings on your iPhone.

Step 2: Scroll down and tap on General.

Step 3: Scroll down and tap on Software Update.

Step 4: Tap on Automatic Updates (If you already have the recent update).

Step 5: Tap on Download and Install (if you still don’t have the iOS 15). The screen will show you the features of the new system that you are downloading and installing (Your device must be connected to Wi-Fi and have enough power from 50% battery charge to complete the download).

Once the installation is finished, your iPhone will automatically restart and will be back to its normal working state.

8. SIM card issue.

The SIM card in your iPhone may get damaged or removed. This will prevent the app from operating normally. You can install a new SIM card or replace the old one with a new one. 

9. There is a server error with Find My App.

Sometimes, Find My iPhone will not work because the app server has some internal issues. This means that the server failed to process your request. You can delete and then reinstall the app from App Store again.

One More Way to Fix: Enable Fetch New Data

Step 1: Open Settings on your iPhone.

Step 2: Scroll down and tap on Mail.

Step 3: Tap on Account, then find the Fetch New Data menu towards the bottom of the screen and tap it.

Step 4: Lastly, you will see the push button. Turn the toggle to on.

This will allow your phone to connect to the internet and fetch new data, thus resolving the problem.

alternative methods to find an iPhone without Find my

There are different trackers to find iPhone if Find My is not working. These trackers are Find My alternatives; they are convenient and easy to use and can locate your iPhone or a family member’s phone. They feature a variety of options, such as tracking by GPS, texting, and alerts.

Phone Trackers for Families

Tracking apps work with installation needed via iCloud credentials. They are the most suitable for parental controls, as such trackers can monitor not only the location but also any phone activity. These are family phone trackers such as Life360, mSpy, and uMobix.

To use them, you need to create an account, download the software, and then install it on the target phone. If you know their Apple ID, it’s easy, you just need to log in to your Control Panel to begin tracking the target phone.

The control panel contains all the information regarding the operations and is a good place to manage the tracking process. You can view the location history and real-time location of the target phone. Moreover, many trackers allow geofencing.

Try mSpy

Tracking services via SMS

Some services allow tracking phones using only their number and without installing software.

Services like GEOfinder can track an iPhone using its phone number if Find My is not working. The service works by sending a text message with a tracking link to the target device. The software will ping the phone’s location and show it on its dashboard after the person with your phone interacts with the link.

The best thing is that I did not need to install an app or use my iCloud credentials. Based on my experience, it is an effective option for finding an iPhone when Find My Friends is not working.

Try GEOfinder.mobi

Conclusion

As Find my iPhone is a helpful app to track lost or stolen phones, it can sometimes fail to work properly due to some of the reasons mentioned above. However, some other apps and services are beneficial for tracking iPhone and have proven to be reliable.

Though some are paid services, they are worth paying for and can provide you with all the information that you need about the phone that you want to track. Additionally, they can be used for other purposes as well, like child monitoring, background checks, looking for a long-lost relative, and so on. We recommend trying GEOfinder or mSpy.